In early 2010, somewhere high above the northern hemisphere, Mark Krywko decided he’d had enough. The CEO of Sleek Audio, a purveyor of high-end earphones, Krywko was flying home to Florida after yet another frustrating visit to Dongguan, China, where a contract factory assembled the majority of his company’s products. He and his son, Jason, Sleek Audio’s cofounder, made the long trip every few months to troubleshoot quality flaws. Every time the Krywkos ...

Apple's logo stares unblinkingly through the windows of the Game Developers Conference in downtown San Francisco.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

SAN FRANCISCO — It seems like Apple is really trying to steal the show at the Game Developers Conference.

As 18,000 game designers and executives walk toward Moscone Center this week, they will not likely miss the giant Apple logo on the side of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts right across the street. Apple is expected to take the stage there Wednesday morning and announce the next version of the iPad.

Only thing is, Apple’s presentation isn’t part of th...