Apple CEO Tim Cook's First TV Interview: VIDEO

Tim Cook gave his first full TV interview last night to Brian Williams on Rock Center, and his first since the death of Steve Jobs. Cook talked about problems that the company has faced since then — the Maps application, controversy over its factories in China — and what plans the company might have for the future, including, possibly, an Apple-branded TV.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Though the interview talked about the many ways that Apple is now trying to be transparent, that doesn't extend to Cook's personal life, since he's still not saying much about life at home, aside from the fact that he' a very private individual, and works out and visits National Parks to de-stress.

Wrote Gawker in August of last year:

After Cook was profiled as a "lifelong bachelor" and "intensely private" elsewhere, we wondered if he might be gay. We've since heard from two well-placed sources that this is indeed the case, and it sounds like Cook's sexual orientation has been the topic of at least some discussion within the company. One tech executive who has spoken to multiple Apple management veterans about Cook was told executives there would support Cook if he publicly acknowledged his orientation, and even would encourage him to do so as he steps up his leadership role, but that they also had concerns about whether his coming out would impact the perception of the Apple brand.

Wrote Felix Salmon in a powerful piece for Reuters:

But surely this is something we can and should be celebrating, if only in the name of diversity — that a company which by some measures the largest and most important in the world is now being run by a gay man....

None of that came up in the interview so it rings slightly false when Williams proclaims, "This is kind of your television coming out."

We'll be waiting for that. In the meantime, what are your thoughts about this? Would Cook's coming out impact the perception of Apple? In what ways would it make a difference? Would a similar interview with the heads of Google or Amazon mention their lives at home with their wives and children?

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Tim Cook, Nick Gruber, Nevada, 279

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today defended Ambassador Rice from GOP-led attacks and again pushed aside speculation that she'll run for the White House in 2016. "I'm frankly looking forward to returning to living a life that enjoys a lot of simple pleasures and gives me time for family and friends and other pursuits," she said.

Tim Cook, Apple's gay CEO, told NBC News' Brian Williams that the tech giant will start manufacturing a few of his products here in the States. "We’ve been working for years on doing more and more in the United States," he said. But don't expect a deluge of jobs, because Cook tells Businessweek the work done in the USA will be minimal: "Next year we’re going to bring some production to the U.S... This doesn’t mean that Apple will do it ourselves, but we’ll be working with people and we’ll be investing our money.”

Janee Harteau has been sworn in as the first female and first openly gay police chief of Minneapolis. "Thank you to my life-partner and better half, Holly. And for those of you who know us both, she's truly the better half," she said at the swearing in ceremony.

Lindsay Lohan is everywhere The Wanted want to be - and she takes the bus there.

Congratulations to Steve Elmendorf: the political strategist has just been voted in as chair of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Judd Apatow guest edited the latest edition of Vanity Fair. Yes, there is a Freaks and Geeks reunion, of sorts.

Rejoice! Morning sickness-stricken Duchess Kate has been released from the hospital.

Glee actor Matthew Morrison likes his pants tight.

Here's Terry Miller's shot of him and Dan Savage getting their marriage license.

Get your Game of Thrones on.

Nick Gruber, famous for being designer Calvin Klein's former boyfriend, sat down for an interview with the New York Post's Page Six magazine and claims to be straight, that he presented a military sergeant with a bisexual porn he did to get out of service and that Klein hooked him up to a lie detector test to see if he was cheating.

The U.S. Senate today advanced the nomination of lesbian Judge Pamela Ki Mai Chen, a nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. If she wins the seat, Judge Chen will be the first out Asian-American on the federal bench.

Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow have both been nominated for Best Spoken Word Grammy Awards, DeGeneres for her book Seriously… I’m Kidding and Maddow for Drift: The Unmooring Of American Military Power.

Like Washington State, Maryland has started distributing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. "I started tearing up when I saw the marriage license; all of a sudden, it's right there in front of you," 34-year old Alli Harper, who plans to marry girlfriend Jennifer Monti, told the Herald Mail.

279 marriage licenses were given to same-sex couples during the first six hours of legality today.

The Coalition for the Protection of Marriage in Nevada is asking the Supreme Court to hear their case against equality, thereby bypassing an appeals court and perhaps intentionally delaying SCOTUS' consideration of same-sex nuptials. "In the past this year, it has appeared that the court held off on considering any of the petitions until all of them were fully briefed. And, with the court scheduled to discuss the 10 petitions at its conference on Friday, this petition could be a last-ditch effort to hold off a decision on which of those to hear," writes Chris Geidner.

A clue for the Doctor Who Christmas special?

Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs: PHOTO

Here's the first promo photo from Jobs, Joshua Michael Stern's biopic of the Apple co-founder. The film has been announced as the closer for the Sundance Film Festival.

The movie reportedly focuses on Jobs' early years at Apple from the early 70's to around 2000. It also stars Dermot Mulroney, Matthew Modine, and James Woods.

Jimmy Kimmel Offers 'First Look' At iPhone 5: VIDEO

So, Apple fans are chomping at the bit to get their hands on the company's new iPhone 5.

While we know some of the differences between this model and the previous versions, how different is the actual user experience? As this video shows, it turns out the iPhone 5's beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Watch and learn AFTER THE JUMP.

Apple's iPhone 5 Has Larger Screen, Pricey String

Apple yesterday unveiled its iPhone 5, the latest version of its increasingly ubiquitous mobile device.

In addition to all its suddenly old features, the new model includes updates for live-in computer aide Siri, a new operating system and a wider screen, which AP reviewer Michael Liedtke says has at least one woman screaming with glee.

One woman who also was testing out an iPhone 5 couldn't stop raving about how ideal the new design was for people with smaller hands. "All the other iPhones were made with men in mind because they could easily slip from your grasp if you didn't have big hands," she said. "Now we finally have an iPhone for women."

Liedtke also believes that Apple founder Steve Jobs would be "delighted with the iPhone 5's blend of beauty, utility and versatility."

The addition of a new, and pricey, $30 adapter cable, however, has some people seeing red over all the green they're going to have to spend. One reviewer remarked, "Apple could quite happily have dropped its margins...to ensure these crummy little interconnects weren’t quite so expensive."

But some economists are celebrating the prices, for the profit Apple is likely to turn could give the GDP a nice little boost. "Calculated using the so-called retail control method, sales of iPhone 5 could boost Q4 GDP by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate. This would boost annualized GDP growth in Q4 by 0.33%-point," wrote JPMorgan Chase economist Michael Feroli.

Either way, expect to see some mammoth lines at Apple stores around the world when the phone goes on sale September 28th.

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1203

MARY J BLIGE: Supports marriage equality.

MIKA: Sample his full album.

SH*T APPLE FANATICS SAY: Some of you will relate.

NOH8: L.A. officials line up for the activist portrait campaign.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.