Unlike some of its publisher partners, Apple is ready to fight the DOJ’s antitrust charges -- and, it appears, relish the opportunity.  “The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in a statement. “The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry.” According to AllThingsD: “Apple’s response is similar to ones made by Penguin Group and MacMillan, two of the five publishers named in the suit.” As Penguin Group chairman and CEO John Makinson said a statement issued earlier this …

About a year out of the gate, Google+ just got its first facelift, and, well, it looks a whole lot like Facebook.  “In an effort to more directly compete with social networking behemoth Facebook, search giant Google unveiled a refresh of Google+, its social networking platform that hasn’t made as big a splash as hoped (despite boasting 170 million members),” eWeek reports.  “Some of the design elements included in the update echo Facebook Timeline, such as a cover photo that sprawls across the top of the profile and bigger photo and video displays,” Mashable points out. “Others, like a customizable …

Seeking broader distribution beyond Facebook (who knew there was such a thing?), Spotify is rolling out a feature that will let the rest of the Web integrate the service via a “play button” widget. “So everyone from The Huffington Post to Rolling Stone to Tumblr user (which is incorporating the feature into its main dashboard) can incorporate free tunes onto their sites,” AllThingsD writes. “And Spotify gets a whole new set of promotional partners.”  “Spotify won't rest until everyone has their own personal soundtrack following them wherever they go,” VatorNews writes. “Given all the license restrictions roaming the music industry, …

Though largely seen as a mobile play, Web watchers are seriously questioning the rationale behind Facebook’s decision to drop $1 billion on Instagram.  “The price [is] stunning for an apps-maker without any significant revenue, even with soaring startup valuations in Silicon Valley,” writes Reuters. “It’s a notable move for Facebook, which has exclusively focused on bite-size acquisitions, worth less than $100 million,” notes The New York Times’ DealBook blog.  “A few days ago [Instagram] was rumored to be valued at $500 million,” GigaOm’s Om Malik recalls. So, why pay twice the current valuation for a 2-year-old company? “Facebook …

Netflix is dishing on its recommendation engine, and the complex process by which it recommends content to users, which, as it turns out, goes way any single “Top 10” list. Other crucial recommendations include “all of those different genres on the front page, which order to put the films in on each row, and what movies are similar to other titles,” The Verge reports, citing a detailed blog post by Netflix. “It's not just some static list, either; Netflix says that it focuses on keeping results fresh and diversifying where and what order it recommends movies.” If an entire household …

Marking his first year back as Google’s CEO, Larry Page just posted an “update” in which he articulates, well, not a whole lot. “In it, [Page] underscored Google’s commitment to making big long-term bets and to its social network Google+, but he did not make any big revelations or provide any financial details,” writes The Los Angeles Times. “It is a bit of corporate-speak, but nevertheless it feels like it is from a guy who feels happy with his first 12 months in the job,” according to GigaOm. “Reminiscent of a State of the …

The world got its first peek at Google’s augmented-reality glasses, renewing questions about the practically, marketability, and stylishness of such a device. In a post shared via Google Plus, employees in the company laboratory known as Google X, including Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun, asked people for input about the prototype of Project Glass. “Mr. Lee, a Google product manager and originally worked on Google mapping software Latitude, mobile maps and indoor maps, is responsible for the software component and the location-based aspects of the glasses,” reports The New York Times’ Bits blog. According to Bits, “The …

As earlier reports predicted, Yahoo just announced massive layoffs. On Wednesday alone, the beset portal said some 2,000 employees, or 14% of the company, could expect pink slips -- and that’s likely just the beginning. “Today’s actions are an important next step toward a bold, new Yahoo,” the company said in a statement. “Smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry require.” “While Yahoo has had periodic layoffs over the years, this one is its most significant in its history and will also result in another large-scale restructuring of …

Long a lightning rod for controversy, life as a public company is proving no less tumultuous for Groupon. News broke this week that the company is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which sent its stock sloping by more than 15%. “The regulator's probe into the popular online-coupon company is at a preliminary stage, and the SEC hasn't yet decided whether to launch a formal investigation into the matter,” The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a source. As VentureBeat points out, Groupon’s stock has been falling since it revealed on Friday that it was revising its first …

As part of a brash new ad campaign, Nokia says the smartphone business has so far been in a “beta” period -- and only its new Windows Phones can change that.  “The smartphone beta test is almost over,” reads a teaser site that appears to be counting down to the launch of Nokia’s Lumia 900 smartphone, which AT&T is expected to start selling in the coming days.  “Mobile vendors are not shy when it comes to head on battles and throwing stones at each other rather than creating advertising to promote their own product advantages,” The Next Web writes. “Now …