MacRumors

Apple today rolled out a few minor tweaks to its online store (via Mac Otakara), making it easier to navigate the store on touchscreen devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

One change involves a new sliding navigation bar for product categories. From the main store page, once users select one of the four main shopping categories (Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod), the navigation bar at the top of category page showing various products and other topics within that category can now be slid back and forth with the touch of a finger. Users on non-touch devices can slide the bar by clicking on arrows at each end.

A second change involves product search results, which had previously been presented as lists of items. Results are now presented in a grid formatted to allow easy tapping on touch-enabled devices. Users on non-touch devices will also see arrows appearing on either side of each product image allowing them to view all associated product images without having to click through to the product pages.

Apple's change should notably improve the user experience on the iPad, where the large screen can take full advantage of the grid-based search results and where Apple does not have a dedicated app for shopping the store. The company's Apple Store app has been iPhone-only since its July 2010 launch, with Apple believed to be refraining from making it a universal app with a native iPad interface under the view that the iPad allows for a full web experience.

In line with its previously announced timeline, T-Mobile USA today began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 ahead of its April 12 launch.

Under T-Mobile's new payment model, the 16 GB iPhone 5 requires a down payment of $99.99 with the customer also responsible for an additional 24 monthly payments of $20, bringing the total cost of the device to $579.99. The 32 GB and 64 GB models carry the same monthly payment amounts, but require larger down payments of $199.99 and $299.99 respectively.

Single-line service plans for the iPhone 5 require no contract and begin at $50/month for unlimited talk, text, and data, although data is slowed to 2G speeds once the customer reaches 500 MB for the month. A $60/month plan raises the high-speed data cap to 2.5 GB, and a $70/month plan includes unlimited high-speed data.

Apple is close to signing a deal with both Warner Music and Universal Music Group for its rumored streaming music service, reports CNET.

Content negotiations between Apple and record companies were said to have stagnated because the Cupertino-based company was offering low royalty rates, but CNET's sources say that Apple's music service will bring alternate revenue streams in addition to unique features that are not offered by other streaming music services.

That includes a quick way for consumers to buy a song they hear, potentially boosting download sales from iTunes, as well as a revenue share of new audio ads Apple is planning to add to the free service, according to sources.

The product would be tied to iTunes, and available on mobile devices.

The service, according to sources, most closely resembles Pandora because it doesn't offer on-demand listening. Apple is building some unique features, such as the ability to jump back to the beginning of a song, according to one person briefed on the company's plans.

Though Apple is approaching deals with Warner Music and Universal Music Group, the sources caution that the negotiations are not final and could fall through. Apple also needs to work out a deal with Sony Music Group, but is continuing to aim for a summer launch, as was suggested last week.

If Apple is able to complete the negotiations in time, its annual Worldwide Developers Conference could be an ideal occasion to announce the new streaming music service. WWDC dates have yet to be announced, but the conference typically takes place in June.

Following today's introduction of Facebook Home, a new people-focused integration layer for Android devices, Fortune has published an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in which he discusses a number of topics including the rivalry between Apple and Google in the mobile market.

In Zuckerberg's view, the open nature of Google that has allowed Facebook to build Home offers a great opportunity for advances in the user experience that are considerably more difficult to achieve within iOS given Apple's control over the platform.

I think that Google has this opportunity in the next year or two to start doing the things that are way better than what can be done on iPhone through the openness of their platform. We’d love to offer this on iPhone and we just can’t today. And we will work with Apple to do the best experience that we can within what they want, but I think that a lot of people who really like Facebook--and just judging from the numbers, people are spending a fifth of their time in phones on Facebook, that’s a lot of people. This could really tip things in that direction. We’ll have to see how it plays out.

Zuckerberg shared a similar sentiment with Wired, noting that the question of whether Facebook Home would be on iOS within two years was "above my pay grade".

Android is growing quickly, and we’re excited that the platform is open and that it allows us to build these great experiences. I think that this is really good for Google too. Something like this could encourage a lot of people to get Android phones, because I think people really care about Facebook. In a lot of ways, this is one of the best Facebook experiences that you can get. Of course, a lot of people also love iPhones—I love mine, and I would like to be able to deliver Facebook Home there as well.

Apple and Facebook have at times had a strained relationship, as evidenced by difficulties related to Apple's now-defunct Ping social networking feature in iTunes, although the two companies have recently been working more closely together with system-wide Facebook integration appearing in iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion.

comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the December-February period, revealing that Apple's smartphone market share rose 3.9 points from November to February going from 35% of total U.S. smartphone platform and hardware sales to 38.9%. Last month's report demonstrated similar growth for Apple.

Samsung was the hardware manufacturer with the second largest share of the market at 21.3%, up from 20.3%. HTC, Motorola, and LG all experienced slight drops in market share.

Google's Android is still ranked as the top smartphone platform with 51.7% of smartphone platform share, though it experienced a significant drop from 53.7% in November, which was absorbed by Apple.

Apple's share increased 3.9 points to 38.9%, while Blackberry came in at 5.4% (down from 7.3%) and Microsoft experienced a slight jump from 3% in November to 3.2% in February. Collectively, Apple and Google control over 90 percent of the smartphone market, up from 87% last month.

comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, which means it is more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today introduced a new home screen experience for Android devices. The company is trying to flip the user experience on phones so users will navigate their phone "through people, not apps".

During the question-and-answer session after the event, Zuckerberg said bringing Home to iOS would not be as easy as with Android and would have to happen via the company's existing partnership with Apple. Because Android is 'open', Facebook isn't required to work with Google on the project.

Instead of seeing an app icon or name, Facebook has designed all interactions to focus on individual people rather than keeping emails and text messages from the same friends separate.

Facebook claims users turn on their phone 100 times per day, and, among other things, is redoing the lock screen on the Android phone to give users a slideshow of photos and updates from their Facebook News Feeds.

'Home' includes another new feature called 'chat heads', allowing users to keep their ongoing SMS and Facebook messages on top of every app on the phone for easy access. The company is putting a huge amount of emphasis on 'content' and 'people' rather than 'apps', and, as a result, Facebook has put itself in the middle of everything the user does on their phone.

Engadget is reporting Facebook Home will be available on select Android devices (HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II) on April 12th. Interested users can view the livestream at Facebooklive.com. Facebook expects Home to arrive on Android tablets within several months.

Additionally, Facebook is offering a program for carriers and device makers to bundle Facebook Home into devices from the factory. HTC and AT&T are the first companies to sign on, with the 'HTC First' coming out April 12 for $100.

Last week, we noted that Samsung was rumored to be launching a new "store-within-a-store" concept inside Best Buy stores, taking on the dedicated "Apple Shops" that have been located in many Best Buy locations for a number of years.

Samsung and Best Buy have now officially announced the partnership, with "Samsung Experience Shops" focused on the company's mobile products coming to 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile locations over the next several months.

At the Samsung Experience Shops, consumers can experience Samsung’s full range of mobile products including smartphones, tablets, laptops, connected cameras and accessories, all in one location. The shops enable consumers to interact with and buy Samsung’s latest mobile products and experience how the devices connect together to enrich their lives.

Select Best Buy stores will have Samsung Smart Service™, which includes dedicated Samsung Experience Consultants™ and Best Buy blue shirt sales associates to assist customers with purchasing and activating mobile products on the carrier of their choice, understanding their device and supporting them throughout the lifecycle of their product. The specially trained Samsung Experience Consultants will assist with product demonstrations, basic product services, Samsung account set up, warranty registration and post purchase support.

The Samsung Experience Shops will be of a variety of sizes, with the largest measuring 460 square feet and others such as those in Best Buy Mobile locations being considerably smaller.

CNET has obtained a 'sensitive' U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency document that says it is impossible for law enforcement agencies to eavesdrop on iMessage conversations, even with a court order, because of Apple's "secure end-to-end encryption".

The memo appears to be aimed at informing DEA agents that while they may have the appropriate subpoena to get SMS messages, they may not be getting all messages sent and received if the target is using iMessage.

Security researchers suggest that it may be possible for Apple to comply with government search warrants and subpoenas to hand over iMessage data, but the DEA note says it is currently "impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices".

From CNET:

The DEA's "Intelligence Note" says that iMessage came to the attention of the agency's San Jose, Calif., office as agents were drafting a request for a court order to perform real-time electronic surveillance under Title III of the Federal Wiretap Act. They discovered that records of text messages already obtained from Verizon Wireless were incomplete because the target of the investigation used iMessage: "It became apparent that not all text messages were being captured."

This echoes what other law enforcement agencies have been telling politicians on Capitol Hill for years. Last May, CNET reported that the FBI has quietly asked Web companies not to oppose a law that would levy new wiretap requirements on social-networking Web sites and providers of VoIP, instant messaging, and Web e-mail. During an appearance two weeks later at a Senate hearing, the FBI's Mueller confirmed that the bureau is pushing for "some form of legislation."

This issue is nothing new, however -- law enforcement and spy agencies have struggled getting wiretaps on VoIP calls for years, with Skype's P2P calls being particularly difficult to tap.

In its privacy policy, Apple says it may disclose personal information "by law, legal process, litigation, and/or requests from public and governmental authorities within or outside your country of residence" or "if we determine that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate."

In a lengthy report today, Bloomberg Businessweek takes a look at Apple's upcoming "spaceship" campus in Cupertino, noting that the project is currently one year behind schedule and roughly $2 billion over budget.

Since 2011, the budget for Apple’s Campus 2 has ballooned from less than $3 billion to nearly $5 billion, according to five people close to the project who were not authorized to speak on the record. If their consensus estimate is accurate, Apple’s expansion would eclipse the $3.9 billion being spent on the new World Trade Center complex in New York, and the new office space would run more than $1,500 per square foot—three times the cost of many top-of-the-line downtown corporate towers.

According to the report, Apple is working to shave $1 billion from the cost of the project before beginning construction.

Bloomberg Businessweek pins much of the responsibility for the cost issues on Steve Jobs, whose insistence on design and construction quality as well as unusual and expensive construction methods have defined the project.

The true expense of the campus lies not in green tech, though, as much as the materials—as well as what product designers call “fit and finish.” As with Apple’s products, Jobs wanted no seam, gap, or paintbrush stroke showing; every wall, floor, and even ceiling is to be polished to a supernatural smoothness. All of the interior wood was to be harvested from a specific species of maple, and only the finer-quality “heartwood” at the center of the trees would be used, says one person briefed on the plan last year.

Among other unique details contributing to project costs:

- 6 square kilometers of curved glass manufactured by Seele in Germany using specialized processes to prevent clouding or distortions. Seele has doubled the size of its production facility to accommodate the project.

- Per Jobs' orders, gaps between surfaces should be no more than 1/32 of an inch, far tighter than the typical 1/8 inch standard in U.S. construction.

- Polished concrete ceilings are to be cast in molds and then raised into position to ensure uniformity, rather than being cast in place. The requirement "left one person involved in the project speechless."

The report notes that investors concerned over Apple's falling stock price and looking for the company to return more cash to shareholders are questioning Apple's commitment to following through on Jobs' vision for the new campus. The company may, however, have little choice in the matter if it seeks to maintain its image as an iconic and visionary company in the post-Jobs era.

Google announced today that the company is forking the WebKit rendering engine to create its own web rendering engine called 'Blink'. Google had been the using Apple-initiated WebKit project to power its Chrome web browser. Future versions, however, will now be based on this new system.

Google is now free to make changes to its rendering engine with less complexity and bureaucracy than when it was saving its changes to Webkit. The company posted this on its FAQ explaining why it wanted to create a new engine:

The main reason is that Chromium uses a different multi-process architecture than other WebKit-based browsers. So, over the years, supporting multiple architectures has led to increasing complexity for both the WebKit and Chromium communities, slowing down the collective pace of innovation.

With the change, Google has set Chrome and Apple's Safari on their own paths. Webkit was originally created by Apple as a fork to the KHTML rendering engine. Apple took interest in developing it when launching Safari for the Mac, and it now powers Safari for iOS, as well.

WebKit has been heavily adopted with over 20 companies now contributing to the project. Google and Apple, however, have remained the most active contributors to the open-source project.

In fact, Google has been the most active contributor of WebKit in the recent years. This graph from Bitergia (above) shows Google's increasing number of "commits" to WebKit over the years. Google's efforts will now be directed at 'Blink'. Apple has made no public comments about the news.

Stephane Richard, CEO of France Telecom, said in an interview with Bloomberg that customer behavior is changing and price-conscious consumers are driving demand for lower priced smartphones, threatening sales of comparatively expensive phones like the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S line.

The shift has been especially severe in Europe, where more customers are keeping the same phone when they switch carriers. Amid a slumping economy and mounting competition, France Telecom has seen prices drop 25 percent over the past three years, squeezing profit margins and its stock price. Its cheapest plan now provides unlimited calls and texting and 3 gigabytes of data for about 20 euros ($26) a month -- about half the price of T- Mobile USA Inc.’s $50 plan, which is touted as a U.S. bargain.

Richard believes there will be fewer early adopters purchasing the latest and greatest devices going forward, though it's unclear if the slowdown would be restricted to Europe or if it could pressure iPhone sales in the U.S. as well. Regardless, many recent rumors suggest Apple is working on a cheaper iPhone to address some of these concerns.