In a somewhat surprising move, Apple is rumored to be in talks with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre’s Beats Electronics that could see the audio accessories and music streaming service acquired for $3.2 billion.

Under the supposed deal, Apple would gain control of Beats’ audio hardware division as well as the firm’s subscription-based music streaming service. The Beats management team would report to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

This is getting interesting.

Smart words from Gruber.

The vast majority of the new threats found was on Android (no surprise there), which accounted for 275 out of 277 new families we saw in this period, leaving 1 new malware apiece on iOS and Symbian.

I don’t understand why people keep buying this shit. Get off the bus and take a plane.

Much respect, Josiah.

“Ive is our generation’s most innovative and influential figure in the field of industrial design—no other design mind has done more to transform the way we visualize and share information,” said SFMOMA Director Neal Benezra. “SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast to establish a department of architecture and design, and we’re thrilled to celebrate Ive’s revolutionary achievements.”

Congrats Jony.

It turns out more iPhone users do in fact prefer wine to beer. They are also more likely to own stock and to have flown on a plane in the past year. Meanwhile, Android users are more likely to rely on public transportation, describe themselves as religious, have eaten McDonalds in the past month or to smoke tobacco.

Ozzy and Zakk are such a great team. Beautiful song.

WANT!

Graham Spencer for MacStories:

Today I am back to revisit the topic of entertainment services. The purpose, as was the case last time, is to see the international availability of entertainment services from Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Not only have we updated the information on all of these, but we have also added data about the availability of Rdio, Spotify, Deezer, Netflix, Hulu, Kobo, and Nook.

Great story with lots of good information.

Let’s remember one of the cardinal rules of social media. Out of 100 people, 1% will create the content, 10% will curate the content, and the other 90% will simply consume it. That plays out on this blog, that plays out in Twitter, and that plays out in most of the services we are invested in.

Very interesting post from Fred Wilson.

Some good thoughts from Om Malik on how Apple can change iTunes. I don’t know that I agree with everything, but there is no doubt that iTunes, which started as the center our media files, has become bloated.

Perhaps even making the iPhone/iPad, when connected, a system service instead of opening iTunes. Removing some of this from the app may help it focus again.

Thanks to Khoi, I feel old too.

London black-cab drivers are planning to cause gridlock in the city to protest against car service Uber.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association complains that Uber’s drivers are using a smartphone app to calculate fares despite it being illegal for private vehicles to be fitted with taximeters.

This is one of the few instances where I like both parties.

Some good advice from Chris Barylick. The Mac is not a major target, but it never hurts to check.

So, the man responsible for copying everything Apple has done got the boot.

Ben Thompson:

the truth is that Apple doesn’t sell phones (or computers or tablets); they sell iPhones. And iPhones are not just hardware, but also the software that runs on them. But even that is missing the whole picture. To buy an iPhone is to buy into an experience that includes everything from advertising to following the news to visiting a store to buying a phone to unboxing to downloading apps to visiting a genius and so on and so forth.

It’s no accident that the Apple Store appears twice in that sequence. It’s a critical part of the Apple experience that increases the value of an iPhone (and Mac and iPad) and works in a very specific way to counteract over-serving and help prevent disruption.

The main part of Ben’s article wasn’t really about the Apple experience, but this stood out to me. It’s this experience that Apple’s competitors can’t replicate, no matter how hard they try. When you combine that with the infrastructure of services that Apple has setup for its products, it becomes difficult to understand how it can be matched.

Apple said North American sales head Zane Rowe, recruited from United Continental Holdings two years ago, is leaving the company.

Apple said Doug Beck, who oversees sales in Japan and Korea, will add North America to his responsibilities.

Multiple podcasts, including Twins podcast “Gleeman and the Geek” (hosted by HardballTalk’s own Aaron Gleeman), another Twins podcast “Talk to Contact,” Pirates podcast “Pirates Prospects,” Mets podcast “Mets Musings,” Cubs podcast “Bleacher Nation,” Yankees podcast “It’s About the Yankees, Stupid,” Rangers Podcast “Rangers Podcast in Arlington” and several others were removed from iTunes.

This is odd. MLBAM released a statement saying they didn’t ask for the podcasts to be removed, but did ask for trademark issues to be resolved.

Over 100 leading technology companies, including Google Inc, Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Amazon.com Inc, have written to U.S. telecom regulators to oppose a new “net neutrality” plan that would regulate how Internet providers manage web traffic.

On stage today at TechCrunch Disrupt New York, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer pushed against the narrative that Yahoo is worth nothing. The company has a market capitalization in the tens of billions, but’s it been pointed out that if you add up the value of its stakes in Yahoo Japan, and Alibaba, the company could be valued at something approaching zero.

Yahoo’s Web sites still look like something out of the ’90s to me. Having said that, I have faith in Mayer.

I want to teach you how to take better photographs with the camera you already have.

Whether it’s an iPhone or a point and shoot or a DSLR, I’ve got ten easy to grasp tips, tricks and techniques that I promise will make the next photograph you take better than the last one.

Great idea to have the teacher online with you, giving the course and answering questions.

During her nearly two decades at Apple, Cotton served as gatekeeper to company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook, and guided the media narrative around pretty much everything from the iMac to the iPad. She’s long been among the company’s most powerful executives and played a key role in shaping the mystique and exclusivity surrounding the Apple brand.

I’ve known Katie for a many years and am sad to see her go.

Great riff.

There is always something that will throw a wrench into our plans.

Apple ranks highest in overall satisfaction with a score of 830 and performs highest in all study factors except cost. Samsung ranks second with a score of 822 and achieves above-average scores in the features, styling and design, and cost factors.

Apple is known for its superior design and quality. When you put that together with price and the ecosystem of apps, music and videos, the iPad is unbeatable.

Researchers have uncovered Android-based malware that disables infected handsets until end users pay a hefty cash payment to settle trumped-up criminal charges involving the viewing of illegal pornography.

Sweet baby Jesus, go get an iPhone people.

Wired’s Philip Di Salvo interviewed Om Malik on the future of journalism. Good read.

Justin Williams:

I’ve been a founding member of the ADN movement since 2012 and have renewed each of my developer accounts without much hestitation. I’m abnormal however. I prefer paying my products rather than being advertised to, want to pay higher air fares for better service…

This is such a great article. I’m like Justin: I don’t mind paying for a good product or service, but we’ve become so accustomed to receiving everything for free with services like Twitter and Facebook, that it’s become the norm.