Apple gave the public its first preview of iOS 7 last week during its annual World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. A beta version just for iOS developers was released the same day, and it found its way to many people outside of that group who promptly started complaining about stability issues, non-functioning features, poor battery life, interface problems, broken third-party apps, and more. Of course iOS 7 has problems; it's beta software.

With Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference behind us for another year, analysts are looking through the pieces the company dropped in our laps during the keynote presentation for clues as to what might be coming next. Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um thinks iOS 7's fall release schedule means we'll get a new iPhone in September, and he also thinks iTunes Radio will be a tool to draw in and keep new customers.

The Mac Observer Spin: I've been expecting new iPhones in September along side the release of iOS 7, and Maynard Um is in agreement. It's time to start saving up for you new iPhone.

Adobe began shipping, in a manner of speaking, its new Creative Cloud design application package Monday evening. Creative Cloud was first announced in May and includes Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and more. It does away with traditional perpetual software licensing in favor of a software subscription model.

The Mac Observer Spin: Subscription software licensing isn't a new idea, but it isn't something Adobe app users have dealt with for very long. Don't expect Adobe to back off, and get ready for other companies to follow suit.

U.S. cell service providers are rolling out support for Wireless Emergency Alerts. The service launched in spring 2012, and carriers have been slowly adding support since then. AT&T iPhone owners started over the weekend that they now have the feature, so what exactly is WEA?

When reports surfaced that several large companies, including Apple, were participating in a program that gives the National Security Agency direct access to their servers the iPhone and Mac maker denied any involvement. Now Apple has issued a public statement that not only denies participation, but goes on to say that it didn't even know of PRISM before the news reports, and sometimes refuses to fulfill government requests for information.

AT&T began pushing an update to iPhone users over the weekend that adds support for Wireless Emergency Alerts. The WEA system sends text messages to smartphone owners alerting them to physical threats like earthquakes and tornados, man-made disasters, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential alerts.

Microsoft's Office Suite finally embraced the iPhone on Friday with the introduction Office Mobile for iPhone. The app lets iPhone owners view and edit -- at least to a degree -- their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in an iOS-native app, but only if they have an Office 365 subscription.

The Mac Observer Spin: The lack of the Office Suite apps on iOS has always felt like a glaring omission on Microsoft's part, so it's nice to see the company finally release something even though other developers stepped up and shipped their own versions long ago. The fact that Office Mobile requires an Office 365 subscription and doesn't include an iPad version, however, feels like yet another glaring omission on Microsoft's part.

Apple's World Wide Developer Conference rumor roundup gave us a flat interface for iOS 7, the redesigned Mac Pro, and iRadio iTunes Radio. With those out of the way, and WWDC about to wrap up for another year, the rumor mill is back in full swing and this time it's bigger iPhones... again.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with President Barak Obama, U.S. Attorney Genreal Eric Holder, NSA Director Keith Alexander, and the CEOs of several other companies have all been named in a US$20 billion class action lawsuit over privacy violations related to the PRISM domestic surveillance program. The lawsuit was filed by Larry Klayman who clearly isn't pleased with reports that the National Security Agency has allegedly been collecting information from several technology-related companies, and is calling the lawsuit part of a move to stop government tyranny.

The Mac Observer Spin: Assuming Apple and the other companies named in Mr. Klayman's lawsuit really have been giving the NSA access to their servers, were acting under court orders, the case should target the government instead. If, however, they have been voluntarily handing over information to the NSA -- and he can prove it -- it's a pretty safe bet lots of money will be changing hands in settlements and court costs.

The U.S. Department of Justice showed an email from Steve Jobs as evidence that Apple pushed publishers into forcing Amazon to move to an agency pricing model as part of its plan to artificially raise book prices. The message in question, however, was a draft that turned out to be very different from the final version he sent to Senior Vice President of Software and Services Eddy Cue.

The Mac Observer Spin: Without Steve Jobs here to say what his intent was in the draft email the DOJ is speculating as to whether or not he actually wanted publishers to force Amazon into selling books at higher prices. Since the final version of the message was entered as evidence as well -- and Eddy Cue will be testifying today -- Apple is in a good position back up its claims that it didn't care about the deals publishers made with other retailers.

Apple hit us with all kinds of big announcements during its World Wide Developer Conference keynote presentation this week with iOS 7, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the new Mac Pro, and more. Jeff and Bryan have plenty to say about all of those announcements, and it turns out Jeff lost a bet so now he owes Bryan a dollar.

Apple has made in-app advertising more accessible to developers with the introduction of iAd Workbench. The service allows for ad campaign budgets starting at US$50, making it easier for developers to promote their apps directly to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners.

iFixit broke out its pentalobe screwdrivers and cracked open the freshly updated MacBook Air. Inside they found some new components mixed in with plenty of what was already there in the model it replaced.

The Mac Observer Spin: The MacBook Air may not be easy for the average user to open, but that's probably not a big deal for most people since it's already a pretty powerful Mac. Apple really loves its pentalobe screws.

"Jobs," the biopic based on the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and starring Ashton Kutcher, is now set for an August 16 release in the United States. The movie was originally scheduled to launch in April, but Open Road Films decided to delay after its premier at the Sundance Film Festival to make more time for marketing.

Google has put an end to the rumors that it has been negotiating to buy Waze with the announcement that it has, in fact, signed a deal with the crowdsourced mapping and navigation company. Google Vice President of Geo Brian McClendon said Waze will remain an independent company for now, and its development team won't be leaving Israel.

The Mac Observer Spin: Google wins this round in the mobile device navigation game. Facebook still has its deal to let users share their locations for Waze, but losing out to Google means it can't have as much control over that data as it would with the mapping company in its control. Please, Google, don't screw up Waze.

Apple dropped its cat-themed names for OS X with the introduction of OS X 10.9 on Monday and is now naming its operating systems after locations in California. OS X 10.9 is Mavericks, which isn't as high profile as other California spots such as San Francisco, or maybe the Golden Gate Bridge. So where exactly is Mavericks?

Apple released updates for the Mac, iPhone and iPad versions of AirPort Utility late on Monday following the release of the redesigned 802.11ac-compatible AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Basestations. The update added support for the new wireless network routers.

Apple confirmed rumors that it is getting into the streaming music game with the introduction of iTunes Radio. Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue unveiled the feature during the keynote presentation at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

Apple introduced a revamped AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi basestation at World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The new model supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and sports a redesigned body that can also hold a hard drive, turning the new Basestation into a TimeCapsule.

Apple introduced updated MacBook Air models on Monday during its World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. The new ultra-light models sport what Apple called "all day battery life" and also run Intel's Haswell UTC processors.

Apple gave users their first glimpse into OS X 10.9 on Monday during a keynote event at the company's annual World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. The next version of OS X does away with the cat naming scheme in favor of California locations -- starting with Mavericks. OS X 10.9 will also include Finder Tabs, system-wide file tagging, and enhanced multiple display support.

AT&T iPhone and other smartphone owners who like to upgrade before their two-year contract expires won't be getting the discounts they've come to expect now that the carrier has decided to fall in line with other cell service providers and drop early upgrade options. Until now, AT&T would typically give smartphone owners full subsidized pricing at 20 months when signing a new two-year contract instead of making them wait a full 24 months.

The Mac Observer Spin: Cell service providers are looking for ways to increase profits, so it's no surprise to see AT&T drop early upgrade options. Still, that doesn't do much to take away the sting, especially for iPhone owners that like to upgrade every time a new model ships.

Apple's keynote at this year's World Wide Developer Conference is scheduled to start at 10Am pacific time, and The Mac Observer is on location as usual with our live event coverage. With the online Apple Store already down, we're expecting big announcements beyond iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. Be sure to check in for our as-it-happens coverage from the keynote, and throughout the week for even more news from the annual developer's event.

Adobe announced the immediate availability of Photoshop Lightroom 5 on Monday. The new version of the photo management and editing application gained new image editing and enhancement tools, as well as new photo book design options.

The Mac Observer Spin: OK, Apple, Adobe just ramped up Lightroom so when will we see a new Aperture?

Apple's online store was replaced with the familiar "Back Soon" notice Monday morning ahead of the company's annual World Wide Developer Conference keynote event. Apple typically doesn't take its Web-based store offline ahead of media events unless new product announcements are coming, hinting that rumors of new Mac Pro and MacBook Air models might be accurate.

Apple will be streaming its World Wide Developer Conference Keynote event Monday morning via Apple TV. The Mac, iPhone and iPad maker quietly added a new channel to Apple TV this morning ahead of the presentation, and also added a link to watch through the Apple Events page on the company's website.

Apple is planning on starting its own in-store trade-in program for iPhones later this month. The program, according to anonymous sources, will help drive iPhone 5 sales while collecting older models to refurbish and sell in other markets.

The Mac Observer Spin: Finding more ways to get iPhones into consumer's hands makes sense even though Apple already has a wildly successful product. Giving buyers more economical ways to start using iPhones ultimately means more life-long Apple customers, and more people using the company's other services, like the iTunes Store, as well.

Apple's trail over conspiring to artificially raise ebook prices has focused on the deals the iPhone and iPad maker struck with publishers, and the Department of Justice has made a point of focusing on wording that ensured other retailers couldn't sell books at a lower price. That contract clause doesn't seem to be a big deal for Amazon as far as the DOJ is concerned, however, because it turns out the online retailer struck very similar deals with publishers -- including the "most favored nation" clause that's getting Apple in hot water.

The Mac Observer Spin: If the "most favored nation" clause is such a big deal for the DOJ why isn't Amazon facing the same scrutiny for including it in the contracts it signed with publishers? Based on the wording in Amazon's contracts with publishers it's no surprise why the company didn't want those documents made public.

If you think your cell phone activity is private, think again. The NSA reportedly obtained a court order requiring Verizon to hand over all kinds of data on subscriber activity -- and not just for some customers, but for all customers. The order was issued secretly, and if the NSA targeted Verizon, there's a good chance AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile received similar court orders, too.

With Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference only days away Jeff and Bryan take a look at what we know about this year's event as well as what seems possible based on rumors. There's plenty to talk about including the redesign of iOS 7, what's happening with OS X, companies Apple may have purchased, whether or not NFC is on its way to the iPhone, and more.

Apple is hard at work taking care of last minute preparations for next week's World Wide Developer Conference, and that includes hanging the posters and banners at San Francisco's Moscone West Convention Center. Just like previous years, Apple is decorating the inside and outside of the building, and while the artwork that's going up in Moscone West may be colorful, it isn't offering any new hints as to what may be announced when the event kicks off on June 10.

Penguin may have settled out of court in the Department of Justice ebook price fixing trial Apple is dealing with, but that hasn't stopped the publisher from backing the iPhone and iPad maker on the stand. Penguin CEO David Shanks took the stand on Tuesday to say that Apple was fine if negotiations didn't pan out and was willing to stay out of the ebook selling space, contradicting the DOJ's claim that Apple was aggressively pushing to control pricing in the market.

The Mac Observer Spin: The DOJ is saying Apple orchestrated a scheme to raise book prices, but Apple and Penguin are saying otherwise. This trial will likely play out like a soap opera with plenty of dama, and if Apple should lose, the drama will continue because it's a safe bet an appeal will happen.

Organizations that make money by collecting patents and then filing lawsuits against other companies for infringement as their sole source of income -- lovingly known as patent trolls -- may have a harder time making a buck now that President Obama is on their case. The President is working on changes for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and pushing for Congressional action to make it more difficult for patent trolls to target companies, and to cut down on the number of overly broad patents that are issued. This is a great first step towards patent reform in the United States, and since most of what the President is proposing comes through an executive order, the changes can start now instead of waiting for Congress to pass new laws.

The U.S. Department of Justice started presenting its case against Apple in court on Monday over accusations that the Mac, iPhone and iPad maker colluded with publishers to artificially raise ebook prices, and so far the focus of the campaign is the company's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue. According to the DOJ, Apple was the ring leader in a conspiracy with publishers to topple Amazon from its market leading position in book sales and raise book prices, and that Mr. Cue was orchestrating the operation.

The Mac Observer Spin: This is a big case for both the Department of Justice and Apple, and both sides will be pulling out their big guns for the fight. The DOJ's decision to target Mr. Cue makes sense because he was very instrumental in bringing together the iBookstore deals, and the agency does present a case that does an excellent job of painting Apple in a bad light.

Apple's AirDrop feature makes it easy for Mac users to share files without any special setup, and while there was speculation that it would be a feature in iOS 6, it never materialized. Now there's word that Apple has been testing AirDrop for iOS 7 and it may finally show up on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

The Mac Observer Spin: Yes please, Apple, give us AirDrop on iOS. Moving files between our iPhones or iPads and Macs has been hobbled long enough, and there are already easy file sharing options available on Android-based devices.

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.

The Mac Observer Spin: It appears that the French royalty tax Apple didn't pay was on just the iPad for 2011 sales. That sounds more like an accounting oversite than an intentional plan to avoid paying.

Apple rolled out its official iPhone and iPad app for World Wide Developer Conference attendees on Monday, and this year the scheduling and organization app includes iOS 6 Passbook support. WWDC is Apple's annual conference for iOS and OS X app developers.

A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Apple of colluding with publishers to artificially raise the price of ebooks is scheduled to start Monday in New York over a year after the Federal agency first made its accusations against the companies. Apple will be squaring off against the DOJ alone since the five publishers that were also named in the suit chose to settle out of court.

The Mac Observer Spin: Apple and book publishers felt Amazon had a monopoly on book sales, and the DOJ thinks Apple and the publishers were trying to make a monopoly that didn't include Amazon. This has the potential to be an ugly trial -- and even if the DOJ wins, don't expect Apple to give. It's a safe bet there will be an appeal.

Apple is reportedly pushing to wrap up deals with music labels for a streaming music service launch announcement at its annual World Wide Developer Conference next week in San Francisco. Rumors that Apple signed a deal with Universal Music surfaced last month, and now reports are claiming Sony Music is on board, too.

The Mac Observer Spin: Even though Apple hasn't confirmed iRadio is happening, so much information has leaked that is sounds like it's only a matter of when -- not if -- an announcement happens. Unveiling the service at WWDC may not seem like the best fit, but Apple has used its event keynote in the past to introduce new products, and if there aren't other big announcements planned, iRadio would be a nice addition to keep the media and analysts happy.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Harvard University Cyberlaw Clinic have teamed up to take on Personal Audio over the company's move to sue podcasters for allegedly infringing on a patents it holds. The company has already filed lawsuits against the Adam Carolla Show, HowStuffWorks, and others, and has sent letters to other shows such as Majority Reports.

The Mac Observer Spin: Along with its cases against bigger podcast distributors, it looks like Personal Audio is starting to target smaller distributors and content creators with its patent infringement cases. Since many won't have the funds to stage a legal defense, it's good to see the EFF get involved. Assuming, however, that Personal Audio wins its cases, expect to see big changes in the podcast market -- and get ready to see lots of shows simply disappear, too.

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 Mac Observer Spin: Loosening U.S. sanctions in Iran is good news for companies and citizens. Apple and other smartphone makers can now sell their products in the country, and Iranian citizens will have access to tools that help them communicate with each other and people around the world.

Apple has sold over 100 million of its iPod touch since the portable media player was introduced in 2007. The iPod touch shares many features with the iPhone, and apparently is still popular even without the ability to make phone calls.

The Mac Observer Spin: With the new low end iPod touch available now, plus the announcement that over 100 million units have been sold so far, we have to wonder if there's something in store for the iOS-based media player at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in June.

Apple has filed the required documents to move forward with its US$53 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that accused the company of refusing iPhone warranty repairs over faulty moisture sensor readings. The company agreed to the settlement terms earlier this year, but hadn't yet submitted the documents to the court indicating that it intends to pay the settlement amount.

The Mac Observer Spin: Apple is one step closer to wrapping up this iPhone warranty repair class action lawsuit. The company has also improved its process for detecting and dealing with moisture related issues, so hopefully consumers won't have to deal with similar headaches in the future.

Apple quietly added a lower capacity iPod touch to its lineup on Thursday with the introduction of a 16GB model to sit along side its 32GB and 64GB models. The 16GB version doesn't, however, include a rear-facing camera, but does have a front-facing camera for FaceTime video chats.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spent an evening this week talking with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the AllThingsD D11 Conference where he shared his ideas on wearable technology, opening up iOS more to third-party developers, and acquiring other companies. Jeff and Bryan offer up their perspective on Tim's comments, talk about what they expect to see at June's World Wide Developer Conference, and make a couple friendly wagers, too.