Apple Inc. (AAPL) Pre-Bell: Getting Love From The Woz, Tim Cook’s Anniversary & More

Editor’s Note: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Lenovo, Taking Page From Apple, Chases Samsung in China (Bloomberg)
Taking a page from the playbook of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), a company it’s already beaten in China smartphone sales, Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) is counting on a chain of retail stores to help it surpass leader Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)
The outlets offer the gleaming glass and wide counters found at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shops, with phones and tablets sitting on tables for customers to try out. Lenovo’s Solution Center takes the place of the Genius Bar, and staff look trim and neat in black polo shirts instead of Apple’s blue Tees.

Wozniak praises Apple’s formula for success (BBC News)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s co-founder Steve Wozniak believes one of the secrets of the company’s success is that it found the formula to remain nibble and innovative despite its size. That cannot, perhaps, be said of Microsoft, which has rested on markets and products it build up a long time ago, he says.

Apple battles scope of e-books injunction (stuff.co.nz)
The United States offered to ease the terms of a proposed civil injunction against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for conspiring to raise e-book prices, but the company said the revised proposal is still designed to “inflict punishment” and must be rejected. At issue is how to ensure that Apple does not violate antitrust law, following a July 10 ruling by US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan that it had conspired with five major publishers to undermine pricing by rivals including Amazon.com, which dominates the market for electronic books.

Apple CEO Tim Cook faces big challenges on his second anniversary (Los Angeles Times)
Happy anniversary, Tim Cook! Today marks two years since you were appointed chief executive of Apple. Such a loaded moment, ascending to the helm of such an iconic company but knowing that the man you were replacing was probably close to death. You handled it with grace and dignity.

Appeals court says Apple and Samsung don’t have to reveal top secrets in court
(VB Business)
The Apple-Samsung legal wars over tech patents have created a big window into their corporate secrets. But a U.S. appeals court wants to shut that windows. In a ruling Friday, the court said that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh should not have ordered Apple and Samsung to disclose “exceptionally sensitive information” about their sales and profits.