"I clearly knew that I had to do something, and I failed to do it ... A CEO should take responsibility. I screwed up." -- Chairman Eric Schmidt on the company's struggle with social. (All Things D)
* During his appearance at All Things D's D9 conference last night, former Google CEO and current chairman Eric Schmidt covered a number of topics including the company's attempts at integrating social elements into its services, the fastest-growing technology companies -- Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and of course, Google -- which he dubbed the "Gang of Four," and even that age-old technology argument: Macs versus PCs. When it comes to security, "you could use a Mac instead of a PC," he said, arguing that viruses are less likely to affect Mac users. He also recommended pairing that Mac with Google's Chrome Browser and Gmail's two-step authentication feature. (The Next Web)
* Apple's planning a blitzkrieg of announcements at this year's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) on Monday, including the proper unveiling of its iOS 5 mobile operating system and Lion desktop software update, as well as its much-speculated about iCloud cloud-based music service, most of which will likely be discussed by Steve Jobs himself. (This is my next)
* The unofficial tally of global Facebook users is approaching 700 million. (SocialBakers)
* How the social Web can go beyond Facebook... (All Things D)
* VMware acquired social communications platform Socialcast, which mashes up corporate activity streams with features like Outlook and SharePoint integration, for an undisclosed amount. (TechCrunch)
