There are a few hints that WWDC is going to be great

It's looking like WWDC and the second half of 2014 is going to be pretty exciting for fans of Apple and its products.

John Gruber a few days ago in response to the Financial Times piece about Apple targeting the "Smart Home":

I’m pretty excited for next week.

This may seem like a pretty innocuous statement, but I interpreted it as more of a sly hint from a guy who probably has as much inside info on Apple than anyone outside Cupertino. Obviously, he's moved past breaking rumours and leaks on Apple, because that would kill his relationship with them. The fact that he's excited, makes me excited for this one.

Eddy Cue at Re/Code:

We’ve got the best product pipeline that I’ve seen in my 25 years at Apple.

That's a very bold statement, and Walt Mossberg was really caught off guard by just how strong of a statement it was. He had to ask for clarification a couple of times. We're not sure how much of the product pipeline will be revealed Monday, but it sounds like fun. 

Here's the Full Video of Eddy Cue and Jimmy Iovine at Re/Code →

I have to agree with Marco:

I wasn’t familiar with Jimmy Iovine before, but I’m convinced that getting him to Apple was worth any price.

Seeing this has made me realize what Apple’s public face and events have been sorely lacking since 2011: charisma.

I don't mind Phil Schiller and recently Craig Federighi on stage, but they're not the public face of Apple. 

OS X 10.10 to be Called Yosemite? →

That looks like a National Park on the banner to me.

Mark Gurman's WWDC 2014 Roundup →

Gurman has some of the best sources and a very accurate recent track record for leaks and rumours.

However, aside from Healthbook, the leaks this year are pretty quiet. Personally, I'm happy about that. The major announcements in the past couple of years have been less exciting due to the numerous accurate leaks in advance. There should be some surprises at this one.

Apple Sticks It To Samsung With Beats Announcement Timing

So, after Samsung appears to have tried to beat Apple to the punch by announcing a "health event" to take place five days prior to Apple's WWDC keynote, Apple appears to have gotten the last laugh. 

The timing of Apple finally announcing the Beats acquisition was perfect. The same day that Samsung was holding a press event to one-up Apple, Apple one-ups them back by announcing the rumours about them buying Beats are true. 

I love it.

Beats Music to Stay on Android, Windows Phone After Apple Buys Company →

Re/Code:

“It’s on Android now, and we want to keep it that way,” Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue said at the inaugural Code Conference on Wednesday.

It's Official! Apple Buys Beats for $3 Billion →

Took a couple of weeks, but it finally happened.

Apple says it will keep the Beats hardware brand intact, as well as the Beats Music streaming service. It also says Beats Electronics co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join the company as full-time employees.

Apple Will Livestream WWDC 2014 Keynote Next Week →

I'm pretty pumped.

Canadians Will Soon Have Gate-to-Gate Smartphone and Tablet Access on Flights →

It's about time!

Watch Kids React to Seeing an Apple II for the First Time →

"Why does it have to make so much noise?"

Apple Reportedly Working on Smart Home Features for iPhone →

One week to WWDC—let the leaks and rumours begin.

Bitcoin's Promise Goes Far Beyond Payments →

I've been meaning to link to this for a while. Harvard Business Review:

Bitcoin is more than just a new way to make purchases. It is a protocol for exchanging value over the internet without an intermediary.

Yep.

Two New iPad Commercials

Esa-Pekka's Verse:

Chérie's Verse:

4 Myths About Apple Design, From An Ex-Apple Engineer →

A little slow on this one. It's been making the rounds for a few days.

Mark Kawano:

It's actually the engineering culture, and the way the organization is structured to appreciate and support design. Everybody there is thinking about UX and design, not just the designers. And that’s what makes everything about the product so much better . . . much more than any individual designer or design team.

Regarding Steve Jobs and the Leaking of Deals Before Apple Is Ready to Announce Them →

More Daring Fireball goodies. I may as well just permalink to Gruber's site, but this stuff is too good to pass up. 

About That Apple-Beats Deal →

Another great take from John Gruber on Daring Fireball.

Billboard:

Apparently, the Apple family near imploded with outrage when that video went up on Facebook of an ‘excited’ Dr. Dre with R&B singer/former Coca Cola pin-up Tyrese. In the video they share, in language perhaps unsuitable for a family blog, how Dre will be hip-hop’s first billionaire and other nice things about Compton.

That's exactly what I thought when saw the video. That is not how Apple works.

I totally agree with John Gruber:

...my guess is, he [Steve Jobs] would have been more pissed off than anyone at Apple regarding Beats’ leaking of the deal to the press. And it seems pretty clear that that’s what happened. It wasn’t Apple that leaked, it was Beats, and their leaking it might have scuttled the deal.

I bet Dr. Dre is getting it from all sides here. Jimmy Iovine can't be happy with him either. If the ink isn't on the paper yet, you can't be posting drunken videos bragging about the deal. Dr. Dre may not be a billionaire after all.

Amazon Escalates Its Battle Against Publishers →

NYT via Daring Fireball:

Amazon, under fire in much of the literary community for energetically discouraging customers from buying books from the publisher Hachette, has abruptly escalated the battle.

The retailer began refusing orders late Thursday for coming Hachette books, including J.K. Rowling’s new novel. The paperback edition of Brad Stone’s “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” — a book Amazon disliked so much it denounced it — is suddenly listed as “unavailable.”

In some cases, even the pages promoting the books have disappeared.

I'm actually reading The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon right now. The writer makes it very clear that he had Bezos' blessing to do the book, and permission to interview hundreds of his coworkers, family, and friends. Seems like he didn't like what he read once it was complete. Maybe that's because the book depicts him as the ruthless guy that he is. The kind of guy who would pick on a publisher and make their books "unavailable" in his online store. 

Rob Bruce, President of Rogers Communications, departing the company 'to pursue other career opportunities' →

It seems like new President and CEO Guy Laurence is cleaning house.

Yep, and this has to be a good thing. If customer service and customer satisfaction are any indication, a leadership change was required. 

Circle wants to be your friendly neighbourhood Bitcoin bank →

I think things are slowly starting to turn back in the right direction for Bitcoin. After the Mt. Gox fiasco dragging on for many months, the news around Bitcoin has been pretty quiet for the last little while. I think the good news is going to slowly start flowing again. This announcement from Circle is a good first step. 

Yes, I heard about the Bitcoin Foundation resignations this week, but the Bitcoin Foundation is becoming less important as companies like Circle and Coinbase come to the forefront. 

iTunes 11.2.1 Fixes Missing /Users Directory Bug in OS X 10.9.3 →

Apparently, the issue wasn't OS X 10.9.3, it was actually iTunes 11.2. Update now.