The surge in use in April can be attributed to the cut-throat competition in the internet access market.

BBC: UK internet use surges

China Mobile and Unicom compete nationally, but the government has licensed only two operators, believing that the cut-throat competition of markets such as Hong Kong's impedes network development.

ECONOMIST: Life is getting harder for China's phone companies

On top of this, many Asian couples face enormous pressure to ensure their children succeed in schools with cut-throat competition for places pressure that falls mostly on the mother.

ECONOMIST: Asian demography: The flight from marriage | The

Which will drive more demand for cheaper hardware, dooming the manufacturers to a feedback loop of smaller margins and cut-throat competition as they continue to gift Google with millions active users.

FORBES: Android's Downward Pricing Will Force Google's Advertising Vision On Every Manufacturer

That will alleviate competition in a notoriously cut-throat business, and perhaps even create some local monopolies.

ECONOMIST: Public and private security

But competition in the retail market is becoming ever more cut-throat.

ECONOMIST: Asian banks

Like sellers of books, films and music, Game has been hurt by competition from online retailers such as Amazon as well as from Britain's cut-throat supermarkets, which have started stocking a small selection of the bestselling video games, often using them as loss-leaders to entice shoppers.

ECONOMIST: Media retailing