Unable to gain much traction against Apple's iPad so far, Microsoft is cutting the licensing fees for its mobile-targeted Windows RT operating system, hoping that if manufacturers are able to make less expensive devices, the platform could show signs of life.  ...

Whether by coincidence or foresight, Apple could hardly have picked a better day than April 30 to have sold its first bonds since 1996, raising $17 billion to be used towards stock buybacks and increased dividends. Apple has announced that it intends to return $100 billion to stockholders over the next few years, but opted to go into debt to do so rather than "repatriate" some $45 billion in foreign profits -- finding that historically low interest rates would cost the company dramatically less than paying the 35 percent corporate tax on the offshore earnings.... ...

D-Link today expanded its line of myDlink-enabled Cloud Cameras with the introduction of the Pan & Tilt Day/Night Network Camera (DCS-5020L); the Outdoor HD Wireless Day/Night Network Camera (DCS-2332L); the Day/Night Cloud Camera 1150 (DCS-933L), and the Cloud Camera 1050 (DCS-931L). Each model is designed for around-the-clock surveillance and monitoring....  ...

During Apple's opening statements at the Department of Justice's e-book price fixing trial on Monday, lawyer Orin Snyder called the government's suit "bizarre," the same terminology CEO Tim Cook used to describe the case during an interview last week.  ...

Ever since Plants vs. Zombies 2 was first announced, I've been crossing my fingers that we wouldn't have to wait long for an iOS release. The original game was hugely successful on Apple's touchscreen devices, but of course it was first seen on PC, and then eventually made its way out to every other platform on the face of the Earth. It turns out, however, that I shouldn't have worried about the sequel at all. Not only is Plants vs. Zombies 2 coming to iOS, but it's coming to iOS first and exclusively for a limited time.

You can read the whole press release below, but suffice it to say that when PvZ2 arrives on July 18, it'll be only on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and that's awesome. The game will also have some touchscreen-only features (that allow you to interact with the zombies directly, which sounds interesting), and EA is planning lots of extra content for the game going forward. The...

The supervisory Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) unveiled a new code of conduct for wireless providers, which (among other things) allows customers to cancel wireless contracts after two years, similar to US contracts, without cancellation penalties. Other notable changes include caps on roaming charges with a corresponding cessation of service, and the ability of the consumer to request a subsidized phone's unlock after three months as a customer in good standing.... ...

If you were lucky enough to score tickets to WWDC during the 3-minute time frame in which tickets are available, Apple has an interesting session you might want to check out on June 14.

Headlining his own session next Friday at noon will be none other than Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye, well-known for his PBS Television show from the 90's, will be discussing what type of design changes Apple might implement in iOS 8.

In all seriousness, Nye will be talking about, what else, science!

The Bill Nye the Science Guy(R) show is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The Science Guy himself will describe the remarkable chain of events that led to his understanding of the process of science, the need to engage young people, and the power and joy of knowing our place among the stars, our place in space. We've had 20 years of the Science Guy; today, there's an app for that...

This, of course, isn't the first time Apple has tapped a well-known figure in pop culture to...

The opening statements by the Department of Justice and Apple at the start of the trial between the two over e-book pricing have been given, with the DOJ claiming that Apple facilitated agreements with the big four publishers (five at the time; Hatchette and Penguin later merged) to present a unified front that demanded the "agency model" of pricing (where publishers set the e-book prices) in order to break Amazon of its predatory pricing habit of pricing e-books below its own cost -- which was having a deleterious effect on both e-book competitors and physical book sales.... ...

Ahead of a possible "iRadio" debut at WWDC, Apple is now reported to be shifting its advertising strategy to take advantage of businesses looking to reach consumers through the company's Internet radio service.  ...

April showers apparently brought May iPad Bluetooth keyboards, as I reviewed a ton of them during the month. The month of June is starting off with a duo of iPad mini keyboards from ZAGG, the ZAGGkeys Cover and ZAGGkeys Folio (both priced at US$99.99). While these two keyboards aren't available for purchase yet, this review may keep you from buying a competing iPad mini keyboard in the meantime.

Design

Let's talk about the difference between the Cover and the Folio first. The Cover is exactly what the name implies -- a keyboard that covers the screen of the iPad mini when not in use. The Folio, on the other hand, provides a keyboard and a back cover to shelter your mini.

The ZAGGkey Cover is really a marvel of engineering. I was stunned with how thin it is -- 6.3 mm, or just less than a quarter inch thick. It's also lightweight at just .68 lb (308 grams), identical to the weight of the mini alone.

The Cover is made...

Western Digital, today announced it is shipping the its thinnest 1TB hard drive with its new 2.5-inch WD Blue 7 mm hard drive. The drive, aimed at thin and light systems and slimmer notebooks, as well as compatibility with the industry-standard 9.5 mm drive slots of mainstream notebooks, is shipping in capacities from 320 GB to 1TB in the new 7mm height....  ...

Facebook may be one of the world's most popular social sharing services, but that doesn't mean that it's easy to figure out how to upload text and images, especially when you're in the web app on your Mac browser. Tapmates is on the verge of releasing a new OS X app, Moment (US$7.99, $3.99 introductory pricing), which should arrive on the Mac App Store later this week and make posting to Facebook quick and simple.

I've had a chance to try a pre-release version of Moment and my only wish is that it was available on iOS as well. Once installed, the app hides in your menu bar until you need it. You'll receive both a visual and audible notification when someone you follow on Facebook posts, and with a click you can see what has been posted at a glance. Want to see the full Facebook post? Just click on the shortcut and you're there.

But the real power of Moment is in how simple it makes posting to Facebook. Let's say that I've...

Katie Marsal:

The U.S. Department of Justice’s opening statements in its antitrust lawsuit against Apple have been published online, laying the groundwork for what the government hopes will prove illegal collusion between Apple and book publishers that led to higher prices.

I think the DOJ is going to have a tough time proving this. Tim Cook recently said at the D Conference that Apple wouldn’t admit to something they didn’t do. Cook is going to fight this and good for them.
∞ Read this on The Loop

Dave Caolo's daughter has been working hard on a school report regarding the Everglades National Park. So he downloaded her a nice-looking iPad app on the subject. Swiping around it looked great. And then he tapped on a video.

This is what happened.

In the TUAW back channel, we scratched our heads, trying to brainstorm any reason for an app to directly link to a YouTube video that didn't support mobile. The best we could come up with was this: we figure that the developer never tested the video on an actual iOS device.

But then we tested this theory by trying out the video URL on the iPhone simulator. It didn't work there either. So probably the developer never tested the video at all.

That said, although the simulator looks like an iPhone, it never provides a perfect representation of the physical and computation...

The U.S. Department of Justice has released its opening statements against Apple in the e-book pricing conspiracy case, which began in court today. Apple participated in a conspiracy with publishers to raise e-book prices, the DOJ claims. Over 80 slides are included, such as Apple’s emails to publishers, in which…

Apple power reseller B&H Photo is celebrating the release of its first iPhone and iPad apps by offering AppleInsider readers exclusive pricing on a half dozen MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.  ...

It comes as little surprise that OS X supports many flavors of user interaction, nor that certain users gravitate towards certain input styles.

For example, there are trackpad wizards who beckon with careful gestures and there are mouse users who prefer to point with their cursor. And then there are keyboard fiends, those like myself, who live and die by our home position.

If you're a keyboard-based user like me, every physical movement that draws your hands away from the keyboard is a loss in efficiency, a break in concentration. We are the arrow movers, the shortcut makers, the Spotlight addicts. And it is us that the Shortcat app targets.

Currently in public beta, the app offers a new take on keyboard-based interaction. Instead of launching Spotlight (Command-Space), you launch Shortcat (Command-Shift-Space). Enter a few letters and Shortcat searches the frontmost app for matching text.

This solution is brilliant...

Apple is now offering the option to have an iPhone 5 display replaced at an Apple Store for $149, says MacRumors. The service costs the same with or without AppleCare+. It may be most important for people without the plan, though, who otherwise have to pay $229 to have a non-defective iPhone replaced. With AppleCare+ active, a replacement is $49....  ...

If Apple were to offer a new unlocked iPhone priced at $399 without a service contract subsidy, the company would be able to grow its install base without deteriorating its gross margins, one analyst has projected.  ...

Vudu's previously PC-only movie conversion program has exited closed beta, and is now available on OS X. The conversion of a first disc, either Blu-Ray or standard DVD is free, with a $2 per title fee assessed on future disks. SD DVDs may be "upgraded" to HDX for a one-time fee of $5. Users who convert more than 10 movies receive a 50 percent discount through August 31. Titles "converted" are available on the UltraViolet streaming service on various set top boxes, smart TVs, and mobile devices....  ...

Skeuomorphism appears to be on the way out in the newest version of Apple's iOS platform, as a new screenshot claims to show iOS 7 with aspects of the much anticipated "flat" design aesthetic brought in by Sir Jony Ive.  ...

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in April, and as noted by MacRumors, the school recently posted clips of Cook’s appearance on YouTube. Cook — who earned his MBA from Duke — speaks about leadership and collaboration, among other topics. The key…

Apple has been ordered to pay US$6.5 million (5 million euros) in taxes in France by SACEM (Google translation), a French organization which doles out the 'copie privée' tax to writers, artists, producers, musicians, and other content creators. The 'copie privée' is a tax in some European countries on digital devices that can display, copy, or transfer copyrighted content.

Though Apple has applied the tax to all devices it sells in France, SACEM has said it has not received the 5 million euros worth of 'copie privée' taxes Apple collected from consumers from iPad sales in 2011. There...

MindNode is an easy to use and elegant mind mapping app for iOS and OS X. Whether you’re brainstorming for your next project, organizing your life, or taking notes during a meeting, MindNode lets you collect, structure, and expand your ideas. And integrated iCloud sharing means you always have your mind maps with you.

You can learn more about MindNode here.
∞ Read this on The Loop

(via AP)
The U.S. Department of Justice has released its case against Apple in the alleged ‘ebooks pricing fix’ case (via CNET) that claims Apple made deals with book publishers to manipulate the price of ebooks.
The Justice Department believes Apple moved to raise ebook prices before Apple launched the iPad and the iBookstore so the company could benefit at the cost of the consumer.
Notably, everyone mentioned in the complaint has settled out of court ahead of this week’s trial, but Tim Cook has remained adamant that Apple is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Apple’s iBookstore has established deals with all of the major book publishers and sells ebooks on its proprietary store for viewing on Apple’s iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
...

CE Week 2013 is quickly approaching, and iLounge is proud to bring the excitement of the Apple accessory industry to New York City. iLounge NYC offers media and trade professionals an opportunity to see the summer lineups of new Apple-related products from a number of top-tier companies. Today, we’re inviting…

Here's a question I'm sure none of you have been wondering about. What would happen if we took the screen off of every iPhone ever sold and stitched them together to form one ginormous screen? A mammoth screen to end all screens, if you will. Just how big would this capacative touchscreen monstrosity be?

While you may not have the time, inclincation, or perhaps even interest to figure it out, the same can't be said for the ever curious folks over at stupidcalculations.com

They set out to answer this very question and, suffice it to say, we're talking about one gigantic iPhone.

[The] Kubrick-inspired monophone would stretch 5,059 feet into the sky and have a base measuring 2,846 feet across (Central Park is 2,640 feet wide). Its surface area would take in 2.07 billion square inches. That's 14.39 million square feet or...

Following last week's release of a stripped-down iPod touch, iFixit has posted a complete teardown that shows the internal modifications. The 16GB iPod touch lacks the internal post that is used for the Loop on the 32GB and 64GB variants, however features the same curved speaker that was designed to avoid the post in the first place. With the exception of the flash memory, it appears that the other components on the logic board are identical to those found in the 32GB and 64GB models. iFixit also notes that Apple has moved the microphone from the back of the device to the top.... ...

Two new reports may suggest that Apple is planning to update MacBooks at WWDC, which begins June 10th. 9to5Mac says it has been given product SKUs for four new MacBook models, which appear to represent high- and low-end configurations of two different sizes of the same notebook. It's unclear whether that means the MacBook Air or the Retina MacBook Pro, both of which have similar tiers....  ...

Apple gets involved in a lot of lawsuits—such is the life of any large, prominent corporation. But the trial kicking off on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York isn’t your run-of-the-mill intellectual property infringement or class action suit: It’s an action brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging that Apple colluded with publishers to fix the prices of ebooks at a higher level.

As the trial gets under way, here’s what you need to know about this case.

The case against Apple

The case is being brought by the Department of Justice’s antitrust division—the section whose mission is “to promote economic competition through and enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles.” The division is perhaps most well known among tech-...

Gripcase USA has created a case for the iPad 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation and for the iPad mini that protects those valuable tools while allowing people with all abilities to use them.

According to Apple’s WWDC 2013 app which was released this morning, former TV show host Bill Nye will present his own session at WWDC, detailing how he came to know and understand the process of science. This session stands out amongst the others at WWDC, breaking the trend of iOS and Mac focused programs.
In the past, WWDC lunchtime sessions have been hosted by...

Current Airs + Retina Pros
According to a set of leaked part codes for upcoming Apple products, Apple will likely debut a refresh to at least one of its MacBook lines at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple will kickoff WWDC 2013 with a keynote address on Monday, June 10th. Last year, Apple introduced new Macs at the WWDC 2012 keynote, so it seems likely that the impending MacBook refresh will occur at this year’s keynote rather than during another time over the course of the week.
The first series of codes that we have received are:

//

MD711LL/A — Better — USA
MD712LL/A — Best – USA
MD760LL/A — Better – USA
...

Apple has revamped its AppleCare technician certification program. Officially called the Service Training and Certification program, it exists to train technicians in diagnosis and repair of Apple products. Until now technicians needed to renew their certification each year and take their exams at a certified examination center.

As of June 23 however, technicians will no longer need to be recertified each year and all exams will be done online. The changes come as a result of feedback from technicians.

From Apple's Service Training and Certification FAQ:

Changes include the following:

No more ACMT recertifications: All service technicians with existing ACMT certifications as of June 23 will be granted a new ACMT certification that eliminates yearly recertification exams. This new...

France's SACEM agency is asking Apple to pay 5 million euros, or about $6.5 million, for taxes still owed on 2011 iPad sales, reports say. The tax is one common across Europe, collecting money off sales of digital devices that can access copyrighted material. The money is then distributed to artists such as authors and actors....   ...

OS X 10.8.4 should be out any day now.
Per AppleInsider, Apple on Friday sent notice to developers that it will be closing the OS X Software Update 10.8.4 seed project, suggesting a final version of the maintenance update is close to release.
Sources who have seen the emailed notice believe OS X 10.8.4 could see public release in the near future, possibly at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference coming up on June 10.
Along with thanking participants who contributed to the testing, Apple noted the discussion board and Project Area dedicated to the seeding...

Mozilla Corp., the company behind the popular Firefox Web browser, plans to team up with phone manufacturers to launch smartphones priced below $50 in emerging markets.
Mozilla is branching out into smartphones just as the global market for the devices is taking off, and it’s looking at the lower-cost segment that still has a lot of growth potential. The company is pitching its Firefox operating system for mobile devices as an alternative to the current dominant systems: Android from Google Inc. and iOS from Apple Inc.
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In late April, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University as part of the school's "Real Conversations with Real Leaders" symposium. Cook, as you may know, earned an MBA from Duke in 1988.

A few days ago, Duke posted video vignettes of Cook discussing a number of topics ranging from ethical leadership to the Apple CEO's take on career planning.

In the video below, Cook discusses the importance of intuition while relaying how his gut directed him to Apple against the better judgment of others and his own analytical mind. Remember, Cook joined Apple after Steve Jobs convinced him to leave his position at Compaq.

I remember forming list of plus and minuses and couldn't get the chart to work out the way I wanted it to, because I wanted something to say, "This says I should go to Apple." But it would not. Nothing financially would do that. I talked...

At long last, the iPhone is finally coming to Iran.
Per the cool cats over at The Mac Observer, the United States Treasury Department has lifted some sanctions on selling communication devices mobile phones in Iran, which means Apple can finally begin selling its popular iPhone in the country. The decision will make it easier for people in Iran to legitimately buy iPhones, iPads, and other electronics, and is a move on the part of the U.S. to help push for political freedom in the country.
The Treasury Department said in a statement...

A French professional association that collects revenue for artists' copyrighted works has charged Apple $6.5 million in taxes related to iPad sales in 2011.   ...

Interested in Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference? Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but there’s an app for th—okay, yes, you’ve heard this one. Apple’s released a universal iOS app for both WWDC attendees and those Apple developers who aren’t making the trip to San Francisco later this month.

The app features a complete schedule of proceedings, with descriptions of sessions, labs, and special events; a map of the Moscone West conference center also shows you where each of those talks is being held. You can mark events as favorites, then quickly bring up a list of those favorites, so you can browse them without clutter. If you want to narrow the list of available sessions, you can filter by type (sessions or labs), topic (frameworks, services, core OS, and more), or by platform (iOS or OS X).

Passbook integration will help speed on-site registration.
For those who miss out...

SACEM, which is the French organization charged with managing royalties paid to authors, has accused Apple of failing to pay €5 million in royalties taxes on 2011 iPad sales. The tax apparently was collected, but Apple didn't pass the money on to SACEM.

Apple has to pay out €5 million ($6.5 million) in home copying levies that it's collected but failed to deliver to the appropriate agency, the Paris High Court ruled on Friday.

Apple and other companies that sell tablet computers must by law pay a home copying levy to Copie France. In 2011, the tariffs were between €5.60 for a tablet with a 8GB hard disk and €12 for tablets with a 64GB hard disk and higher, said Charles-Henri Lonjon, general manager of Copie France, an agency that collects copyright levies for the music, film, visual arts and writing industries, on Monday.

While Apple collected the levies from iPads sold to consumers, it did not pay those levies to Copie France, he said. Instead, Apple put the collected money in a separate account and started numerous proceedings and court cases to contest the imposed levies, Lonjon said.

Copie France then started a counter procedure to get Apple to pay the levies, he said. On Friday, the Paris High Court ruled...

Apple is attempting to complete all necessary licensing deals for the music streaming service iRadio before next week, so the company can unveil it at its Worldwide Developers Conference. According to a report, Apple has agreed with Universal on music rights, but not publishing. The company apparently agreed to terms…

Apple is today headed to trial to defend itself in the antitrust case brought against it by the US Justice Department over e-book pricing, Bloomberg notes. The company is accused of conspiring with major publishers -- Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Pearson, and HarperCollins -- to artificially inflate the prices of e-books over the $10 threshold that was once standard at Amazon. The publishers were also involved in the case at one point, but each decided to settle before matters went to trial....  ...

Many casual photographers have been reaching for their smartphones over their digital cameras recently for the convenience of social media integration and other sharing options. Eye-Fi has long offered photographers the option to transfer high-quality media from standalone cameras to personal computers and mobile devices but required intermediary WiFi hotspot access – a major obstacle for photographers shooting on location outdoors and in remote locales.
Today, Eye-Fi announced the “...

We already knew that the highly anticipated second instalment of PopCap’s popular Plants vs Zombies franchise was on its way, but today the developer has posted a new launch trailer for the game and officially announced a release date.
From PopCap’s press release it sounds like Plants vs Zombies 2 is only coming to iOS, at least initially, while the company also plans an invitation only beta that will launch next week during E3. For everyone else, the game will be available on July 18 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Unlike the original title, which is currently available for 99 cents on the App Store, PopCap is making...

Apple is reportedly testing versions of iOS 7 with AirDrop, the Mac’s Wi-Fi file sharing tool, which lets users exchange files between devices more easily than sending e-mails or using Messages. According to a report, AirDrop may be integrated into the iOS sharing menu, and could work between two iOS…