MacRumors

AllThingsD briefly reports that Sony Music has agreed to a deal to bring its content to Apple's rumored streaming radio service, informally dubbed "iRadio". The development comes following word that Apple was pushing hard to complete deals in time for an announcement at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote next Monday.

Sony Music has signed on to Apple’s forthcoming iRadio service, according to a person familiar with negotiations between the two companies.

The deal means Apple now has agreements with all three major music labels.

Apple signed Universal Music last month and Warner followed just this past weekend, but Sony and Apple were reported to be having difficulty reaching an agreement over compensation for songs skipped by users.

Still to be negotiated are deals with publishers, but those talks are said to be less contentious than those with the labels.

Apple's iRadio service will reportedly be free to users, with revenue generated through advertising managed by Apple's iAd program. The service would most likely launch alongside iOS 7 later this year.

While we've covered work by BlueStacks to bring Android apps to Macs and PCs, the company has an even more interesting announcement to make today, revealing that its upcoming GamePop set-top box designed to offer subscription mobile gaming on TVs will also include support for iOS games. 9to5Mac has more on the developments, which include word that Fieldrunners developer Subatomic Studios will be the first major partner on the service.

As for what developers will have to do before submitting their apps, John tells us it’s as simple as changing in-app payments to use Google or Amazon like the rest of the content on GamePop. The rest of the magic is handled by BlueStacks’ API-level virtualization technology dubbed Looking Glass. It’s what will allow just about any iOS game with next to no tweaks to run on the TV through GamePop. John notes it’s similar to how BlueStacks’ “Layercake tech does a ton of heavy lifting to make Android apps work on PC and Mac.” It will also take care of mapping controls for each app to the various controllers planned for the device including iPhone and Android apps and a physical controller that will sell with the GamePop console.

GamePop's subscription service is priced at $6.99 per month, with the company offering a free set-top box and controller to customers signing up for a one-year contract before the end of the month. After that, the box and controller will cost $129.

Apple has been rumored to be looking at opening up its Apple TV platform to third-party applications, perhaps alongside a new television set product. When Apple launched the redesigned Apple TV in late 2010, Steve Jobs noted that the company could launch an Apple TV App Store when the time is right, but the company has yet to announce any efforts in that direction.

Just days after the U.S. Department of Justice presented its opening arguments against Apple in the antitrust e-book price fixing suit filed filed against Apple last April, the DoJ called Google's director of strategic partnerships Thomas Turvey to add credibility to its allegation, reports The Verge.

According to The Verge's Greg Sandoval, Apple's lead attorney Orin Snyder began "attacking" Turvey's story, eventually getting him to admit, under oath, that his lawyer helped him draft the statement he filed with the court. He also admitted that he couldn't remember whether he or his lawyer had written the important passages in his statement.

Sandoval says that Snyder was able to further weaken Turvey's testimony shortly after that, questioning the details of his statement:

Under Snyder's questioning, Turvey acknowledged that he couldn't remember a single name of any of the publishing executives who had told him Apple was the reason the publishers were switching their business model. He conceded that the publisher's move to the agency system was important to Google's own business, yet Turvey couldn't remember any details about the conversations with publishers. By the end of the interview Turvey had gone from saying the publishers had told him directly, to saying they had merely told people on his team, to finally saying the publishers had "likely" told someone on his team.

Sandoval notes that before today's witness testimony, much of the trial had been going the government's way and that the DoJ appeared to want Apple rival Google, which is not as significant a player in the e-book market as Amazon or Apple, to "pile on" Apple.

Turvey will return to the witness stand on Monday, with the trial set to last two more weeks. Apple's Eddy Cue is expected to testify on June 13.  Apple has consistently defended itself and has said the allegations are "simply not true."

The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers are reporting on a top secret intelligence program that gives the U.S. National Security Agency direct access to user data on corporate servers across a wide spectrum of Internet companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple.

Apple reportedly joined the program in 2012, though Microsoft has been involved since 2007. It is unknown how or why Apple resisted joining the program for five years, nor why it decided to join in 2012. Twitter is noticeably absent from the list of companies, while Dropbox is said to be "coming soon".

Update: An Apple spokesperson gave this statement to AllThingsD:

We have never heard of PRISM. We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order.

Longtime Apple board member and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore tweeted earlier: "In digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous?"

Data from the program, code-named PRISM, is frequently used in the President's Daily Brief -- a daily intelligence report for the U.S. President -- with PDB briefings citing PRISM data 1,477 times last year. The Post reports that data from PRISM accounts for nearly 1 in 7 intelligence reports.

From The Washington Post:

PRISM is an heir, in one sense, to a history of intelligence alliances with as many as 100 trusted U.S. companies since the 1970s. The NSA calls these Special Source Operations, and PRISM falls under that rubric.

The Silicon Valley operation works alongside a parallel program, code-named BLARNEY, that gathers up “metadata” — address packets, device signatures and the like — as it streams past choke points along the backbone of the Internet. BLARNEY’s top-secret program summary, set down alongside a cartoon insignia of a shamrock and a leprechaun hat, describes it as “an ongoing collection program that leverages IC [intelligence community] and commercial partnerships to gain access and exploit foreign intelligence obtained from global networks.”

Theoretically, the program is used to obtain data on foreign operatives, but it is possible for the NSA to scoop up untold amounts of data related to American citizens as well.

Apple's privacy policy does make allowances for this sort of disclosure to the authorities:

It may be necessary − by law, legal process, litigation, and/or requests from public and governmental authorities within or outside your country of residence − for Apple to disclose your personal information. We may also disclose information about you if we determine that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate.

The Washington Post and Guardian stories contain much more about PRISM, including slides from a PowerPoint presentation outlining the program that is classified TOP SECRET.

The Guardian reported earlier today that the National Security Agency is collecting call logs from Verizon Business Network Services "on an ongoing daily basis" on all calls "between the United States and abroad" or "wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls." The data includes "the numbers of both parties on a call […], as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls".

Update 7:41 PM: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has issued a press release noting that the Washington Post and Guardian reports contain "numerous inaccuracies" and indicating that any data collection is limited to non-U.S. citizens located outside of the United States.

Section 702 is a provision of FISA [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] that is designed to facilitate the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning non-U.S. persons located outside the United States. It cannot be used to intentionally target any U.S. citizen, any other U.S. person, or anyone located within the United States.

Activities authorized by Section 702 are subject to oversight by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Executive Branch, and Congress. They involve extensive procedures, specifically approved by the court, to ensure that only non-U.S. persons outside the U.S. are targeted, and that minimize the acquisition, retention and dissemination of incidentally acquired information about U.S. persons.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the comment thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All MacRumors forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Following yesterday's claim that three out of four major carriers in the U.S. throttle iPhone and iPad data speeds, AnandTech has investigated the issue and determined that the original assertion, which has since been deleted, is untrue.

Apple doesn't limit cellular data throughput on its devices — there's both no incentive for them to do so, and any traffic management is better off done in the packet core of the respective network operator rather than on devices. Sideloading tweaked carrier bundles isn't going to magically increase throughput, either.

According to the site, which offers a thorough technical examination and debunking of the original claim, neither Apple nor the accused carriers arbitrarily cap the User Equipment speed category or throttle device data speeds.

For example, AnandTech points out that the AT&T file that was used as evidence that the iPhone 5 was being capped at HSDPA Category 10 (14.4Mbps) was actually only applicable to the iPhone 4S, which, unlike the iPhone 5 (Category 14), is only capable of a Category 10 downlink, and then goes on to refute additional claims as well. The post ends with another reiteration that Apple is not, in any way, limiting its devices.

Again, there's no reason for Apple to want to arbitrarily limit their devices, and the reality is that they don't, at all, on any version of iPad or iPhone or in any of the carrier bundles they've distributed for network operators. If anything, Apple has long been one of the few handset vendors who initially understood the importance of limiting annoying operator customizations. The Carrier Bundles are quite literally the only place in the entire OS they have indirect access (through Apple) to toggles they can play with.

For the technically inclined, AnandTech's full explanation is well worth reading.

In a roundup of what to expect at next week's World Wide Developers Conference, 9to5Mac has released some new rumors concerning both iOS 7 and Apple's upcoming streaming music service, "iRadio."

Alongside the standard iOS 7 rumors, the site suggests that Apple has been experimenting with camera filters for its built-in camera app, like those used in many third party camera apps such as Instagram.

We understand that while many iOS engineers are excited about the potential of filters being built-in to the iPhone's camera app, some Apple executives are not as fond of the feature. With that in mind, we are not sure if filters will make this year's release.

In addition to experimenting with camera features, Apple is also said to be testing new motion technology, which could be used to shift objects on the screen based on device orientation.

We have heard whispers that Apple is testing new technologies could move on-screen objects based on the iOS device hardware being moved in-air. For example, app icons could slightly shift depending on the angle that the iPhone is being in held. The technology is similar to what allows the iOS 6 volume controls to rotate based on the iPhone being moved. We are not sure if this feature will make the cut for iOS 7, but the development of this technology is nonetheless intriguing.

As far as Apple's upcoming streaming music service is concerned, 9to5Mac suggests that it could potentially be offered as a pre-installed standalone app alongside iOS 7, but other options include a separate app users would have to download from the App Store or incorporating the service into the existing Music app. There are also rumors that the music service could also be brought to both the Mac and the Apple TV in the future.

We have also heard that Apple has expressed interest to record labels about expanding the streaming music service beyond iOS devices. Without sharing specifics, Apple mentioned that it would like to integrate the service into a tweaked version of iTunes and the Apple TV's software.

iOS 7, which is said to feature a total redesign, will be unveiled next monday during Apple's WWDC keynote. Apple is also pushing for a WWDC release of its streaming music service, though it is unclear if the company will be able to achieve that goal.

MacRumors has a detailed roundup that includes more information on what to expect at next week's presentation, including OS X 10.9 and new MacBooks.

Apple is nearly finished decorating the Moscone Center for WWDC 2013. Work began two days ago with giant Apple logos on the outside of the building, as well as large horizontal and street pole banners.

Spotted on some of the banners inside the Moscone Center is the tagline 'Where A Whole New World's Developing'.

Thanks to MacStories for the imagery.

Workers are also preparing the banners that have sometimes been covered with black sheets pre-Keynote in past years.

Update: MacStories has taken a new photo that appears to show a first-floor banner concealed with a white sheet instead of the black sheet that has been seen in prior years.

New this year are banners on the newly renovated Metreon shopping center across the street from Moscone West. The building houses a popular movie theater complex, a newly-added Target store, and a number of restaurants.

While many had expected Apple to follow last year's pattern and release a developer preview of OS X 10.9 early this year ahead of a summer public launch, the company has so far remained essentially silent about its plans for its next-generation Mac operating system. That silence does not, however, mean that Apple has not been working hard on the project since it first started showing up in web logs last fall.

As spotted by an AppleInsider reader, circumstantial evidence of Apple's work showed up in a WebKit bug report early last month revealing that version of OS X 10.9 in testing was Build 13A451. According to Apple's build number scheme, "13" refers to OS X 10.9, "A" refers to the 10.9.0 version, and "451" is part of a sequential numbering of compiled builds.

AppleInsider speculates that the relatively advanced "451" build number as of early May could indicate that Apple would be able to deliver a fairly mature version of OS X 10.9 to developers at its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, although there is no formal evidence for such a claim.

OS X Mountain Lion's initial developer preview arrived as Build 12A128p in February 2012, with Apple releasing several additional builds to developers before releasing it to the public as Build 12A269 in July of that year. OS X Lion apparently spent a longer time in overall development but a similar amount of time in developer testing, beginning developer seeding with Build 11A390 in February 2011 before being launched to the public as Build 11A511 roughly five months later.

Apple had indicated when it launched its first developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion last year that it was shifting to a more rapid yearly development cycle for OS X in order to bring more features to consumers more quickly. But with Apple yet to have begun seeding developers with versions of OS X 10.9 and the company reportedly having pulled engineers from OS X to work on iOS 7, there have been some questions about how closely Apple will be able to stick to its yearly release plan.

Bloomberg reports that Apple will for the first time begin accepting trade-ins on iPhones in its retail stores, encouraging users to upgrade to the latest models and seeking to boost sales. Apple will be partnering with recycling firm Brightstar to offer the program.

Used iPhones collected in the U.S. will only be resold in emerging markets, where Apple’s share is lower and demand for cheap devices is greater, said one of the people. That way, the resale of Apple’s older models won’t cannibalize iPhone 5 sales in the U.S., the person said.

Since 2011, Apple has partnered with third-party firm PowerON in the United States to offer Apple gift cards to users seeking to recycle their used iOS devices through the company's website, moving last year to expand the program to other countries where it has offered cash back. With the new program, the trade-in program will expand to Apple's popular retail stores.

The new trade-in program with BrightStar will only be available at Apple’s retail outlets, letting consumers receive payments instantly and avoiding the hassle of shipping their older gadgets, the people said.

Apple's web-based recycling and trade-in programs have so far been relatively hidden away on the company's site, resulting in low consumer awareness. The new retail store effort is, however, likely to make a significant difference in trade-in usage, appealing to consumers looking for hassle-free credit toward new devices.

Last month, BlackBerry announced that it would be bringing its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service to iOS and Android this summer, seeking to strengthen its existing network of 60 million monthly active users with a broader cross-platform messaging solution.

SlashGear now points to a Tweet from T-Mobile UK claiming that BBM will be launching on iOS and Android on June 27.

Great news - BlackBerry Messenger will be available to download on iOS and Android from June 27th! :) #BBM

In an interview with CNET yesterday, BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear also revealed that the company is in talks with other handset makers to offer BBM preloaded on their devices. Apple obviously would not agree to such a deal, but it seems that certain Android handsets may soon come with built-in support for the service.

BlackBerry is working with other handset manufacturers to get its BlackBerry Messenger service preloaded on to their phones, according to a top executive.

"There is interest from other handset makers," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear told CNET in an interview on Wednesday.

BBM's expansion comes as Apple has gained traction with its Apple-centric iMessage service and other cross-platform services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have accumulated significant user bases of their own. BlackBerry has clearly decided that the potential benefits of opening up BBM to more users outweigh the risks of BlackBerry device customers defecting to other platforms, but it remains to be seen whether the smartphone pioneer can help stabilize itself with such a move alongside its new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Update 8:46 AM: Business Insider reports that the June 27 date is incorrect, with a source calling the claim "bogus".

Update 11:25 AM: BlackBerry has confirmed to Mashable that the June 27 date tweeted by T-Mobile UK is incorrect.