It looks like the Apple options backdating mess is finally drawing to a complete close, as the last of the shareholder derivative suits against Steve Jobs and other Apple execs will reportedly settle for $14M pending the court's final approval on October 31. Apple has also agreed to reform parts of its options plan, but in the end all of this has basically come out to nothing -- particularly since shareholders in a derivative suit sue on behalf of the company, meaning the $14M is being paid by Steve and the other execs' insurance companies back to Apple, which doesn't really need it. Oh well, at least we briefly got FSJ out of it, right?

[Via AppleInsider]

We know it's been a long day of Apple news, what with all those colorful new nanos, the thin-as-all-get-out touch, a fresh version of iTunes, and that forthcoming iPhone / touch update (and don't forget about those new shuffle colors). It's all a lot to take in, but as usual, we're presenting it to you in one delicious, easy to digest roundup. Enjoy!

The liveblog:

Live from Apple's 'Let's Rock' event in San Francisco

Hands-on coverage:

iPod nano 4G hands-on
iPod touch 2G - first hands-on

Product announcements:

iPod classic refreshed, only comes in 120GB flavor now
Official: iPod nano reaches 4G, looks tall for its age
iPod touch updated -- same screen, new case, Nike+ integration
Apple introduces $79 in-ear headphones
One more thing: New iPod shuffle colors

iTunes / iPhone / touch updates:

Apple launches iTunes 8, NBC comes back, TV shows at $1.99, Genius in the house
iPhone 2.1 software update announced (update: $10 for some iPod touch owners)
iPod touch 2.1 firmware update now available

You have to figure that major news outlets keep obituaries on hand for all kinds of public figures and celebrities -- still, you can't help feeling a bit of a chill upon learning that notice of Steve Jobs' death mistakingly hit the wires yesterday afternoon. A slip-up at news outlet Bloomberg caused the lengthy obituary to roll across a number of screens before being pulled -- but not before a Gawker tipster was able to send off a copy to the gossip site. Under normal circumstances, this would probably come off as a random gaffe with minimal impact, but given recent reactions / over reactions concerning Jobs' health (thanks in no small part to his appearance at WWDC, pictured above), this comes off as a rotten-timed moment in journalistic and technical butterfingerism. We can only hope this didn't send too many investors into a tailspin -- we'd hate to see any War of the Worlds moments caused by something so silly.

[Via CNET]

Steve Jobs, presumably speaking from a hyperbaric chamber where he's being nourished with an infusion of liquefied developers-souls before his next public appearance, had a few interesting tidbits about the AppStore for the Wall Street Journal this morning. Namely, users have downloaded some 60 million programs for the iPhone representing sales of about $30 million since the launch last month -- a 30/70 revenue split between Apple and developers, respectively. "The thing's going to crest a half billion soon," Jobs added, "I've never seen anything like this in my career for software." He went on to say that phone differentiation is no longer about radios and antennas (or uh, battery life) but about software. Steve also confirmed the controversial iPhone application kill switch in the event that Apple inadvertently approves a malicious program for distribution. Jobs said, "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull." As to the $999.99 I Am Rich application, the dubious download that displayed nothing but a glowing red gem, pulling that from the store was a "judgment" call. Sure, but that doesn't explain how it made it through the vetting process to begin with.

Not that anyone could really dance around the facts of the matter at this point, but in an email to Apple employees sent today, apparently Steve said, "It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store. We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence." Apple exec Eddie Cue appears to taking the much maligned service under his wing (as well as the App Store, adding to his original gig as VP of iTunes), hopefully making good on the other bit in El Jobso's email where he resets Apple's call to action on .Mac's replacement: "The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about Internet services. And learn we will. The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year." We'll see about that!

Update: You can check out the actual here email here, if you're looking to see how Jobs uses em-dashes as bullets.

[Thanks, Matt and Chris Z.]

Yeah, we're surprised to hear it too. Nevertheless, word coming out of the SegwayChat forums has Doug Field, Chief Technology Officer at Segway, heading to Apple as VP of product design. What makes the move oh so interesting is the history between Jobs and Field. See, back in the early days, when Segway was still Ginger and Dean Kamen was harvesting pre-launch industry reactions, Kamen brought the people mover to Steve Jobs. El Jobso's reaction to Field's design is the stuff of Harvard Business school legend:

"I think it sucks," said Jobs, "Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic."

How times do change.

Read -- Doug Field joining Apple
Read -- Steve Jobs' thoughts on Segway design

As usual, Apple's capped off the day's news by posting the video of the keynote. Just in case you missed the action in today's liveblog (or you want to relive the moment where Steve says "3G" and the audience spontaneously combusts), hit the link below. Us? We'll be taking a breather.

For those on Apple overload: don't worry, a little more will be trickling out but it's almost over.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a mammoth document that can only be described as The iPhone Patent, a 371-page spectacular that covers Apple's handheld multi-touch UI paradigm in excruciating detail. Many of the mocked-up screen shots depicted in the paperwork are dead ringers for screens that we're well acquainted with in the production phone, while others represent ideas that either haven't finished cooking or eventually found their way into the Cupertino circular file (follow the break for a picture of a home screen with dedicated "Blog" and dictionary apps, for instance). The application also mentions "modules" for video conferencing, GPS, and other currently non-existent (though widely expected) functionality. And in case there's any doubt over who was responsible for this compendium of legalese, industrial design, and technical diagrams, one only need look at the header of page 1: "Jobs et al." Yep, Steve himself wasn't the least bit shy about taking credit atop an entire column of company A-listers for inventing the iPhone's trademark user interface, which we're guessing came about from a mix of equal parts truth, ego, and ass-kissing from the legal department down the hall. Seriously though, if you're Scott Forstall down there at number two on the Inventors list, what are you going to do -- go boardroom showdown all John Sculley-style?

[Via Cellpassion]

Michael Dell's been up on stage here at D for a solid 45 minutes and has yet to say anything particularly interesting (unless you consider rattling off numbers about unit growth, margins, etc. fascinating), but the man got his chance during the audience Q&A. Someone asked if he could take Steve Jobs in a fight, and Dell flatly replied, "Yeah, I could take him." Now there's a fight we'd pay good money to see.

[Thanks Seenew for Jobs' Mii]

On June 9th, Steve Jobs will be speaking at WWDC. Plans are vague right now, but we understand he will give two lectures on Sudoku, a shirt-folding seminar, and will discuss the possibilities of using a perpetual motion machine to replace the engine in his 1986 Volvo. Afterwards, every developer gets a hug and a low five. It's unlikely he'll discuss the 3G iPhone.

9:05AM - Alright, we're here and registered! We'll be checking in as things get going shortly.
9:26AM - It's minglin' time! The space usually reserved for product demos is hollowed out for the Apple Continental Breakfast today, tons of journos and execs hanging out before the keynote kicks off.

CNN has a pretty extensive profile on El Jobso -- the likes of which seem to appear almost monthly these days in the mainstream media publication of your choosing -- but one of the more interesting tidbits is that apparently he sat on his pancreatic cancer for nine friggin' months before seeking treatment back in 2004. To put that in perspective, although his diagnosis was curable at the time, pancreatic cancer is considered to be among the most deadly forms and despite the urgings of the very few friends, family, and associates in the know, Steve apparently sought to cure himself holistically for three quarters -- while everyone else (including Pixar, where he was also CEO) was in the dark. Of course, eventually he gave in and got the surgery he so desperately needed to make his recovery; water under the bridge now, but Apple shareholders certainly must have a feeling or two about Jobs coming so close to the brink.

[Thanks, Adhik]