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Pad this, Apple! Microsoft blasts iPad yet again in new ad

The story so far: Microsoft has dispensed with defense and is throwing at least five (very) wide receivers at Apple -- and Google, Samsung, and whoever else stands in the way of it and nirvana.

Wednesday, Redmond released an ad in which it kidnapped Siri and persuaded her to denigrate the iPad, as if it was, oh, the rotund man in glasses who used to represent Microsoft.

Thursday, the company decided to release another ad offering that the iPad was nothing other than a slab of old bloat. At least when compared, for example, to the slightly lesser-known Asus VivoTab. … Read more

Apple's WWDC keynote scheduled for June 10

Apple's keynote speech for its Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off on June 10, the first day of the weeklong conference.

This is typically when the keynote occurs, with the rest of the week consisting of sessions for developers, along with events held at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., and other parts of the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where WWDC is taking place.

AllThingsD reported the start time for the keynote earlier on Thursday.

Apple has not yet announced plans to stream the event live, on video. The company did that the last time around for its … Read more

Siri slams iPad in new Windows 8 ad

Microsoft isn't bothering to merely flex its muscles these days.

It's opening fire in all directions, because what is there to lose? Oh, perhaps money. But apart from that.

It's gone after Google in a quite chilling manner. It's gone after the Apple-Samsung phone feud.

So, in a further escalation of hostilities, a new Windows 8 ad sees Microsoft take Siri hostage, tie her up in a chair, and make her tell the truth. … Read more

No Apple watch until late 2014, analyst says

Consumers awaiting Apple's rumored wearable, watch-like device might need to wait until next year before the gadget sees the light of day.

That's according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said Apple "may not have adequate resources" to develop a version of iOS for the device given its efforts to revamp the software as part of iOS 7.

In Kuo's note to investors, which was excerpted by AppleInsider and MacRumors, he adds that the components going into wearable devices simply haven't matured, potentially pushing manufacturing into the second half of next year. He … Read more

Most tasteless question Apple's CEO was asked in Washington

It's not easy being the boss at 1 Infinite Loophole.

Instead of traveling around the world to expand your business and inspire your troops, you go to Washington in order to expand narrow minds and perspire at the absurdity.

You even have to find a polite way to answer Sen. John McCain when he demands to know why he's always having to update his iPhone apps. … Read more

Penguin settles state e-book pricing suits for $75M

Penguin has agreed to pay $75 million to settle e-book pricing lawsuits filed by many states and private class plaintiffs, bringing an end to the long-running complaints in the U.S.

The settlement would resolve claims filed by 33 state attorneys general against Penguin, as well as class-action lawsuits filed by consumers who alleged the company's behavior violated unfair competition laws and caused consumers to overpay for e-books.

Along with the $75 million in damages, Penguin also agreed to pay costs and fees related to the claims and abide by the same "injunctive relief" as in its … Read more

2013 is the year of the voice command

"Ok, Glass -- take a picture!"

"Xbox, what's on HBO?"

"Siri, play Angry Birds."

During the reveal of the Xbox One, I was struck by just how many voice commands Microsoft programmed into the device. Kinect brought a rudimentary set of commands to the gaming console, but now everything from opening movies to launching apps can be done via voice. "Xbox, Live TV" may be my new favorite phrase in the living room.

Microsoft's not the only one who's betting big on voice commands. The vast majority of Google Glass'… Read more

Cook hits back at tax critics, says Apple pays its fair share

Last updated at 10:33 a.m. PT.

After stewing in silence for a couple of hours as a parade of senators and professional experts took turns portraying his company as a tax freeloader, CEO Tim Cook offered an impassioned defense of Apple as a solid corporate citizen.

Apple has become the largest corporate income tax payer in America," Cook told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Tuesday. He added that last year the company paid almost $6 billion in cash to the U.S. Treasury, or more than $16 million per day.

He said Apple pays "… Read more

Lawmakers lambaste Apple's tax strategy as 'an absurdity'

Apple came in for a bipartisan beating on Tuesday as senators portrayed the company as a global tax avoider which exploited loopholes in the system to escape paying its fair share.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to appear this morning before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. But before then, he had to listen in silence as the leading Democrat and Republican lambasted Apple for working the system in a way they said was unfair, if not unpatriotic.

Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, who is chairman of the subcommittee, said that Apple had … Read more

Pandora now lets you listen to albums before they're released

Dying to listen to the new Kanye West album before it's for sale? You just might be in luck.

Pandora, the music streaming site and app, on Tuesday launched Pandora Premieres, a station that allows listeners to preview upcoming albums up to a week before their release. The company said it will feature previews from a wide variety of artists, both established and emerging and across multiple genres.

Pandora Premieres will be updated weekly with new releases. Users can choose to hear any track on a featured album, in any order, and as many times as they'd like, … Read more