Thanks to Bold Poker for sponsoring The Loop this week.

Bold Poker: Deal with it.

Peter Cohen, writing for iMore, talks you through the process of adding spacers into your dock, creating natural groupings for all your dock icons.

I really like this idea, though I wonder if there’s a way to add an additional hairline to the dock, like the one on the right side of the dock, just to the left of the trash can. Anyone know how to do that?

As it is today, Apple sells every single WWDC ticket it puts up for sale. Apple can charge a premium price for each ticket, because WWDC is the only game in town and, perhaps, the biggest tech event each year. This focus point is a crown jewel for Apple’s marketing efforts.

AltConf is a free, community driven event, breathed into life by the exclusive nature of WWDC. Couldn’t get into WWDC? It’s OK. Come to San Francisco anyway, drink from the AltConf tech firehose during the day, then reunite with your friends in the evening once the WWDC/AltConf sessions are over.

AltConf planned to stream the WWDC keynote, taking the publicly available stream, which Apple controls and purposefully puts on the net, showing it to all attendees. Those plans were put on hold when Apple Legal sent them what was, in effect, a cease and desist letter.

From the AltConf blog post:

According to the correspondence from Apple’s legal representatives, “Apple exercises control over not only the content of its messaging, but also the manner in which those messages are packaged, distributed and delivered.” AltConf’s streaming of Apple content “would strip Apple of exclusive control over one of the most anticipated events of the year, and could deprive Apple of potential revenue generated from its exclusive rights.” Thus, AltConf must “refrain from publicly streaming or showing any WWDC content. Apple further demands that AltConf and each of its organizers refrain from reproducing or distributing any WWDC content belonging to Apple, in any manner.”

Why would Apple do such a thing? To me, it’s all about control.

Consider the phrase “could deprive Apple of potential revenue generated from its exclusive rights”. Apple is in a tricky position here. They recognize the incredible value of the WWDC franchise. It provides a leveraged focal point for their marketing and developer messages. It also provides a revenue stream, albeit a small, almost insignificant sum when compared to the rest of the company’s efforts.

AltConf is a diluting effect. The mere existence of AltConf dilutes the value of and demand for a WWDC ticket. If I can go to AltConf and see the keynote, immerse myself in the latest Apple technology, network, get to hang with my buddies, and get the session content online, I am less inclined to lay out US$1599 for an official WWDC ticket.

This letter from Apple Legal is an acknowledgement of the real disruptive threat posed by AltConf.

I think it is unnecessary. Apple should offer AltConf a free license to show the keynote, extracting a promise from AltConf to not show any other WWDC content. In return, Apple gets a very subtle benefit: They get to control any potential erosion of the value of a WWDC ticket.

Why? This year, Apple charged you for your ticket the moment the lottery ended, taking away the chance of canceling if you got in, but a critical work colleague, business contact, or close friend did not.

AltConf softens the damping effect this might have on ticket sales. After all, if you can count on getting in to AltConf if you don’t get into WWDC, you’ll still get to brainstorm with cohorts and network with new folks when it counts, at dinner and at the parties.

The biggest benefit to Apple? WWDC + AltConf equals way more fun for everyone.

UPDATE: I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on this post, some positive, some negative. The negative focuses on two facts. First, the fact that AltConf is not strictly free. They charge $300 for a guaranteed seat. Second, the fact that they offered a stream of something they do not have rights to. I can see Apple’s point of view here. AltConf could have avoided all this by seeking permission first.

Jim and Dan talk about next week’s WWDC, Apple’s interest in music and television, and more.

Deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin’s final three studio albums: Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda will be released in July. As with the previous deluxe editions, all three have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by companion audio comprised of previously unreleased music related to the original release selected and compiled by Page.

Jimmy has done a good job on remastering some of the band’s other works, so this should be worth picking up.

From Apple’s press release, announcing the projected Apple Watch arrival in Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan beginning Friday, June 26:

“The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations. “We’re also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders, and we thank our customers for their patience. All orders placed through May, with the sole exception of Apple Watch 42 mm Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Link Bracelet, will ship to customers within two weeks. At that time, we’ll also begin selling some models in our Apple Retail Stores.”

The logjam is loosening.

This essay might be a bit off-putting at first blush. The title is “Showing off your Apple Watch – A Simple Guide”.

But this isn’t really about being a showoff. It’s more about explaining the Apple Watch to an interested friend or family member. And that works.

You begin by saying that what you did get for yourself is in fact a great watch that you can adapt to your taste and occasions. Show them the physical attributes of the device and how great the finish is. Demonstrate the way you can change the bands. Show how you put the device on. Introduce the digital crown by showing how it can move content on the screen. Next, talk about the screen quality and the fact that you can read the clock in the dark. Show them how you select a watch face then how you can customize it and save it for later. Say a few words about the use of force touch. Tell them how precise the time is compared to a traditional watch. Repeat many times how the Apple Watch is a great… watch.

If you are the go-to person for your friends and family on all things tech, this is worth a read.

Federicon Viticci reviews ETA’s new Apple Watch addition.

On Apple Watch, ETA has a useful glance that puts essential data just a swipe away from the watch face. You can choose in the main Watch app which address you want to show in the glance, which will display estimated travel time, traffic status, distance, and time of arrival. If you tap the glance, you’ll be taken to that location in the Watch app, which has a Maps preview you can tap to get directions in the Maps app on your device.

I’ve spent about a week testing the new ETA, and I found its traffic predictions to be accurate in Rome and Viterbo. I would have liked to see notifications for slowing traffic and suggested alternative routes as I’m driving, but even without those I relied on the glance (with my iPhone plugged into my car’s dashboard) to quickly peek at time of arrival and make better decisions about the route I was going to choose.

This will be going on my Apple Watch today.

Brian X. Chen, writing for the New York Times:

Yet one much ballyhooed device will be absent from the conference: a new Apple TV, Apple’s set-top box for televisions. The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware, along with an improved remote control and a tool kit for developers to make apps for the entertainment device. But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.

Apple declined to comment.

And:

Those eager for a new Apple TV, however, will have to wait. The company decided to hold off an announcement because the product was not ready to be demonstrated, according to people briefed on the device.

A major setback for the Apple TV involves content. Apple plans to offer its Apple TV, iPhone and iPad customers a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the large catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, according to people briefed on the service, who discussed the incomplete plans on the condition of anonymity. Media executives have been coy about the existence of the coming Apple TV service — the chief executive of CBS said last week that his network would “probably” sign a deal with Apple. Separately, Showtime announced on Wednesday a new Internet streaming service that would debut on Apple devices in July for a monthly fee of $10.99.

Feh. I’m really looking forward to the new Apple TV. I want the content control, but I also want the SDK.

Just imagine the possibility of being able to build an app that had access to both streaming content and the content metadata. Every modern TV is controlled by an interface purposefully limited by a need to be both bulletproof (well, mostly) and a lowest common denominator (the same interface for both techies and non-techies). Imagine being able to break that barrier, to customize that interface.

My first wish would be to add a button that did an IMDB, Metacritic, and RottenTomatoes lookup for a show I was thinking of recording. I’d put in preferences that let me add review sites as I encountered them.

Have to put that dream on hold for a bit. Feh.

The Washington Post:

PayPal users, this is for you.

The payments company is rolling out an update to its user agreement that threatens to bombard you with “autodialed or prerecorded calls and text messages” — and worse, by agreeing to the updated terms, you’re immediately opted in.

PayPal can even reach you at phone numbers that you didn’t provide. Through undisclosed means, PayPal says it has the right to contact you on numbers “we have otherwise obtained.”

I don’t get how these companies continue to add clauses like this. There are far too many geeks out there reading the EULAs and taking them apart word for word for companies like PayPal to get away with such egregious abuses of the information they gather on us.

Ars Technica:

Macs older than a year are vulnerable to exploits that remotely overwrite the firmware that boots up the machine, a feat that allows attackers to control vulnerable devices from the very first instruction.

The attack, according to a blog post published Friday by well-known OS X security researcher Pedro Vilaca, affects Macs shipped prior to the middle of 2014.

The new attack doesn’t require even brief physical access as Thunderstrike did. That means attackers half-way around the world may remotely exploit it. While the attack isn’t likely to be exploited on a mass scale, it’s also not hard for people with above-average skill to carry it out.

I’ve been chatting with my favorite security expert on Twitter about this and he says, “It looks pretty serious. Not panic level, but I hope Apple patches quickly. It makes a root exploit permanent but you still need the initial exploit. Nearly impossible to remove once exploited.”

Showtime:

You will be able to watch wherever and whenever you want through the SHOWTIME app on your Apple TV®, iPad® and iPhone®, plus on your computer.

You’ll be able to stream current and classic SHOWTIME Original Series, hit movies, live sports, exclusive documentaries and comedy specials. Watch when they first premiere or catch up on old favorites – always commercial free!

All of these services are great news for cord cutters but they are going to add up to spending real money real quick.

New York Times:

Last fall, however, Koeslag set off on a very different, decidedly 21st-century project: a smartwatch. In response to Apple’s plans to introduce a high-tech watch this year, the chief executive of Frédérique Constant, Peter Stas, decided the company would produce its own. It would not be a minicomputer with a screen, like Apple’s. Instead, it would combine the functions of a Fitbit, a device that tracks physical activity, with a traditional Swiss timepiece, a $1,200 entry-level Frédérique Constant watch. A Silicon Valley company would produce the tiny sensors that count steps and measure sleep cycles, and this information would be transmitted to a phone through a Bluetooth connection. The phone would also control the watch — resetting its hands in different time zones, for example. From the outside, the watch wouldn’t look “smart” at all, but it would be packed with electronics. Koeslag’s job was to bring to life this chimera of Swiss engineering and Silicon Valley wizardry.

Koeslag faced a significant problem, though: He had never worked with chips and sensors before. He didn’t even own a soldering iron. Swiss watchmakers don’t need them; their devices are put together with screws and screwdrivers.

This proposed watch sounds very interesting. I think the Swiss watchmakers, after a period of consolidation when the big makers swallow up a few smaller ones, will be fine. People will always want high end, exquisitely made watches.

Product Hunt:

Useful Mac apps you probably aren’t using (but should).

I get the Product Hunt newsletter every day and they often have some really interesting bits. Today’s list of Mac apps are of some I use – Duet, Bartender, Spectacle – but several I’d never heard of but installed immediately because they sound so cool/useful.

Apple:

Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL Speaker may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. This product has been sold worldwide since January 2014 by Beats, Apple, and other retailers.

Product returns will only be processed via the web for this program.

I blame Dr Dre.

You’ve all no doubt heard about Fantastical 2, the incredible calendaring program from Flexibits. Well, now there’s more to love.

Thing 1: Flexibits has just released Fantastical 2 for Apple Watch. See the video below.

Thing 2: Flexibits has just updated Fantastical 2 for iPhone (version 2.3) and Mac (version 2.0.6). A great thing just got fantasticaler. Yes, I went there.

A personal note: I have been searching for a replacement calendar for years. Literally years. Fantastical 2 is absolutely brilliant. If you haven’t tried it yet, I would urge you to click here and take the 21 day free trial version for a spin. Great product, exceptional tech support.

Sarah Perez, writing for Tech Crunch:

Apple quietly made a number of changes to the way it features and organizes mobile applications in the iTunes App Store in May that are of particular interest to mobile game developers. Previously, developers relied on algorithmically generated sections highlighting new and trending titles as a way of having their games found, but now many of these lists are gone.

Now missing are lists like “New,” “What’s Hot,” and “All iPhone (Free & Paid),” for example. In their place, including for the first time ever in the Games’ subcategory pages, are editorially curated lists instead.

These changes started rolling out a few weeks ago. Definitely a step in the right direction.

If you have even the slightest interest in building a startup, if you have even the tiniest entrepreneurial bone in your body, read this story. Inspirational and educational.

Side note: MVP is Minimal Viable Product, the idea of the smallest, cheapest thing you can build to test out your idea before you commit that big chunk of cash.

[H/T David Lawrence XVII (known to many as the Puppet Master from Heroes)]

Tyler Fisher and Jacob Ganz, writing for NPR Music:

Recently, the rapper Jay Z relaunched the subscription streaming music service Tidal, which includes the option to listen to high-definition audio for $19.99 per month. Tidal’s HiFi, with its uncompressed audio files, promises a better listening experience than any other streaming service on the market.

Many listeners cannot hear the difference between uncompressed audio files and MP3s, but when it comes to audio quality, the size of the file isn’t (ahem) everything. There are plenty of other ingredients to consider, from the quality of your headphones to the size of the room you’re sitting in to, well, your own ears.

Follow the headline link to try your hand at picking the highest quality stream from three different choices. You’ll have six different samples to work through. I did surprisingly poorly. I guess I’m not a good candidate for Tidal’s HiFi service. Are you?

Techcrunch:

“I’m speaking to you from Silicon Valley, where some of the most prominent and successful companies have built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information,” said Cook. “They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company that Apple wants to be.”

Cook went on to state, as he has before when talking about products like Apple Pay, that Apple ‘doesn’t want your data.’

“We don’t think you should ever have to trade it for a service you think is free but actually comes at a very high cost. This is especially true now that we’re storing data about our health, our finances and our homes on our devices,” Cook went on, getting even more explicit when talking about user privacy.

I love that Cook continues to bang this drum.

I can’t imagine how much data Heineken is pushing through the cloud.

Macworld:

FireWire is emblematic of everything that’s great about Apple as well as everything that’s not, and of a particular mindset among some Apple users.

It was technically hugely sophisticated, removing much of the burden for the data interchange from the main CPU; unlike USB, which required a host computer, FireWire was essentially a peer-to-peer networking technology, and it could transfer at full speed in both directions simultaneously, unlike USB.

But it was also, ultimately, expensive to implement, and although variants were supported by other companies (notably Sony), it struggled to get traction outside of the Apple ecosystem.

I have a soft spot for FireWire (I took delivery of the very first FireWire Drive in Canada). For those of us who remember not only the days of slow USB 1 but also back to ADB and (shudder) SCSI, it was a great way to move lots of data extremely quickly. I still have a bunch of FireWire cables I don’t have the heart to throw out.

Seasonality Pro offers meteorologists and advanced weather enthusiasts a powerful way to explore current weather model data on iOS. View weather forecast model data at full resolution quickly while on the go.

That’s some detailed weather.

Just in case you were wondering.

Huffington Post:

In a series of trials, the Department of Homeland Security was able to smuggle fake explosives, weapons and other contraband past airport screeners in major cities across the country, according to ABC News. Officials briefed on the Homeland Security Inspector General’s investigation told the station that the TSA failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the department’s Red Teams — undercover passengers tasked with identifying weaknesses in the screening process, NJ.com reports.

During the tests, DHS agents each tried to bring a banned item past TSA screeners. They succeeded 95 percent of the time.

In yet another example of the “security theater” that is the TSA, this latest in a long line of embarrassments should cause the related departments to seriously look at whether or not the TSA is even worth the effort, money and resources it takes to keep such a sad sack organization propped up.