By Graham K. Rogers

Instead of the usual "We'll be back soon" sticky note, Apple has a new style, "We'll be back" note in white, that tells users the online store is being updated. Just to make screen shots that little bit more difficult, the white note is displayed at a jaunty angle. Note also the linen finish to the page (below).

From other reports online, this is worldwide although I took the screen shot from the Thai store.

I have just arrived back in my office for the second time, and the update has been completed (just after 14:00 Thai time). There are no obvious changes to the Thai store: not even an image of the latest iPad which is rumoured to be here in a couple of weeks. The US Store, similarly has nothing that is obviously marked, "New" apart from the iPad which has been there for a few weeks now.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.