Apple

On June 6, The Washington Post published documents revealing a data collection program that allegedly retrieved private user information from the servers of the world's top tech companies.

Facebook, Microsoft, and Google denied any knowledge of the top-secret PRISM program but, in the interest of transparency, released the number of national security-related requests they have received soon after the news broke. This week, Apple shed some light on what type of data from personal computers and iOS devices the top-secret NSA program can and can't see.

According to the company's disclosure, Apple received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from the US government (federal, state, and local) and information from between 9,000 and 10,000 accounts were specifically asked for. Robbery, missing person, and suicide prevention investigations are the most common reasons for request. The specific data needed for these investigations were not disclosed, but the most interesting revelation was the user information Apple can't retrieve for authorities, which include:

• iMessage conversations (which are encrypted)
• FaceTime data (also encrypted)
• User location (not stored in servers)
• Map searches (not stored in servers)
• SIRI requests (not stored in servers)

While the company did not reveal the exact user information it can hand over to the authorities, Apple's own privacy policy may provide a clue as to how our personal and nonpersonal data is collected from iOS devices.

Personal Information

This type of data is affiliated to you, your name, and your username. Children under the age of 13 (as denoted by Apple ID) are exempt from personal data collection. Data is largely gathered in two ways:

• From an Apple ID: Name, mailing address, phone number, email address, contact preferences, and credit card info.
• From gift certificates or share button: Info on those people, such as name, mailing, address, email address, and phone number.

Nonpersonal Information

This type of data is generally aggregated with other users, making it anonymous. It is not typically affiliated with any specific individual.

• Occupation, language, zip code
• Unique device identifier, location, and time zone where Apple product is used
• Customer activity on Apple website, iCloud, MobileMe, and iTunes store
• Information about which parts of Apple's websites people have visited as procured by cookies

Government surveillance is still largely a mystery, but details on information requests are being revealed slowly. While much remains to be seen, we do know that there is an emphasis on collecting metadeta (information about communication transactions), as unveiled in the original Guardian article, rather than data of the actual content of conversations. After all of these NSA request disclosures from tech companies, do you feel any better about your digital privacy?

When iOS 7 made its debut at this week's WWDC, there was only one thing on our minds: color . . . color everywhere! Apple's latest brighter, bolder mobile operating system features a kaleidoscopic palette of colors, which was undoubtedly handpicked by the company's senior VP of design, Jony Ive.

It seems as though the man behind the box with rounded corners (aka the iPhone, the iPod, etc.) was inspired by some sort of psychedelia, which left graphic designer Sasha Agapov to wonder: what if Jony Ive redesigned things that weren't iOS 7?

Jony Ive Redesigns Things is a Tumblr collection of inanimate objects, iconic movie posters, and brands, as seen through Mr. Ive's flattened, multicolored world view. This, for example, is how Apple's soft-spoken Brit imagines stop signs, and this is his vision for iTunes.

Enjoy these neon gems, let us know which flat reinterpretation is your favorite, then follow popsugartech.tumblr.com for even more tech/pop culture remixes.

As hotly speculated, Apple announced its version of a music subscription service, iTunes Radio at WWDC on Monday. Apple may have been the one to bring purchased digital music to the masses with iTunes, but it had fallen behind in recent years with the crowded subscription streaming music services marketplace gaining customers' favor.

ITunes Radio will be built directly into iOS 7 mobile devices, Apple TV, and iTunes for Mac and PC, no new app download required. Over 200 stations are included in Radio, a mixture of those curated by Apple and genre-based. Integration with Siri was demonstrated during the keynote, with voice commands like "More like this" adding similar songs to a station, telling Siri to skip music, or adding a song to your iTunes purchase wish list.

Apple believes iTunes Radio will get to know your music tastes better than you do, growing stations and recommendations based on the songs you listen to, like/dislike, and download. Create a station based on a song you're listening to, even if it was uploaded to iTunes via CD.

Coming to the US this Fall, then moving on to other worldwide countries, iTunes Radio is free with ads or ad-free with the purchase of a $25 per year iTunes Match subscription. Customers that purchase Match can also store all their music in iCloud, which the recently announced Google Play Music All Access also offers.

Shipping today is Apple's latest version of the MacBook Air, packed with a heavy-duty battery that may finally last you all day even with the streaming movies and music that often drive battery life down. The 11-inch MacBook Air is now touted to have nine hours of battery life, and the 13-inch is going from seven to 12 hours of battery life.

The updated laptops have a fourth generation Intel core processor known as Haswell, along with faster AMD graphics and Flash memory. The 128GB 11-inch MacBook Air is priced at $999 and the 256GB model is $1199; the 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $1099 for 128GB and $1299 for 256GB.

Apple's biggest development to the hardware line came with a preview of the Mac Pro (the first image), a completely redesigned computer for power users like video editors and multimedia artists. Gone is the rectangular, silver chassis, and in its place is a glossy black cylinder. It will be able to support 4K video, the super hi-def display we saw a lot of at CES, and dual AMD FirePro graphics. Expect availability of the Mac Pro later this year along with pricing details.

Get another look at the Mac Pro after the jump.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off today! At 10 a.m. PDT/ 1 p.m. EDT on June 10, catch the highly anticipated keynote online at the Apple Events page with Safari 4 or later on Mac OS X 10.6 and up, or on Safari for iOS 4.2 or later. Check to see if your machine will work under the Apple tab in the top menu bar (click on "About This Mac").

If you have an Apple TV, watch the keynote on your big screen with the updated Apple Events app. Update your software (the live stream requires version 5.0.2 and up) if you don't see an app with this year's logo.

Before the big event, read up on all the Apple rumors making the rounds, including iOS 7, iRadio, new MacBook Airs, and more. Stay tuned right here for all the iOS and Mac OS X announcements to come.

The annual Worldwide Developers Conference, also known as every Apple fangirl's Christmas in June, is just days away and speculation on the Mac news to come is rampant. Before the highly-anticipated keynote streams on June 10, take a look at what may be next for iOS and OS X.

• iOS 7 — The update to Apple's mobile operating may be major. According to 9to5 Mac, iOS 7 is expected to be "black, white, and flat all over." The just-released WWDC iOS app is consistent with this rumor. Official banners acknowledging iOS 7 went on display Friday at Moscone Center. Email and calendar are expected to get a dramatic overhaul, and the platform is reportedly due to arrive in September.
• iRadio — A free Internet radio service is highly likely, since Apple has been striking up licensing deals left and right, with Warner Music Group and Universal Music, according to CNET, and most recently, with Sony, reports All Things D. Google just launched its subscription service All Access, and The Verge reports that Amazon is in talks to release their own as well.
• MacBook Air Update — New processors, better battery life, and faster Wi-Fi may be imminent for the ultraportable MacBook Air, reports 9to5Mac.
• OS X 10.9 — Apparently codenamed "Cabernet," 9to5Mac alleges that the latest and greatest of Mac OS X will feature "power-user enhancements," with an updated Finder, faster Safer, and better support for full-screen apps.

We will, of course, keep you up to speed as the Apple news pours in when the WWDC Keynote goes live on June 10, so stay tuned for more iOS and OS X coverage right here!