Onlookers may already be impressed with your stable of sexy Apple products, but perhaps its time to replace those bland blacks and grays with something more meaningful. HunterGatherer’s InCase products for the iPhone and and 15-inch MacBook Pro are “a purposefully fake version of something natural,” according to designer Todd St. John. “I also enjoy seeing it as a wrapper for a concentrated brick of technology.” How poetic. For the MacBook, the $60 sleeve is simply a clutch for safekeeping, while the iPhone’s $50 slider case is a new skin in its own right. And if your friends still aren’t jealous, tell them HunterGatherer has worked for Nike, VH1 and the New York Times. If pure technology doesn’t fill them with envy, name-dropping surely will.

The iPod Mini is an outdated model, so it’s only fitting that Jozaeh’s MP3 player is encased in the wood of a stately old Australian red cedar tree. Camphor Laurel comprises the click wheel, and brass plates and screws hold everything together. Says the creator: “I was given a new iPod Mini for Christmas and I just couldn’t leave my trusty old mini to sit unused somewhere.” Sounds like it was his first stab at a wooden iPod mod, and we say he did an admirable job. Sadly, it’s only a matter of time before the battery kicks the bucket and this wooden iPod becomes a true antique. [Flickr via BB Gadgets]

You just knew something iPhone-related was going to happen at Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference today. The reality doesn’t quite match the rumors we saw last month, but there’s a surprisingly high ratio of information that was on the mark. With an extra “S” for “speed,” the iPhone 3GS runs up to two times faster than its predecessor and holds either 16 GB or 32 GB compared to the 8 GB iPhone 3G. Battery life has grown, but not by 50 percent, and there is indeed a built-in compass and a glowing Apple logo on the back. Best of all, the new iPhone shoots and edits video and has improved camera features such as touchscreen autofocus and autoexposure. Voice commands are now possible as well. What didn’t pan out? The OLED screen and the FM transmitter. Maybe next time. For now, the 16 GB and 32 GB models will cost $199 and $299 respectively when they go on sale June 19. Also, the old iPhone 3G gets a price cut to $99 today. [Apple]

Though many are waiting with bated breath for the newest iPhone release, an article by Gadget Lab indicates that it’s unlikely the new operating system will be ready for release at next week’s World Wide Developers Conference. It appears that the completion of the 3.0 system hinges on a new in-app commerce feature that would allow for sale of things like songs and gaming accessories within iPhone applications. This feature is not quite ready for prime time. No new OS, no new iPhone. The article estimates that it will take three or four more weeks for Apple to get the OS tested and completed, so hopefully we’ll see it sometime in early July. An announcement of availability is expected at WWDC. [via Gadget Lab]

A better camera, more capacity and an OLED screen may be in store, according to a report by Apple iPhone Apps. The site quotes “a source who is closely connected to Apple’s hardware development team” in listing the specs. Notably, capacity may double to 32 GB and 16 GB models, the pixel count on the camera may jump from 2 million to 3.2 million and battery life could grow by 50 percent. The new iPhone may also include video recording and editing, a built-in FM transmitter, a built-in compass and turn-by-turn directions. For stylistas, the design will apparently be sleeker, losing the metal band around the sides and gaining glowing Apple logo on the back. The release date is reportedly July 17. If any of these specs seem unlikely, I feel like the whole report could just be wishful thinking, but there’s also some probable specs in here too. We’ll find out soon enough. [Apple iPhone Apps via Wired]

Good news for people who love Steve Jobs: Apple’s head honcho may be ill and out of the public spotlight, but his influence is still felt at the company as he works from home. While COO Tim Cook handles the day-to-day, Jobs weilds a heavy hand on product development, including the newest OS for the iPhone. Talking to unnamed insiders, the Wall Street Journal says this work includes development of a “portable device that is smaller than its current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch.” A new Apple rumor this is not, but you’ve got to figure every report takes us a little closer to something like the image above. And if it’s true, you can rest assured Jobs is on the case. [Wall Street Journal via CrunchGear]

So we like to dream. You can’t blame us for indulging, so now we’re doing it again. Russian magazine “mobi” somehow got the scoop on Apple’s alleged netbook, with photos to boot. We’ve even got a bunch of specs to go along with it. The so-called Macbook Mini will include an LED-powered 10.4-inch screen in 1280×768 resolution, running on a 1.83GHz processor with 1MB L2 cache. There’s 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, Nvidia Graphics 9400M, a 64 GB solid state drive, a USB mini-display port, a built-in webcam and wireless a/b/g/n as well. Plus, it looks thin as a pencil. Sounds pretty good, right? One might even say it’s “ideal.” [9to5Mac via Gizmodo]

If Japan is any indication, Skype for iPhone is going live at respective midnights around the globe. The VoIP program is downloadable now in Japan, and should start coming online as each time zone hits 12 a.m. on Tuesday. Early reports say the sound quality is great, and the app itself is absolutely free. Good thing, because nothing’s better than saving a few cell phone minutes here and there when you’re shelling out $30 per month for data. In all seriousness, the app will come in handy for international calls — say goodbye to purchasing SIM cards before a big trip — although PC World says a Wi-Fi connection is required. Blackberry users, don’t fret; your version comes in May. [via Engadget and PC World]

You didn’t hear this from Apple, but the company’s plans to create a slick touch screen netbook are for real, according to sources in Korea. Rumor had it that Apple is working with a Taiwan-based manufacturer to construct a product that is larger than the iPod Touch but smaller than the 13-inch MacBook. Reportedly speaking to LG, which in January signed a $500-million deal to make LCD screens for apple, Smarthouse says those rumors are true, and in fact there’s already a working prototype out there. Better yet, LG is supposedly working on an OLED screen that’s resistant to “body oils and sweat,” perhaps by adding a layer in the manufacturing process. That’s a technology that could benefit more than just Apple fanboys in the long run. Personally, I’m surprised Smarthouse didn’t reach out to Apple for the token denial or non-response, but where’s the juiciness in that? [Smarthouse via SlipperyBrick]