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What we want Apple to unveil at WWDC

Tim Cook & Co. are set to take the stage Monday at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco to unveil the tech titan's latest and greatest iStuff.

 

 OS 8. As has been the case for the past several years, Apple will almost certainly lift the curtain on its latest iPhone and iPad operating system.

The changes are widely expected to be far more subtle than in years past. After last year's complete makeover, iOS 8 is expected to include oft-requested fixes, such as an improved Maps app with transit directions, simplified notifications and a separate iTunes Radio app.

The biggest addition to iOS 8 could be a new Healthbook application, which was first reported by 9to5Mac.

The app will likely monitor users' heart rates, sleep, activity and breathing among other health-related information. It may connect to third-party monitoring devices, such as the FitBit, or it could eventually work in tandem with Apple's long-rumored iWatch. (More on that later).

 

Google, like most Silicon Valley companies, has a big diversity problem. One of the biggest is the relative lack of women -- particularly in the executive ranks.

Just 30% of Googlers are women, according to a  report issued Wednesday. Interestingly, about 48% of the company's non-tech jobs are held by women. But Google's higher-paying engineering and leadership positions are far more male-dominated.

Only 17% of Google's engineers are female, and women make up just 21% of the company's leadership. Three of 10 Google directors are female, but only one of the company's top 12 executives -- YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki -- is a woman.

Notably, two of Google's most famous female employees left the company for more prominent roles: Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Yahoo  CEO Marissa Mayer.

"Women are half the world's population," Google noted in its report. "We've got to increase their participation in computer science and keep women at Google on the path to leadership." 

Google is hardly alone. Cisco  Intel , Dell, eBay and Ingram Micro all struggle to attract women as well, according to government diversity report. In fact, Cisco and Intel have a lower percentage of women -- each around 25% -- in their ranks. About 31% of the employees at Dell are women. Ingram Micro and eBay are the closest to gender equity, with more than 40% of their workers being female.