Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage at the All Things Digital conference.(Photo: Asa Mathat, All Things Digital)Story HighlightsiOS update is under the watchful eye of Apple designer Jony IveApple has sold 13M Apple TV boxes, half in last yearCooks calls wearable tech 'ripe for exploration'RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — Apple CEO Tim Cook stayed true to form during an on stage interview at the All Things D conference here. "We release products when they're ready (and) we believe very much in the elements of surprise," Cook told an audience packed with tech luminaries, investors, and journalists. "I have no plan of changing that." In a wide-ranging interview that covered taxes, his management style, even Google Glass, Cook was short on specifics about any futuristic plans. But for those of us product guys, Cook did provide a few clues on what might be coming next. "We have several more game changers in us," Cook said.DETAILS: Full coverage of Tim Cook's appearance[1]We already know that on June 10 at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple plans to show off new versions of the iOS software used in iPhones, iPads and iPod touches and the OS X software that is at the core of Macintosh computers. Cook wouldn't disclose what the new software might look like or what features might be included. He did confirm that iOS is under the watchful eye of famed Apple designer Jony Ive. "Jony has contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many, many years and could do that for our software as well," he says." I for one am counting on seeing something fresh at WWDC and would be disappointed if that doesn't turn out to be the case. And I say that as a fan of iOS. A "flat" user interface,…

Overview Last month, we took a trip to Panasonic's US headquarters in Secaucus, NJ to get a brief look[1] at this year's successor to the company's 2012 flagship: the Panasonic VT60. Well, we've finally got the TV set up and secure[2] in our lab, giving us the chance to run our full suite of tests, and check out all of the VT60's considerable features. After a few days with this TV, I am simply blown away. The Panasonic VT60 looks incredible; it's a picture purist's dream. I was expecting very fine picture quality, but I'm also really impressed with Panasonic's new smart functions and feature-bent hardware. Finally, even that thing no one cares about anymore—3D—looks great, the best I've seen since early last year. With its smallest iteration—a sizable 60 inches—retailing for $2,999, the VT60 series is definitely a serious investment, but with such terrific picture quality, it's worth the high price. Hardware A brushed aluminum beauty that focuses on function over flash Initial assembly made it clear that the 60-inch VT60 is extremely heavy—almost 120 pounds! However, once it is assembled, this TV is quite attractive. From the thin bezels around its screen to the smooth, brushed aluminum of its stand, the VT60 is every bit as handsome and imposing as its predecessor, the VT50. Panasonic continues from last year's "single pane of glass" design aesthetic, giving the P60VT60's 60.1-inch screen a devilish magnetism; the rest of the TV sort of blends in behind whatever you're watching, especially when using the TV in a theater environment.[3]"The VT60 is every bit as handsome and imposing as its predecessor, the VT50." One thing that may discourage device-fond cinema enthusiasts from Panasonic's 2013 plasmas is their three HDMI input limit. That might seem like griping over small potatoes in the grand scheme,…

The D-Wave Systems Fridge with Cryogenic Packaging(Photo: D-Wave Systems Inc.)Story HighlightsQuantum computers promise faster solutions to some hard problemsOne quantum computing firm, D-Wave, has made a big sale amid promising independent speed-testsHowever they work, faster computer results would be welcome news to computer scientists"Quantum" computers offer advantages over today's microprocessors, in theory, because of uncertainty about what's what on the atomic level.But some of the uncertainty about one quantum computer appears to be fading on the real world level with the purchase this week of a second "D-Wave Two" quantum computer, announced Thursday[1] by a consortium of NASA, Google and the Universities Space Research Association. And tests of computer made by the Canadian quantum computing company, D-Wave of Burnaby, British Columbia, might help explain that purchase."On one of the tests we have run, it is faster, much faster," said computer scientist Catherine McGeoch of Amherst (Mass.) College, who announced the results [2]at a computer science meeting on Thursday. "Roughly 3,600 times faster than its nearest competitor."A quantum computer takes advantage of a principle in physics that on the atomic scale particles can be in many places at once or have multiple properties such as magnetism or an electrical charge simultaneously. They would store data in these multiple positions at once unlike conventional computers which only store one value or data point in their circuits at a time.For two decades, researchers have pondered how quantum computers might speed up calculations that even today's most powerful computers have trouble with such as quickly recognizing shapes, calculating complex wind patterns around new jets or determining what routes to send fleets of delivery trucks to save time and money in real time. The Google-led consortium will tackle "machine learning" techniques, where the computer teaches itself to recognize shapes, as a primary focus.In the test…