iTunes Connect to Go Down for Maintenance as App Store Problems Persist

It's probably related to the backlight keyboard on the next Macbook airs

I know that none of you will believe me. I messaged @Lulsec on twitter (not expecting a response). Asking if they where DDOS ing Apple. They came back and said "depends who's asking"
So I replied"just a geek"
And they relied "we confirm"

If anyone at Mac Rumours wants to PM an email adress, I can send you the screenshot from my twitter.

My twitter account is @karlnicholson

It's because you're talking to some nobody. You got a reply from lulsec, not lulzsec.

Could be a maintenance / preparation gone wrong...?

Perhaps.

I really hope Lulzsec hasn't decided to attack Apple. It probably has the most credit card numbers stored, next to the credit card companies themselves. And going after emails and passwords has been their modus operandi in the past.

No one has claimed it, so seems unlikely. I'd expect if someone was responsible for it, they would be bragging about it.

arn

seems the Mobileme team got transferred to iTunes........

Considering this article from InformationWeek earlier this week there's a lot at stake for Apple:

Beneath the all-digital release, there's a bigger goal, sources told BYTE. The all-digital launch of the 6GB Lion downoad to a giant, broad base of users is really designed to see how well Apple will deliver its even more ambitious iCloud service to a new generation of multi-touch, non-optical drive Macs and notebooks. Apple plans to debut them in August and ship September, sources say.

Digital delivery -- and the Maiden facility is key to this -- must work well for Apple to declare a success for Lion and continue along with its more ambitious plans later.

The Maiden, NC facility won't operate alone, sources say. For OS X Lion, Maiden will operate in concert with Apple's second-largest facility, the 110,000 sq. foot center in Newark, CA, its Cupertino, CA facility and likely those of third-party partners such as Akamai, sources say.
Apple needs to find out in a large scale test, and Lion is that test, if iCloud services really will work the way people will expect on current devices and the new Macs and notebooks coming in September, sources tell BYTE.

Source: InformationWeek (http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/desktop-os/231001289)

Thus, it would be very plausible to perform extensive maintenance. Apple would not necessarily have to move content over to other farms, but they would want to spread the load as much as possible, perhaps per region.

I think it is in preparation of Lion