Tim Cook, one year ago, to Walt Mossberg: “We’re going to double down on secrecy on products.”

12 months later, here we are, on the cusp of WWDC 2013, and nobody outside Apple seems to have any idea what Apple is set to show tomorrow. Cook’s words to Mossberg were anything but empty. The most secretive company in the industry got more secretive. We know Jony Ive has been leading the software design of iOS and OS X. We can be pretty sure they’re going to show us what they’ve been up to. But no one seems to know just what that is.

Yours truly included — and I couldn’t be happier. I haven’t been this in the dark about what Apple was set to announce in a keynote since the original iPhone introduction in January 2007. I’ve seen some speculation over the past few days that Vesper’s UI was informed by advanced knowledge of iOS 7....

The WWDC 2013 Keynote is tomorrow, Monday, June 10th, starting at 1pm EDT (10am PDT) and TMO's Dave Hamilton is already on-site posting pictures and updates. During the keynote itself coverage will include live, play-by-play updates from within the Moscone. Tune in here for TMO's coverage to find out exactly what's happening so you don't miss a thing!

Has Apple lost its magic? It's kind of remarkable that pundits and analysts of all stripes are suggesting as much at this point, but really not all that surprising because they've been saying that every spring right up to Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference for years.  ...

Waterfield Designs makes some of the nicest computer, tablet, and smartphone accessories out there, and by nice I mean customizable, good-looking, and durable. I've had a Waterfield Designs iPad Travel Express bag for about three years now, dragged it all over the world, and it still looks like it did when it was brand new. Well, that same durable design is now showing up in your pocket with the delightful Finn Wallet (US$29), which can be used either as a wallet (duh!) or to house a naked iPhone. Let's take a look!

Design

The Finn Wallet actually comes in two different sizes: Size 25, which is intended to be a "wallet wallet", and Size 27, to clothe your iPhone 5. As for the lovely leather exterior (no, it's not Corinthian Leather...

From Puk's human companion, Wanda Rijkenberg:

This is Puk. Ever since she moved in with us she loves to nap in our home studio. We like to think because she's love us and that's where we often sit, but it's probably also to do with the studio equipment heating up the room. As a kitten (below) she'd squeeze between the power amp and a small mixer lit by a warm light. Now, years later, Puk grew a bit and so did the studio, leaving no place for a slightly overweight cat to squeeze into.

But in winter the trees in front of the house can't stop the sun from entering the room. And every time it does Puk knows exactly when and where to find that one free spot to nap in those rare rays of winter sun: just before the afternoon, on the pen tablet in front of the computer.

If you've got a Caturday nominee to share, let us know via our...

An awful lot has been written recently about whether Apple is has lost its spark. "Does Apple have an innovation problem?" asks the Washington Post. Forbes claims to lay out "Apple's innovation problem", although that piece is so muddled and lacking in specific details I came away more confused than illuminated. "Apple hasn't created an innovative product in years", claims inc.com. "Has Apple's innovation engine stalled?" asks USA Today. Fox News tells us "Why Apple is ailing." The Telegraph reports that "...

Fnord666 writes "When a company called FlatWorld Interactives LLC filed suit against Apple just over a year ago, it looked like a typical 'patent troll' lawsuit against a tech company, brought by someone who no longer had much of a business beyond lawsuits. Court documents unsealed this week reveal who's behind FlatWorld, and it's anything but typical. FlatWorld is partly owned by the named inventor on the patents, a Philadelphia design professor named Slavko Milekic. But 35 percent of the company has been quietly controlled by an attorney at one of Apple's own go-to law firms, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. E-mail logs show that the attorney, John McAleese, worked together with his wife and began planning a wide-ranging patent attack against Apple's touch-screen products in January 2007—just days after the iPhone was revealed to the world."

...

another random user writes "Apple has applied for a patent on a combined virtual currency and digital wallet technology that would allow you to store money in the cloud, make payments with your iPhone, and maybe communicate with point-of-sale terminals via NFC. The patent application, published [Thursday] by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Organization, details how iPhone users could walk into a store, pay for goods with their phone, and walk out with their merchandise. Though Apple is late to the virtual wallet game, that doesn't seem to stop them trying to patent the process. There does not appear to be anything in the patent application which describes something that can't already be done."

...

The PRISM project is hitting the news just now, with the Director of National Intelligence issuing statements, and people talking about what privacy means in a free society.

This morning, our backchannel discussion about PRISM drifted to the topic of user privacy in apps. Specifically, we've noticed a recent trend -- our apps are starting to contact us by email.

Here's an example of a real email generated by an iOS app:

Hello, Thank you for trying [redacted] out!

I noticed that you've used the app a couple of times over the past few weeks but are no longer using it. We trying to make the calendar a better experience and in doing so I'd really appreciate if you could take a moment and tell me why [redacted] isn't working for you.

If you have any other thoughts you'd like to share with the team, please feel free to send it our way!

Nerval's Lobster writes "Apple's iOS 7, which is heavily rumored to make its debut at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, will almost certainly feature a totally redesigned interface. According to recent rumors (including a few key postings on the Apple-centric blog 9 to 5 Mac), the OS will stand as a shining example of "flat" design, which eliminates "real world" elements such as texture and shading in favor of stripped-down, basic shapes. That means certain iOS environments such as Game Center (with its casino-like green felt) and Newsstand (with its wooden shelving) could soon look completely different. But what about iOS 7's actual features? What could Apple change that would improve the operating system's chances against the increasingly sophisticated Google Android, not to mention the new-and-improved BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8? What would you do to iOS with Apple's full resources at your disposal?"

...

Enter to win a Bracketron Mushroom GreenZero Travel Charger. Giveaway closes on June 14th, 2013.    

With just days to go until the opening of the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, Apple has pushed an update to the companion WWDC iOS app (free). While the program is aimed at attendees and registered Apple developers, others can also use the app by tapping "cancel" when prompted to sign in. The new version now handles video properly (resuming after a phone call, ignoring audio ringer mute when playing a video), corrects blurry text in session details, allows Favorites in Events to go to 11PM, prevents duplicate section headers in the videos list from appearing an... ...

Like to text? Vern Seward point out 3 iOS apps that just might enhance your texting experience in this week's Free On iTunes. MessagEase, Fleksy, and Glyph-O-Rama.

If there's one promise I hope I can make to TUAW readers, it's that this will be the last iPad keyboard case review you'll read for a while. We've had quite a few over the past few months, but the subject of this review - the CruxSKUNK (US$179 introductory pricing, $210 regular MSRP) -- has been touted as a contender for the top iPad keyboard case. Let's see how it does compared to the ClamCase Pro, the current recipient of the TUAW iPad keyboard case review crown.

Design

The CruxSKUNK was funded by a popular Kickstarter project; the project team was requesting $90,000 and the final backing was almost $250,000. What got the backers so excited about YAIKC (yet another iPad keyboard case)? Well, compared to most other cases, it's built like a tank - or more like a MacBook Air. Machined out of aluminum...

When it comes to music labels, Apple’s gotta catch ‘em all. Elsewhere, Google unwittingly gives the folks from Cupertino a helping hand, and you’ll never guess what might show up at this year’s WWDC. The remainders for Friday, June 7, 2013 are mint in box.

Apple Signs Sony Up for iRadio, Now Has All Three Major Music Labels on Board (AllThingsD)

Sony, the last of the big three record labels, has reportedly signed on to Apple’s music-streaming service. So, I guess we can rest easy knowing that we’ll all be able to stream those oh-so-difficult-to-find tunes.

Google helps DOJ make first big mistake in Apple ebook trial (The Verge)

...

Apple on Friday released an update to its WWDC 2013 iOS app, bringing a number feature enhancements and bug fixes to the title ahead of the conference scheduled to kick off on Monday.   ...

We've mentioned Kingdom Rush Frontiers here a few times before, so odds are you might know a little something about it already. But the long-awaited sequel/expansion to one of the best tower defense games on the App Store has now gone live, for $2.99 on iPhone and $4.99 on iPad, and you can now download it and defend towers to your heart's content.

Kingdom Rush has been on the App Store for a while (it originally began life as a Flash game), and Frontiers takes the winning formula of unit-based tower defense, and adds a whole lot of new content and extras. In addition to a whole new map and story to play through, there's a new upgrade tree to unlock as you go, which will buff up your towers in various ways. And...

Ahead of Apple’s big keynote address to kick off its WWDC 2013 developer conference next week on Monday, Apple today updated its WWDC app for iPhone and iPad with a number of tweaks and fixes.

The most notable updates include videos that “now continue to play over AirPlay when the device locks or after interruptions” such as phone call, as well as a tweak so the audio ringer switch doesn’t mute audio in videos.

You can check out everything we expect to see at WWDC next week in our roundups here and...

It has been a busy few weeks in the App Store with a bunch of app updates landing on iOS and OS X. Grab a cup of joe and check out our list of notable updates from the past few weeks! You can also follow them on a rolling basis on our website.

Updated iOS Apps

Runtastic PRO GPS Running, Walking & Fitness Tracker [iPhone; Category: Health & Fitness; $4.99] Runtastic PRO uses GPS to map your sport and fitness activities, such as: running, jogging, or walking. Version 2.1.1 includes:

• Colored traces (pace, speed, elevation, grade, heart rate)
• Support of OpenStreetMap
• New mode: Choose your map orientation (true north or the direction you are heading)
• Japanese voice feedback
• Numerous small improvements & minor bug fixes

...

As construction continues at Apple's Stanford 2 retail location, new pictures reveal the store will boast a "glass box and floating roof" design, the first of three Apple Stores to receive the refreshed design aesthetic.  ...

There are varying perspectives on what the next Mac Pro should be like.  But everyone seems to agree that it should look beautiful, be insanely fast, have stupendus graphics power, be customer upgradeable to ridiculous amounts of RAM, boot from an SSD and be cooled by liquid helium if necessary in order to run rings around any everyday iMac. A WWDC announcement would stun and stagger us.

President Obama has taken the national stage in defense of the leaked PRISM and telephone surveillance programs, calling the telephony effort "authorized by broad bipartisan majorities repeatedly since 2006" with elected officials "consistently informed on exactly what we're doing." He was circumspect with remarks about Prism, telling US citizens that the effort does not apply, and also calling it fully approved, and supervised by the FISA court....  ...

Being eco-friendly isn't an attribute typically given to charging devices, but Bracketron aims to change that with the Mushroom GreenZero travel charger. Electronista has one to give away, so read on to learn more about how this energy-saving charger, and how to enter to win....   ...

First, we have not joined any program that would give the U.S. government—or any other government—direct access to our servers. Indeed, the U.S. government does not have direct access or a “back door” to the information stored in our data centers. We had not heard of a program called PRISM until yesterday.

Given the way Google lies, this could be seen as confirmation of PRISM.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Here's how to ensure that OS X does not open prior documents when launching a program.

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes early next week. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies.…

In addition to using Spotlight's privacy list, a simple name extension can keep Spotlight from indexing specific files and folders.

Apple has added new banners for its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, with two large signs presenting simply "7" and "X," and massive new signage across the street on the Metreon shopping center.   ...

Sony Music has finally signed on with Apple for the company's upcoming streaming music service the media has dubbed "iRadio." Sony joins Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group in licensing content to Apple for the service, but Apple still needs to ink deals with Sony/ATV, Sony's publishing arm.

ifoAppleStore published a number of photos today showing construction of the new Stanford 2 Apple Store in northern California. The store uses a new "glass box and floating roof design" that allows passersby to get a great view of the interior of the store.

This same design is allegedly being used for two other Apple Stores, one in downtown Portland, Oregon and the other in the city center of Aix En Provence, France. The Stanford 2 store is progressing well for an opening later this year, and demolition has begun at the sites for the other two stores.

As ifoAppleStore notes, this design is completely faced with glass that actually supports the floating roof structure. Behind the glass box is a "stone-faced box" that encloses the back-of-house operations and other retail space.

The images were provided by an ifoAppleStore "tipster" who took photos from inside the...

As always happens throughout human history — though perhaps moreso today — our lives see us constantly exposed to new technological developments. Our perspective on them taints our gut reactions, and it's often easy to forget that all of it is simply part of the iterative design process we as humanity share. Nothing we have today, not cell phones, not cars, not even a can opener, was created in a vacuum. Everything builds on that which came before it, and this is an easy fact to forget — and an important one to remember.

BlueStacks, the developer of the GamePop game console, says its hardware will be able to run iOS apps without using Apple code. The console reportedly uses a virtualization scheme known as "LookingGlass," allowing iOS games to run with few if any changes. BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma says he's not sure how Apple will react; iOS is a closed operating system, and iOS titles normally have to be distributed through the App Store....  ...

While the Internet is absorbing rumors like a wet sponge about what Apple has in store for iOS at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), the Ars Technicast is staying dry and packing its bags to cover the event next week. As we get ready, we thought we’d talk about what we can expect from Apple this time around.

In this episode of the Technicast, we discuss a few areas of iOS that we feel could use some much-needed attention, but we don't spend too much time rehashing the Internet rumors about what Apple will include in iOS 7. We also talk about some of the possible refreshes that Apple may announce for product lines such as MacBook Air and MacBook Pros. Join Social Editor Cesar Torres, Ars Associate Writer Casey Johnston, and Senior Products Specialist Andrew Cunningham in this episode as we...

(Updated with OS X banner) Apple is already displaying a banner for iOS 7 in Moscone West in San Francisco, the venue for next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, photos indicate. The banner features a thin "7" in the rainbow colors of the WWDC 2013 logo. Behind the number is an image of a white, perforated surface....   ...

Apple's online store currently has a wide selection of refurbished Retina MacBook Pro models at reduced prices. The 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.5GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of flash storage has been reduced by $230 to $1,269. The 13.3-inch Retina MBP with a 2.6GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage has been cut by $260 to $1,439....   ...

BI notes that Clow, who has been making Apple ads since the 80s, shared some memories from his 30-year relationship with Jobs at a PTTOW! summit.

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TV junkies should be rejoicing this morning -- Hulu Plus for iPad, the go-to app for streaming current TV shows, has been updated to version 3.0, bringing along a pile of new features.

The Hulu app page in the App Store says that there have been "hundreds of internal optimizations," but the entire app has also been redesigned from the ground up to ease discovery of new shows. Some of the improvements include:

• Videos can now be minimized during playback by tapping the minimize icon or using the pinch gesture. When minimized, the video continues to play while you browse through the rest of the app.
• To see what an episode, show or season is all about, just tap on its image to view the new discovery panel. Double-tapping an image lets you begin watching a show immediately.
• Hulu Plus for iPad now includes curated collections of shows, clips and movies
• Short-form content and...

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD). Prices are subject to change.

Deals from Dealnews

• eBay: [Battery Chargers & Accessories] 12,000mAh USB External Battery Pack for $11 + $1 s&h
• MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Email Archiver 2 for Mac downloads for $12
• eBay: [iPhone Accessories] 60x Digital Microscope Lens w/ LED Light for iPhone 4/4S for $4 + free shipping
...

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The 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference is about to begin, and Apple's developer community is gearing up for a sneak peek at what's coming next in software on and off the desktop. Apple has once again said the focus will be on iOS and OS X, all but guaranteeing an early look at iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 during Monday's keynote.

We’re hoping to learn more about iOS 7’s new features and the purported “flat” design element that has been exciting the Apple community. Apple has also allegedly been ...

A Czech site claims it has obtained images of several parts for an upcoming iPhone 5S. Letem Světem Applem says these include a FaceTime camera, a Home button, and a vibration motor. Although the authenticity of the parts can't be verified, the site says they have country-specific serial numbers, which could mean that the Czech Republic will be included in the first major international wave of 5S launches, after an initial smaller wave concentrating on countries like the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.... ...

Such a sad tragedy, but a classic song.

Nimble Quest takes the classic Snake game and gives it an RPG twist.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

The Joy of Tech has once again offered a bit of biting commentary, this time on the nature of "privacy" in the modern age in the wake of Verizon outrage. On Thursday it was reported that Verizon was giving the U.S. government information about our phone calls, and then another leak later in the day detailed a program called PRISM. The Joy of Tech reminds us that the issue of privacy is more complex—the segment below is just part of the comic.

ConnectED is a new Obama administration initiative that hopes to see high speed broadband Internet access in 99 percent of US schools within five years.

An Anandtech report claims Apple isn’t throttling iPhone or iPad cellular data through carrier bundles, directly refuting a recent claim from developer Joseph Brown. While Brown claims cellular data speeds for AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are throttled through coding, Anandtech’s Brian Klug writes that “Apple doesn’t limit cellular…

You’re not going to like this.

Per Senor O’Grady over on the Apple Core, a group of researchers from Georgia Tech have discovered a way to hack into an iPhone or iPad in less than a minute using a “malicious charger.” The group plans to present its findings at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas on July 27, 2013.

Billy Lau, Yeongjin Jang and Chengyu Song are presenting a session is called “Mactans: Injecting Malware Into iOS Devices Via Malicious Chargers” at the popular security conference next month. The name “Mactans” comes from Latrodectus Mactans, the highly venomous (and deadly...

Sony has signed a deal to supply music for Apple's upcoming streaming music service, usually nicknamed iRadio, a source allegedly familiar with the talks says. The agreement should mean that Apple has the three biggest record labels on board, including also Warner and Universal. Still missing is Sony/ATV, a joint venture that handles publishing....   ...

Sony Music has agreed to terms with Apple on the company’s iRadio service, making an iRadio debut at next week’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference likely. A report notes that Apple has now agreements with “all three major music labels,” although the company was previously reported to be working to sign…