Want to create an iPhoto book for a Mother's Day gift? Apple notes that the deadline to order a book and have it delivered in time is either May 2nd (for standard shipping) or May 3rd (for express shipping). And speaking from experience, it takes some time to choose and lay out all those photos, so you'd best get started!

The New York Times is reporting on Apple's recent acquisition of Siri, a startup company specializing in mobile search. The company's iPhone app Siri Assistant enables users to perform searches and tasks like making restaurant reservations, buying movie tickets, and securing cabs with voice-based commands. While it's unclear exactly what Apple plans to do with the technology, the most obvious application would be to provide a native search alternative to Google on the iPhone. The buying of Siri also fits a bigger picture of Apple buying smaller companies to get a leg up in the mobile industry; other recent purchases include the chip maker Intrinsity and the mobile ad company Quattro Wireless.

Apple has announced that the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held 7 June 2010 through 11 June 2010 in San Francisco. Despite the short notice and $1,599 price tag, Apple appears confident that the likely debut of iPhone OS 4 and a new iPhone will ensure strong attendance. Apple's emphasis on iPhone OS development - the Apple Design Awards are open only to apps currently sold in the App Store, for example - is causing some grumpiness among Mac-only developers.

Princeton University's Office of Information Technology is now suggesting that the iPad's DHCP lease renewal problem may be related to the iPad's screen being locked, either manually or automatically. The best workaround seems to be to disable automatic screen locking and avoid locking the screen manually; the downside to this is of course reduced battery life. Other (but worse) possibilities include turning off Wi-Fi or the entire iPad at the end of each session.

The end of an era is approaching. In March 2011, Sony will discontinue sales of 3.5-inch floppy disks in Japan; apart from a few niche markets, worldwide sales of floppy disks were halted in March 2010. It's not really surprising, and one friend noted in Twitter that it was more interesting to realize that Sony has still been making floppies all this time (other manufacturers have already left the market). The last Mac to support a floppy drive - the PowerBook (FireWire) via a media bay - debuted in February 2000 and was discontinued in January 2001.

Could the story of the iPhone prototype get weirder? Police have obtained a warrant to search a Gizmodo editor's home, and the legal speculation is running rampant as to whether Gizmodo is protected by reporter shield laws, or if California's laws regarding lost property will instead take precedence. Declan McCullagh and Greg Sandoval cover recent events for CNET.

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame has released two comic strips that deftly summarize the entire Gizmodo stolen iPhone prototype story, with the addition of Wally. Since the story will undoubtedly be old by the time these could hit newspapers (there's a one-month lag time, apparently), Adams decided not to submit them.

Time Magazine finds no credible reason for the blockage of iPads into Israel, but notes that the sole authorized Apple importer, iDigital, is owned by the son of Israel's president. Time talked to wireless experts, the ministry of communications, and others, and the explanations are quite thin. The ministry appears to be relying on the word of iDigital, rather than, say, testing or calling up Apple, on whether the iPad meets the European standards that Israel follows.

Apple's famous secrecy has resulted in a salacious story of a prototype iPhone being lost, found, purchased by a blog, connected with a specific engineer, and (presumably) returned to Apple. There's no real news involved - the confirmed features were commonly expected and it's unknown whether the next iPhone will use this prototype's industrial design. Either way, it's not actionable information until Apple actually releases the next iPhone, probably in June or July. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, Andy Ihnatko's Chicago Sun-Times column has the best summary we've seen.

TidBITS isn't the only Mac publication that's been around for a long time, and the venerable MacTech Magazine is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. To help them commemorate the occasion, Adam reached far back into the depths of time - well before TidBITS! - for some of his most-cherished stories of Mac hacking and usage in the days of the Mac Plus and SE.

Sprint is upping its promotion of the combined 3G (EVDO) and 4G (WiMax) Overdrive portable hotspot to iPad owners as an alternative to a 3G-enabled iPad by offering a special case that can hold both an iPad and the Overdrive. The case requires a trip to a Best Buy in a state in which Sprint's Clearwire division offers WiMax service. The Overdrive costs $100 with a 2-year contract at $50-$60 per month for unlimited WiMax, and up to 5 GB of 3G service each month (300 MB outside Sprint's 3G/4G territory).

Tom Tomorrow's "This Modern World" comic turns its attention to the question of what real life would be like if it were more like the Internet. Scary funny stuff!

Never mind that Apple's new iPad won't be available outside the United States for a few more weeks. An Associated Press article tells us Israel has banned all imports of the popular tablet device, even going so far as to confiscate them from tourists upon arrival and hold them for a daily fee. Customs officials will return the iPad upon its owner's departure from the country. The Communication Ministry says the iPad's wireless frequencies are incompatible with national standards. If you decide to travel light with your iPad, make sure it will be welcome wherever you're going!

Big points to Steve Cencula of the design group FORM for his tongue-in-cheek photo showing the fastest and easiest way to print from an iPad.

Apple has released a statement saying that the unexpectedly strong demand for the iPad in the United States (over 500,000 units sold in the first week) and the large number of preorders for the iPad 3G will result in product shortages for a few more weeks. In addition, Apple is delaying the international launch of the iPad one month, to late May; pre-orders will be accepted starting 10 May 2010. It's a good news/bad news situation: the iPad is wildly popular, but so much so that it will be hard to get in the near term.