We’ve become aware of some unauthorized access to our systems and internal company data and we wanted to let you know the steps we’re taking in response. As soon as we were aware of this issue we immediately launched an investigation. Information security and data protection are of great importance to us at Spotify and that is why I’m posting today.

Our evidence shows that only one Spotify user’s data has been accessed and this did not include any password, financial or payment information. We have contacted this one individual. Based on our findings, we are not aware of any increased risk to users as a result of this incident.

Interestingly, it’s only Android users that will have to take any steps here. No action is required for iOS or Windows Phone users.

Now this is great news. I’ll be there, but having the video available for everyone is great.

The new version of PCalc for iOS now shares the same core calculator code as PCalc 4 on OS X. There are a lot of updated features in this release.

The Financial Times reported [paywall] that Apple will push for Jetsons style home automation in next week’s WWDC reveal. Whether or not there is any truth to this conjecture, the home automation/internet of things space is maturing rapidly.

One in five adult American internet users already has a device at home that connects the physical environment to the internet, according to a Forrester Research report (paywall) out last week. As many as two-thirds would install such a device if it helps cut energy bills (think Nest, the internet-connected thermostat recently acquired by Google) or improve security (like the Dropcam cameras that provide a live video feed from your home to your phone). And according to the grandly named State of the Smart Home (pdf, p.9) survey published recently by iControl Networks—a company that provides connected-home services to broadband providers—fully 40% of respondents think they will be able to send text messages to their home appliances within a couple of years.

Good read. Especially if Apple does have some home automation up its sleeves.

Used to be you could ask for a refund on an iOS or Mac app and still get updates for that app. This policy has changed. Sounds logical to me.

Sydney Morning Herald:

One iPhone user, a Fairfax Media employee in Sydney, said she was awoken at 4am on Tuesday to a loud “lost phone” message that said “Oleg Pliss” had hacked her phone. She was instructed to send $50 to a PayPal account to have it unlocked.

There is conjecture that the hackers have access to some recently stolen eBay passwords and that the victims have the same password on both eBay and for their Apple ID. Regardless of whether this is true or not, this is a pointed example of why you should not reuse passwords.

“It’s quite possible this is occurring by exploiting password reuse,” Mr Hunt said. “Regardless of how difficult someone believes a password is to guess, if it’s been compromised in another service and exposed in an unencrypted fashion, then it puts every other service where it has been reused at risk. Of course it also suggests that two-factor authentication was likely not used as the password alone wouldn’t have granted the attacker access to the iCloud account.”

Two-factor authentication is critical. If you have not set it up, here’s the place to start. [Via MacRumors]

Pixelmator 3.2 Sandstone features an all-new Repair Tool. Redeveloped from the inside-out, the new Repair Tool is built on breakthrough technologies that enable the removal of unwanted objects or image imperfections with an unsurpassed level of quality and precision. The new version also brings 16-bits per channel support to the Mac. With 16-bits per channel support, you have more color data to work with and greatly reduce the risk of color banding. In addition, with Lock Layers you can simply lock certain layers to protect their content from any further changes so that you can freely edit the rest of your composition.

Wirecutter:

Readers often want to know: Why don’t they ever seem to get our recommendation? In general, it’s a price vs. performance issue, and often they don’t measure up to their competition. But there are a lot of specific reasons, too. So, to better address the frequently asked questions of Beats by Dre, we thought we’d talk you through each model, what you might be looking for when you first consider it, and then why we’d put our hard-earned cash somewhere else.

Some great advice here about the various alternatives if you don’t want to buy Beats.

My favorite part of this story is a callout from an interview the Wall Street Journal did a week or two ago:

WSJ: So you wouldn’t move the Clippers to Seattle?

Ballmer: If I get interested in the Clippers, it would be for Los Angeles. I don’t work anymore, so I have more geographic flexibility than I did a year, year-and-a half ago. Moving them anywhere else would be value destructive.

Like a nagging, loose tooth, I can’t seem to stop paying attention to Steve Ballmer.

What’s your verse? How do you use Apple devices to improve your life, tell your story?

In the latest update to this campaign, Apple adds two pages to their “your verse” site, one focused on classical composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and the second on traveling writer Chérie King.

Fascinating stories, beautifully told. [Via 9to5mac]

Forbes:

Corporate M&A decisions are increasingly being driven by offshore tax policy. It’s hard to argue the business logic of using offshore income to acquire foreign companies versus bringing the money back into the U.S. for a domestic acquisition.

Following the rough tax math of a foreign acquisition, Apple’s $3.2 billion bid would really be more like $2 billion if the transaction could take place in Ireland. Considering the fact that Apple currently has approximately $54 billion in cash parked offshore, the benefits of doing a foreign acquisition over repatriating that cash back into the U.S. become even more apparent.

Interesting conjecture.

I find these hotels breathtaking. Most are embedded in some form of nature. There’s Switzerland’s Äscher Cliff hotel embedded in the side of a mountain, or the Hotel Kakslauttanen built under the ice in Finland.

Words don’t do these hotels justice. Fantastic pictures.

Have you ever visited any of these?

With that last post as a bit of a palate cleanser, consider this more of a main course.

And no, you don’t necessarily need to be a programmer to appreciate it. Delightful read.

This essay has been making its way around the net like wildfire the past few days. An interesting rant of the “we’re doomed” variety.

Here’s just one tiny bit:

Recently an anonymous hacker wrote a script that took over embedded Linux devices. These owned computers scanned the whole rest of the internet and created a survey that told us more than we’d ever known about the shape of the internet. The little hacked boxes reported their data back (a full 10 TBs) and quietly deactivated the hack. It was a sweet and useful example of someone who hacked the planet to shit. If that malware had actually been malicious, we would have been so fucked.

A good read for a Sunday.

At first blush, this might seem an unnecessary complication. In order to play Osmo games, you sit your iPad in a stand in portrait mode, then place a clip over the iPad camera that contains a small mirror. A tangram puzzle appears on the screen, and you slide blocks on the table in front of the iPad to complete the puzzle.

No big deal, right?

But there’s something more to this than simply reflecting puzzle pieces onto the screen. There’s a real interaction between the actions in the physical world and a model’s representation in the virtual world. Kinda, sorta, an augmented reality, but done very simply, cleanly, just perfect for a series of kids games.

The video below is a marketing piece, for sure, but it does a good job of getting the point across. I’m excited by the possibilities.

Bloomberg:

Apple, which on May 2 won $120 million of the $2.2 billion it sought, identified nine devices it wants barred in a May 23 filing with U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.

Winning a ban may prove difficult for Apple because Koh, who also presided over the companies’ first U.S. trial in 2012, twice rejected the iPhone-maker’s request in that case, legal experts have said. This time around the jury also concluded that Apple infringed one of Samsung’s patents, though the Galaxy-maker hasn’t yet requested a ban of Apple products.

Apple’s bid “seems like a hard sell, given that it failed to achieve an injunction in the last trial with significant design patent infringement and similar feature patent infringement,” said Michael Risch, a law professor at Villanova University.

The chess match continues.

According to the industry on May 22, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics recently asked ingot and wafer makers to submit samples in an effort to adopt the sapphire cover glass. They reviewed it last year as well, but they were reluctant to use it because of high prices, but as global competitors recently announced plans to release new products with sapphire glass, they began to reconsider it in a hurry.

Sound familiar? It should.

Apple began to operate the sapphire glass manufacturing and processing plant in Arizona, US earlier than scheduled. It is known that Apple will apply the sapphire glass to the 10 million new products scheduled to be released in the second half.

Interesting to watch the costs rise as more manufacturers move to what is, essentially, a limited availability commodity.

Brett Howse from AnandTech takes you on an enlightening tour of the backup process/options. Reading this is like reading one of the camera reviews on DPReview.com. A lot of detail, can’t help but learn as you read.

Ever wanted to book your favorite band for a party and wondered what it would cost? Follow the link and wonder no more.

[Via Variety]

Wired:

On Sunday, Formula One fans will plunk themselves in front of their TVs to watch the Monaco Grand Prix. If you’re not planning on doing the same, you should be.

The Monaco Grand Prix is the greatest race in all of motorsport. It has everything: yachts, champagne, supermodels, royalty, parties, not to mention one of the world’s most historic racetracks that’s built to generate exciting moments.

Here’s why you should be watching when the green flag drops on Sunday at 7:30 AM EST.

I will respectfully disagree with my friend, Jordan Golson of Wired, when he says Monaco is the “greatest” race but it is fun to watch – especially as a companion race to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Vox:

If you live in the United States or Canada and stay up late enough tonight, you might see something pretty cool: a brand-new, relatively big meteor shower.

Starting at around 2 a.m. EDT, the Earth will pass through a stream of rocks and dust emitted by a recently-discovered comet. This debris won’t pose any danger — because it will burn up as it enters our atmosphere — but it’s projected to produce somewhere between 100 and 400 meteors per hour.

For those of you lucky enough to be in an area where you can see this, I’d encourage you to grab a blanket, get outside to some place dark and enjoy the show.

Nik Fletcher:

The 10 hours in a metal tube between London and San Francisco provide for some great thinking space. The flights to and from WWDC last year as every year offered plenty of time to take stock of where things are, what could be, and on the way back what it all means. With all the focus on iOS 7’s new aesthetic, understandably the “iOS 7-only” mantra was top of everyone’s minds. But as I sat in sessions eagerly watching talks about all the new technologies on iOS, something bigger struck me. Something that’s taken almost a full year to fully analyse.

A long but interesting read from the point of view of a guy who really knows what he’s talking about.

A very extensive list from The Wirecutter.

My thanks to Mighty Deals for sponsoring The Loop’s RSS feed this week. If you’re looking for a little logo inspiration, this Mighty Deal has your name on it! The ultimate Logo Mockup & Design Kit includes 70 retro logo templates, as well as 50+ photo-realistic logo mockups. These high-quality vector files, from Cruizine Design, are fully customizable and a snap to use. In no time at all, you can change up the color, size, shape or details and have yourself a professional logo, banner, sign or promotional piece for your latest project! And speaking of promotions, act now and you can save more than 75% off the regular price!

One of the best things I’ve ever done is move all of my writing to Markdown. If you don’t know it yet, learn. It’s quite easy to grasp.

I hate people that keep inviting me to play games on Facebook. STOP IT! This may be the best article on the Internet.

Amazon, under fire in much of the literary community for energetically discouraging customers from buying books from the publisher Hachette, has abruptly escalated the battle.

The retailer began refusing orders late Thursday for coming Hachette books, including J.K. Rowling’s new novel. The paperback edition of Brad Stone’s “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” — a book Amazon disliked so much it denounced it — is suddenly listed as “unavailable.”