iLounge

Apple is set to exhibit for the first time at BookExpo America, the largest trade book fair in the United States. PaidContent reports that Apple’s booth is in a “prime” location near the booths of Scholastic, Random House, Disney Book Group, and Macmillan; Apple iBookstore employee Scott Simpson will represent the company. Update: Following the publication of the PaidContent story, a spokesperson for the BEA contacted the publication to clarify that Apple will not be “exhibiting,” but will instead be meeting with publishers in a private room at the venue.

Two Apple displays were recipients of Gold awards from the Society for Information Display, according to Electronista. As part of the group’s Display of the Year Awards, the iPhone 4’s Retina Display was awarded a Gold Display of the Year prize for its various technical advancements, while the iPad’s display also won a Gold award for Display Application of the Year, for its IPS technology, accurate colors, and application inside a thin tablet.

Apple’s retail store plans for this weekend stretch beyond the United States, according to a new report. Citing an Australian “tipster,” 9 to 5 Mac reports that all Apple retail stores in that country will undergo visual merchandising from 6pm to 6 am on Sunday the 22nd, with a sheet raised during that time to prevent anyone from seeing inside, with an all-hands meeting to begin directly afterwards. The report goes on to state that the phrase “Apple Store 2.0” is being mentioned in relation to the company’s plans.

Apple is being called back to Washington, D.C., to discuss mobile privacy issues. AllThingsD reports that the hearing—separate from the one held last week—is entitled Consumer Privacy and Protection in the Mobile Marketplace, and is slated to be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. before the Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance subcommittee. Expected to appear is Apple government affairs VP Catherine Novelli, as well as representatives from Google and Facebook, along with representatives of the Federal Trade Commission, Common Sense Media and the Association for Competitive Technology.