Woz recently spoke to a local paper in upstate New York about Siri now and what Siri was like before Apple purchased it. He thinks that Siri was more accurate and a better product before but still sees the potential for that to change over time.

Before Apple purchased Siri from co-founder Dag Kittlaus and his other partners, it was a standalone App Store app that you could download on your iPhone for free.

On a trip to a rescued horse farm in New York, Woz talked briefly to a local paper about how he thinks Siri was a more viable tool before Apple's acquisition.

"A lot of people say Siri. I say poo-poo," Wozniak said. "I was using it to make reservations long before Apple bought it."

"I would say, 'Siri, what are the five largest lakes in California?' and it would come up, one, two, three, four, five. And I would ask 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' and they would come up all in a row. That was pretty incredible," Wozniak said.

"Then Apple bought Siri," he said. He then paused, lifted his right hand and gave it a big thumbs down.

"'What are the largest lakes in California?' I'd get all these lakefront properties. And I'd say 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' And I'd get prime rib," Wozniak said.

Woz thinks Siri is still the future and will eventually become how we interact with technology. Voice recognition software in general, according to Woz, will continue to get better and better.

He is right on with most of his points. The way Siri's behavior changed after the acquisition of Siri may have a lot to do with how Apple chooses to handle data opposed to how it was handled as a standalone app. A lot of those preferences and hierarchies can probably be tweaked and changed. Apple may have thought most people would be more interested in prime rib and food than prime numbers, so they prioritized Siri to think in that way. Of course, that's just my own theory.

It'll definitely be interesting to see how Siri progresses through new iterations of iOS and how competitors will choose to compete with other types of voice recognition software in the near future.

Source: Times Union via 9to5Mac

Apple greatly expanded Siri in iOS 6, adding a host of new features including sports, movies, and dining results, far better language support, and even an Eyes Free driving mode for when hands-free usage is paramount.

But what about Voice Free? Having a conversation with your iPhone or (soon) iPad is something straight out of science fiction. But voice isn't always the best or most appropriate way to query data, and sometimes it's not even possible.

Siri's servers aren't always quick or even available, and waiting a minute for Dictation's purple balls to time out and provide no text input can be beyond frustrating. For some power users already engaged in entering text, switching from typing to voice entry can also be sub-optimal.

Apple could address all of these problems by allowing text queries into Siri via the existing Spotlight interface.

Any question you could ask Siri could just as easily be typed. "Weather?" "Directions to Cupertino?" "Send text to bob I'll be late" "Meaning of life?"

If Spotlight could access Siri's contextually aware response engine, the same great results could be delivered back, using the same great widget system that already has buttons to touch-confirm or cancel, etc.

Spotlight on Mac does far more than Spotlight on iOS. If there's any fear this couldn't be done on mobile, Just Type on webOS has been doing basic actions since version 2.0 back in March of 2011.

Instead of a static search section that only includes Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter, a new search section called "LAUNCH & SEARCH" has been created (see example above). This is now a customizable search list that will allow you to search within any website that participates in the Open Search protocol, any apps that register themselves as "Just Type" searchable, and even the App Catalog. So, instead of launching Foursquare, waiting for a list of venues to load up, typing in your search criteria for a venue and then waiting for that list to populate, you can just type in the venue name in Just Type, hit the Foursquare search link, and it will open up to an already-searched listing.

"Quick Actions" are another new feature of Just Type that allow you to send text directly to an app to perform any number of actions, such as creating a new email, SMS or tweet, updating your Facebook status, or even creating a new calendar event. Just type in your text, press the action you want to perform, and the app will open up with your text pre-populated in the necessary sections. As an example, to update your Facebook status, just type in your status to Just Type, tap the Facebook action, the Facebook app will be launched with your status right there, and all you need to do is press "Post"

You are also now able to search for data within specific applications, right from just type. Currently, only Email and the Web Browser are available as searchable apps, but this allows you to search for any email that has already been downloaded on your phone (sadly, while sub folders are included here, they are still not automatically synced in webOS 2.0), or search through your web browser's bookmarks or history, all without loading up those respective apps.

Apps like Launch Center are great for quickly initiating actions (rather than apps) but tapping is a different modality than typing, and both have their context and proponents, as does voice. Multiple points of entry to consistent content doesn't increase complexity -- it increases accessibility.

iOS 6 is already in beta, so this type of functionality would no doubt have to wait for iOS 6.1 or iOS 7, but for anyone who's used Alfred or Quicksilver, or Just Type or any other kind of keyboard launcher, it would be a fantastically productive front-end alternative.

The creator of Tiny Tower released their long-awaited sequel today, only this time instead of populating an ever-growing skyscraper, in Pocket Planes you're in charge of an airline. Over the course of business, you have to buy new planes, expand to new cities, and transport both cargo and passengers to their destinations. Some of the more playful parts of the original have stuck around, including customized outfits for the bitizens you employ, and a look into their ridiculous lives through the fictional social network BitBook.

The core gameplay is straightforward, but if you've poured a lot of time into Tiny Tower, you'll find progression is a lot better defined in Pocket Planes. You start off with three cities and a handful of small planes in each one. Every city will have a few cargo and passenger jobs available (though sometimes you'll run out of jobs and will have to either fly to another city or pay to advertise and drum up business locally). After loading up you pick your route simply by tapping each city on the world map in the order you want it to fly in, provided you've paid the one-time fee for a spot at each airport. (One particular oddity of the map view: you use plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out, not a pinch gesture.) Once you lock in your flight path, you'll have cash deducted for fuel, and eventually get paid your fare when the plane lands. Be sure to plan ahead, since you can't change routes once you're in the air. You can upgrade airports to expand their flight and passenger capacity, though that tends to be pretty expensive.

You earn a 25% bonus to fares if you're taking more than one person to the same place. This can make it more profitable to make single stops rather than multiple ones even if the base fee per passenger is lower than alternative destinations. Hotspots, like Calgary in the above case, will give you a lot more cash for your flights, though you might have to significantly extend your network to get planes to those areas. Flights have a real-world duration, so once all of your planes are in the air, you'll be able to put your iPhone away until you get pinged with a notification. Over time, you level up and unlock new planes in the store, which is a common mechanic in just about every iOS game out there, but new since Tiny Tower.

The first thing you'll notice about your planes is that there's a lot of customization available, much like the bitizens under your command. Every plane has at least three different color categories that you can tweak to suit your preference, plus you can name each individual plane. The options extend far beyond the superficial, however. You can use the game's premium Plane Bux currency to upgrade parts like fuel capacity, engine strength, and frame weight. The aircraft available for purchase vary wildly in style, range, speed, weight, capacity, and class. Meticulous logs keep track of how much time your planes have spent in the air and how profitable they are.

Plane Bux can be acquired over the course of leveling up, delivering special cargo to hotspots that change every couple of days, or by tapping bills that fly by your planes in mid-flight. They're used to hurry up flights and unlock bitizen costumes, but they're mainly used for buying new planes. You can also buy plane parts with Bux in addition to finding them when you buy access to new airports, but then you have to pay even more Bux just to assemble the parts into a full craft. Currently, I'm level 4, and I would be lucky to get 4 Plane Bux a day by catching high-end fares. The cost of full planes start at around 14 bux, which means I would have to play diligently for three to four days to get a single plane, which in and of itself is a long time for a casual game, plus I doubt it'll get any easier as I level up.

I'm pretty disappointed that such a core part of the gameplay relies on premium currency; for me, the freemium model only works really well when you dangle accelerated progress or vanity items through microtransactions, not by making spending money a requirement to play the game. At that point, I might as well just pay for another game up-front and skip the jerking around. By all means, offer some premium planes that you can buy with Plane Bux, but you should be able to progress with coins alone.

One especially new feature in Pocket Planes is the heavy Twitter integration. Basically every second screen has a Tweet button. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm not prone to bragging about how totally awesome my make-believe airport is to friends and family, so seeing the tweet button as often as you do can get irritating pretty quickly.

On the other hand, Pocket Planes has an awesome social feature called Flight Crews, where you can team up with your buddies to collectively climb leaderboards for events, as well as compete among yourselves. You and your friends can win Bux prizes for hitting certain ranks internationally. Normally, getting a high score isn't much of a motivation for me, but having me simultaneously team up with and compete against my friends for a shot a high-value in-game prizes makes it really compelling to get in on the action.

The graphics, though blocky and simple, retain the chunky charm of Tiny Tower. The background in flight view changes depending on the time of day, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, none of the graphics were optimized for the iPad, so instead of getting nice, sharp lines and a user interface that makes use of the extra screen real estate, you get something that looks just as bad as an iPhone app blown up to double size. That's actually okay, since there isn't any cloud syncing for the game either, so you wouldn't be able to pick up where you left off on either iOS device anyway. The audio is a little low-key. It has the familiar coin pick-up noise, and some fairly standard airplaney sound effects for mid-flight, take off, and notifications, but there's no music. Tiny Tower had a few catchy earworms, and I would have liked to see at least a couple of new tracks to really drive the spirit of flying home.

The good

• Charming 8 bit-style graphics
• Deep, detailed business simulation
• Attractive small- and large-scale leaderboard competition

The bad

• Aggressively pushes spending of premium currency
• Poor implementation on the iPad
• Obtrusive Twitter buttons

The conclusion

NimbleBit has created an exceptionally catchy brand that has spawned many competitors. Pocket Planes takes a decidedly huge leap from Tiny Tower by adding a ton of gameplay depth, but still keeps the adorable 8-bit spirit alive. The implementation of premium currency feels a lot more heavy-handed here than before, as does the Tweet buttons peppered throughout the game.

I've been a fan of business sim games ever since Theme Hospital, and since trying out Now Boarding, I've been hankering for a high-quality airplane-themed title. Pocket Planes comes close, and once they add some additional mechanics for hiring staff, I think I could spend an unhealthy amount of time playing this one. Hopefully they ease off the throttle on microtransactions, otherwise many people might start remembering why they hate freemium games.

Free - Download Now

With beta software comes beta responsibility

iOS 6 is currently in closed beta, not general release. While Apple provides it to anyone with $99, and there will no doubt be all manner of leaks minor and major, there's something incredibly important to keep in mind -- please don't be a jerk about it.

If you chose to install beta software, that's your choice and your responsibility. iMore is not going to be reporting on bugs because there aren't any public-facing bugs in a closed beta. For any and all mainstream users, they don't exist.

When you installed the beta, you agreed to the developer license. File a radar, talk about it on the developer forums, but don't expect to see anything about it here until iOS 6 goes public.

Likewise, please don't leave reviews in the App Store based on app compatibility with iOS 6. If something doesn't work, if an app crashes, if the whole system re-springs, there's a name for that -- beta.

Developers only just received iOS 6. They haven't had any time to test it, let alone dive deeply into it. Apple hasn't even finished running their WWDC developer sessions, let alone explaining them. And developers won't be allowed to upload iOS 6-specific apps until the Gold Master is released, which is months away. They'll likely be able to do iOS 5 compliant work around for some problems, but maybe not all.

Either way, if you chose to install the private iOS 6, you voluntarily gave up your right to complain about problems on the public App Store. You proclaimed yourself a developer and a geek of the highest order. You strapped on your beta balls.

You're responsible for your iPhone and iPad apps now, not the developer. That's it. That's all. End of line.

At least until iOS 6 launches this fall. Then it's open season...

Reeder, the popular RSS reader app for iPhone, has been updated to version 3.0 and brings with it an updated user interface and some new options and features that make an already great RSS app even better than before.

The first thing you'll notice is that the app icon has completely changed. It's a lot more sharper, especially on a retina display, and stands out a lot more than before. After launching the app you'll notice the entire interface has also gotten a makeover. If you've used Reeder before you won't have to worry about learning your way around the app as the layout is pretty much the same.

Your main feed page will show all the subscription services you currently use. Tapping the "+" sign in the upper right hand corner will allow you to add another service. You can choose from adding a Google Reader account, a Readability account, and new to version 3.0 is Fever feeds. Just tap on any of the three services and type in your credentials. Reeder will automatically start bringing down your subscriptions and feeds.

After adding all your accounts you can tap into any one of them or view them altogether through the All Items option at the top. The main navigation and layout remains the same and you can navigate through favorites, unread, and all articles by using the tabs along the bottom. You can also choose what you want swiping an article title left and right will do. You can choose to star articles, mark them unread/read, or send them to a service of your choice.

The biggest feature of Reeder 3.0 for iPhone is the ability to now natively add and remove subscriptions from Google Reader. Once in your Google Reader list just tap the "+" sign in the upper right to add a feed. Tap in the URL to the feed you'd like to add, categorize it, and click done. It'll now sync just like your other feeds. If you want to unsubcribe to a feed through Google Reader just go into that feed's articles list, tap the logo in the upper right and tap unsubscribe.

The Settings section hasn't changed much but adds a few new options for new services such as Fever. You can configure all your sharing services and social services quickly and easily through Settings as well. Tap into App Settings to further configure how you want Reeder to behave and treat articles such as how long you want to keep read items, whether or not you'd like Reeder to cache images, or how many days back you'd like it to sync. Nothing too much has changed here.

The good

• Beautiful new interface that makes Reeder even cleaner than before
• Native subscribing and unsubscribing via Google Reader is an awesome edition and one many have been waiting for
• Updated app icon is even better than the current
• Fever support is an addition many will appreciate
• The overall responsiveness of the app seems more snappy

The bad

• iPad version hasn't been updated yet, hopefully that will be next
• Facebook integration has been pulled (this will be coming back in a later update)

The conclusion

The updated version of Reeder has made an already great app even better. Native Google Reader integration for subscribing and unsubscribing is not only a great addition but the developer managed to keep it clean, simple, and easy to figure out.

Reeder was already one of the best RSS reader apps for iPhone available in the App Store. The new version of Reeder may earn it the title of the best RSS app for iPhone. Hopefully the iPad version will get the same update in the near future.

$2.99 - Download Now

Day three of WWDC 2012 was another busy day of meeting and interviewing developers and PR representatives, parties, and even a recording of an Iterate episode featuring some special guests.

Rene and I began our day with a delicious breakfast at Mel's Diner with App Savvy's Ken Yarmosh. We talked about Agenda, Buzz, other App Savvy projects and, of course, iOS 6.

After breakfast, we had a little time to kill, so we set up shop at Pete's Coffee to get some writing done.

If you recall, Rene rented a nice 70-200mm lens for Monday's keynote and it was time to say goodbye. We dropped it off at Rayko Photo Center before heading to Le Bolange Bakery to meet with Aaron and Brian from Appency.

Over hot chocolate, coffee, and pastries, Aaron and Brian showed us a few new apps. One of them is this really cool social trivia game called Quizboard [Free - Download Now] and another was VideoFyMe, a great app for sharing your videos to your blog with the opportunity to earn some money at the same time [Free - Download Now]. Videos and reviews coming soon!

We also got to get a sneak peak at another app that's coming soon. We're not allowed to say anything about it -- except that it should be a big hit!

Unfortunately, we experienced some technical difficulties during our interviews the day before, and needed to re-interview David Barnard from App Cubby. We also snuck in an interview with Ken Yarmosh from App Savvy (they guy we went out to breakfast with).

Seth came along for the interviews before heading over to a session with Ken and David.

At this time, Rene and I headed to Starbucks to get some work done before heading over to a yummy Italian restaurant called Scala's Cafe with Denys from Readdle.

After lunch, Rene and I parted ways. Rene attended the Macworld party while I went back to my room to squeeze in some more writing before heading to the Touch Arcade party at Bin 55 in the Marriott.

I was able to do some socializing with various people in the industry including developers, PR, and bloggers.

Meanwhile, Rene and Seth were recording a special episode of Iterate with special guests Dave Wiskus from Black Pixel and Brad Ellis from Pacific Helm at the Park 55 hotel.

After spending some time at the Touch Arcade party, I decided to take a break from WWDC affairs and headed to Biscuit and Blues and enjoyed some good food and music with a couple friends of mine who were in town.

Monday was packed with the pure excitement and adrenalin of Apple's annual WWDC keynote. Sure, the stock may have declined slightly that day, but this is mostly due to overall market weakness that day and not Apple pessimism. Now that we've had a couple of days to digest Apple's announcements let's discuss what it means to investors.

Let's review what Apple actually unveiled in the keynote session:

• The new Macbook Pro with retina display
• Mountain Lion and its 200 new features to accompany the Mac product line
• iOS 6 and its 200 new features, to accompany iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

That's it. Those were the big three new product announcements. If you wanted to stay very high level and miss a lot of the detail, you could suggest that Apple investors didn't get anything to cheer about. Some upgraded products - big deal.

Digging deeper into the details

I think Apple has done a wonderful job of tightening up its platforms and making me, as a consumer and a business man, want to give them more money.

Apple has just made it easier for themselves to justify the high margins they earn on their products. This has everything to do with software and cloud services, and almost nothing to do with hardware (save the newly redesigned Macbook Pro which gave all of us a geekgasm).

Let's look at an example: Apple is now integrating iMessage into Mountain Lion and simultaneously coupling it into iCloud. So iMessages delivered to an iPhone will now also be delivered to a Mac and iPad if they are all on the same AppleID.

Apple's iOS device business is massive compared to the "puny" (yet still making every competitor jealous) Mac business. In fact, Apple has sold over 385 million iOS devices so far. Contrast that with 65 million Macs that are out in the wild. All of those iOS users now have more reason to buy a Mac. Perhaps this explains why the new Macbook Pro and Mountain Lion got so much airtime on Monday.

The iCloud glue

Apple has two powerhouse operating systems with iCloud glueing them together on many levels. This locks in customers to the Apple platform. Of course when we say "locks in", we mean that in a good way. We all voluntarily lock ourselves in. It's a psychological force, not real force. We're free to leave Apple at anytime. We choose not to because they make products that add ease to our lives.

It also doesn't hurt that Apple has gone out of its way to add extra differentiators to its products, which have nothing to do with tying the platforms together. The new Apple mapping service and turn-by-turn navigation is a good example. So is the elegant beauty of the redesigned Macbook Pro. Those are things that draw in new customers, while pleasing old customers enough to keep smiling and keep pulling out the credit card.

Speaking of credit cards...

Apple has 400 million credit cards on file with mass of customers who use iTunes and the App Store. That's an insanely huge number of people. It's probably close to 10% of the entire world population among those old enough to have a credit card. It's probably the largest customer base in the world.

That gives Apple leverage with nearly any potential partner. Leverage drives gross margin.

I like that.

The iPhone Dev Team has released redsn0w 0.9.13dev1 which will jailbreak iOS 6. This version of redsn0w only supports the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, and iPhone 3GS, namely no support for A5 devices. It will be a tethered jailbreak and should only be used by developers as it's a beta and you'll most likely run into issues.

If you're a developer running iOS 6 redsn0w you will have the ability to test your jailbreak apps. MuscleNerd has posted a warning on Twitter about non-developers running the new redsn0w:

redsn0w tethered iOS6 jailbreak for 3GS and A4 devices is.gd/MCbq7A (developers ONLY please! .. no Cydia, just SSH+afc2)

This basically means you'll be jailbroken but won't have direct access to Cydia. In order to install and access your file system you'll have to use the SSH method. This will give developers the access they need to make sure their apps are compatible with iOS 6 when an official jailbreak tool drops for the public version of iOS 6 that is scheduled to come out this Fall.

If you're currently on iOS 5, you can enjoy an untethered jailbreak on all iOS devices. Check out the additional resources below to get up and running on a current jailbreak. If you're a jailbreak developer, make sure you check out our jailbreak developer forums to converse with other developers on developing for iOS 6.

Source: MuscleNerd

Additional resources:

• Jailbreak developer forums
• How to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 with Absinthe Greenpois0n
• How to jailbreak your Apple TV with Seas0nPass
• Best jailbreak apps for iPhone
• Best jailbreak apps for iPad
• Jailbreak helps and discussion forums

Baidu, China's most prominent search engine, has an ad revenue sharing agreement in place with Apple, according to a recent phone interview. There aren't any details on exactly how much of a cut Apple is getting, but apparently it's similar to what Baidu has in place with Google for their Android handset. An analyst estimated that Baidu distributes less than 10% of mobile ad revenue with manufacturers.

iOS 6 introduced many features tailored for China, including Baidu as a default option for web searches and Siri compatibility for language and local search. China got a fair bit of stage time at the WWDC keynote, including tie-ins with Youku's video service and the Twitter-esque Weibo network. There's even talk of new flagship stores and additional carrier support. The concerted effort is no surprise considering Apple's revenue in China tripled in the last quarter.

Google is a distant second place in Chinese search, and with Baidu stepping in with iOS 6, that gap stands only to widen. Assuming Apple and Google had a similar revenue-sharing model in place for Maps, I'm curious how much revenue Google's missing out on now that Apple has cooked up their own solution with some help from TomTom. ..

Source: Bloomberg

Anil Doradla, an analyst for William Blair, says he has found that the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX is currently the top-selling smartphone at Verizon - yes, even ahead of the iPhone 4S. In a recent report, Doradla said:

Since Apple's iPhone launch in North America, we believe this was the first quarter where the iPhone was not the best‐selling smartphone at a North American mobile operator (where it was available). While Apple continued to maintain its top position at AT&T and Sprint, Motorola's Droid RAZR MAXX was the best‐ selling smartphone at Verizon. Our checks also indicate that at this stage consumers are not pausing in front of the iPhone launch as it is not influencing their purchasing decisions (but we expect it to start impacting over the next couple of months). Despite the "increased competitive landscape from 4G devices (and the iPhone 4S is not 4G)," Doradia is "not worried" as the next iPhone model, a true 4G phone, "will be an important catalyst for the company," he believes.

Android as a collective of many devices has overthrown iOS market share, but it's surprising to see a single smartphone beat out Apple's, especially in the U.S. Of course, it's hard to always take analyst "checks" at face value. AT&T's flagship Android smartphone is the HTC One X, and Sprint's is the HTC EVO 4G LTE - both impressive in their own rights, but it's interesting to hear that even without a bigger screen or LTE, the iPhone still manages to out-sell them. Who knows if iPhone will maintain its lead when the Samsung Galaxy S III hits the streets, but by that time, we won't have a long wait for the iPhone 5.

So, do you guys have any friends that picked up a RAZR MAXX instead of an iPhone 4S? Have you remotely interested in giving that particular Droid a try?

Source: Barron's

For today only, the iMore iPhone Accessory Store has the BodyGuardz Garrison Premium Folio Case for the new iPad and iPad 2 on sale for only $29.95! That's a huge 40% off! Get yours before they're gone!

The BodyGuardz Garrison Premium Folio Case is a sleek, durable & stylish folio case for the new iPad or iPad 2. It provides maximum protection while embodying the style that is synonymous with the BodyGuardz name.

The Folio case is made with premium material and the bi-fold screen cover features a wake/sleep function to help conserve battery life.  There's access to all controls and ports of your device while protected inside this case.

Features:

• Sleep/Wake feature
• Made with premium materials
• Access to all ports and controls
• Screen exposed
• Bi-fold screen cover

 

The Apple Smart Case for iPad is one of the most un-Apple-like products I've ever seen

Immediately following the keynote at WWDC, Apple silently announced a new case for the iPad called the Smart Case that offers customers a way to protect the back of their iPad while still utilizing the functionality of a Smart Cover -- well, in theory.

Just like the Smart Cover, the Apple Smart Case is made out of polyurethane and is available in the same six colors: light gray, dark gray, blue, green, pink, and red. The inside of both the cover and main body of the case is made of a nice soft suede so that you can trust that your precious iPad will not be scratched when placed inside.

To put the iPad in the Smart Case, you have to push it into the main casing and it isn't exactly very easy to do. It's even more difficult to get off. This would be an acceptable trade-off if the case fit snuggly and perfectly -- but it doesn't. Although the iPad doesn't slide around inside the case, you can see a space between the iPad and the Smart Case. It also has a strange lip around the outside of the entire case, making the body larger than the Smart Cover. This not only makes the iPad larger without added functionality or protection, but also makes it a bit awkward to open the cover since you must get your fingernail underneath it in order to lift it. Well, that's not entirely true -- you could also just turn the iPad upside down.

That's right. The magnetic feature of the Smart Cover that snaps the cover onto the iPad does not work with the Smart Case. Let me say that again: the cover on the Smart Case will not magnetically stick to the front of your iPad -- and it's all because that darn lip around the edge of the body of the case doesn't allow the cover to physically touch the front of the iPad.

The Smart Case allows easy access to all the ports on the iPad and covers the power button and volume keys while still making it easy to use them. However, all the cutouts don't matchup perfectly. This is particularly annoying with the mute switch because the cutout is just enough too high to make it difficult to flip up the switch. The back of the case features a white Apple logo in the center, right where it would be on your iPad.

Apple claims that you can easily fold back the cover to use as a stand, but I wouldn't trust it when standing tall. Because of the way the cover sits with the case, the iPad stands almost completely vertically and doesn't seem to be very stable. I'm terrified it's going to come crashing face down at any given moment. Maybe that's why Apple include the lip around the edge -- so when your iPad experiences a face plant, the screen won't actually hit the surface that your iPad is standing on.

The good

• Offers protection to both the front and back of the iPad
• The automatic ON/OFF feature of Smart Cover works on the Smart Case

The bad

• Lid does not magnetically close
• Doesn't have a perfect fit
• "Features" an annoying lip all around the edges
• Is not very stable as a stand
• Cutouts do not perfectly match up
• Cover is hard to lift (if not flipping upside-down)

The conclusion

I was excited when Apple announced the Smart Case for the iPad but was disappointed almost immediately after taking it out of its box. Honestly, I think Apple should be ashamed of letting something so sloppily made hit the shelves. If you're looking for a case that works well with Apple's Smart Cover, you're better off picking up an Incipio Smart feather Ultralight Hard Shell Case.

$49.99 - Buy Now

Found an interesting article you want to share with iMore? Have a burning question about that feature you just can't figure out? There is ALWAYS more happening just a click away in the forums. You can always head over and join in the conversation, search for answers, or lend your expertise to other members of our community. You check out some of the threads below:

• Beta 1 bugs/feedback thread
• How's your iOS 6 (beta) battery performance?
• Anyone gone back to 5.1.1?
• Setting up iCloud
• iOS 6 Screws Us
• iPhone Ringtones and Wallpaper Forum

If you're not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!

Our second day at WWDC 2012 has passed and boy was it a busy day! We briefly attended Indie Dev Lab, met with and interviewed several developers, attended multiple parties and more!

I said our day was busy, but I will admit to sleeping in until about 9:30a (oops!) before hitting the street with Rene. Before officially beginning our day, we hit up Starbucks to grab a bite to eat and fuel-up on caffeine.

On our way to Indie Dev Lab, we had a quick chat with Luc Vandal, the creator of VNC client Screens, in the Moscone Center. Great guy!

At Indie Dev Lab, Rene and I got to talk to a few developers and see demos of the apps, including a video demo (coming soon!) of a new PDF management and annotating app called Cabinet [$0.99 - Download Now].

We also got see the beginning of Jay Freeman's (@Saurik) (the creator of jailbreak app store Cydia) presentation on the business side of app development including how to handle payments, marketing and, in general, how to make money off your apps.

Before our next appointment, Rene and I made enjoyed a few drinks with the Nickelfish crew at a local pub then headed over to Jillian's across the street from the Moscone Center and met with Chris Harris, the App Director of HarperCollins Publishers, the makers of Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe for iPad apps.

Next on the agenda was to meet with App Cubby's David Barnard over tea. We discussed iOS 6, the new MacBook Pro, David's thoughts on the App Store, and more.

The tea at Samovar Tea Lounge was quite delicious!

Before saying goodbye, we coaxed David into an interview -- of course!

After meeting with David, Rene and I had a few minutes to stop by Starbucks and get some writing done.

For the evening, we had a several different meetings and parties scheduled, so Rene and I split ways. While Rene met with Phill Ryu, the developer of Clear, I headed to The View at the top of the Marriott for a little meet-and-greet party with marketing company Appular.

The views were amazing from up there.

After Rene and I were done with our individual events, we met up at The W hotel with Seth for Jim Dalrymple's (@jdalrymple) "The Beard" party which featured a live karaoke band and lots of beer.

It didn't take much for a couple girls from AppAdvice to convince Rene to sing a Green Day song with them.

At one point, Jim came on stage and proclaimed that the "host-must-sing-rule" was dumb and that he was going to play guitar for us instead.

He played with the band and was actually really quite awesome.

After Jim's Party, Rene, Seth, and I met up with Dieter Bohn for some drinks. It was great catching up and discussing iOS 6, MacBooks, and other mobile platforms with an old friend.

As we were heading back to our hotels and thinking that our day was over, we were pleasantly surprised by one last "event" -- witnessing Apple employees setting up the new MacBook Pro displays at the Stockton Street Apple Store.

Whew! What a day!