Apple has been known to drop hints about its upcoming releases in its press invitations, but there have been relatively few guesses about this year’s WWDC invite. Now it makes sense. Each layered color represents a preloaded app in the new iOS 7.

It’s all coming together now. Bring on WWDC.

Breaking Down What the 2013 WWDC Logo Really Means is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

The original owner of this auctioned off Apple-1 was a retired electrical engineer by the name of Fred Hatfield living in New Orleans, as he verified this to the NYT by showing a letter addressed to him from 1978 signed by Steve Jobs, which detailed an offer to exchange an Apple II computer for the older machine with an offer to send a $400 check as incentive.

Hatfield says he was approached by an interested buyer earlier this year to purchase his Apple-1, which was not in working condition, for $40,000. That buyer went to California and had the Apple-1 autographed by Steve Wozniak who designed the computer.

When told of the record auction sale Hatfield said “My God,” and went on to say “Best to him. He’s the one who fixed it up and figured the best way to sell it for all that money. Evidently, he’s very good at this.”

As noted in the Steve Jobs biography written by Walter Isaacson, Steve Wozniak said he made history with his early computer prototype, which had its software handwritten by Wozniak himself:

After a couple of months he was ready to test it. “I typed a few keys on the keyboard and I was shocked! The letters were displayed on the screen.” It was Sunday, June 29, 1975, a milestone for the personal computer. “It was the first time in history,” Wozniak later said, “anyone had typed a character on a keyboard and seen it show up on their own computer’s screen right in front of them.”

The Apple-1 originally sold for $666 ($2,700 in today’s dollars). Now that’s one expensive computer. Check out the video below:

[via NYT]

Historic Apple 1 Sells for Record $671,400 at German Auction [VIDEO] is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

If you have been eyeing some items from ZAGG (and iFrogz), this is your best bet to make some purchases at 20-50% off to offset shipping costs to Canada.

Click here to visit ZAGG.com and start adding to your cart in preparation for the sale.

ZAGG Memorial Day Sale: 50% Off Site-Wide, 20% Off Keyboards, May 27-28 is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

A separate report sent to Bloomberg by Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray reinforces this earlier claim: although roughly 15% of iPhone users do actually trade their old iPhone in, there is a strong demand for secondhand iPhones. You can recoup up to 60% of its price if you offer the device for sale on internet auction sites like eBay.

Of course the demand is from emerging markets. There is a “truly insatiable demand in some of these markets.” As the BusinessWeek report indicates, Gazelle is close to shipping its millionth iPhone from the US to its resellers in Hong Kong.

But carriers have their promotions as well. For instance, you can obtain an iPhone 4 for $0 at Telus if you are willing to sign a two-year contract.

Analysts say the booming secondary market creates a win-win situation for Apple. It helps to maintain and slowly grow the company’s global market share. What is interesting is that since January, rumours have circulated that a cheaper iPhone is on the way featuring a less expensive polycarbonate shell. According to sources, the device was originally planned for January release and to sell for as little as $99 without a contract.

But it didn’t. The low-end of the market, though, seems to be covered. What Apple doesn’t have yet is a mid-tier device. Analysts claim that Apple will target the middle end of the market by launching the budget iPhone.

Older iPhone 4/4S Models Seen Rising in Popularity in Emerging Markets is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

The game’s description is as follows:

Race against the clock in a two-minute blitz to clear lines and rack up as many points as possible before time runs out! With all-new features, stunning visuals, and innovative controls, this twist on the world-famous puzzle game is a must-have on mobile.

The official trailer for the game is below:

We haven’t played Tetris Blitz just yet but will definitely check it out. Click here to download Tetris Blitz–it’s free. What do you think of this game?

EA Launches ‘Tetris Blitz’, Based on Freemium Model is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Powell Jobs said ”we’re really careful about amplifying the great work of others in every way that we can”. It appears that Jobs has been able to give away money anonymously through her organization, Emerson Collective, which is registered as LLC meaning the company can make grants, for-profit investments and political donations without having to publicly report its donations. That strategy is now becoming more common, as people seek flexibility, freedom and anonymity in their investments.

“The beauty of having an LLC in today’s world is No. 1, you have the ability to act and react as nimbly as need be to create change, and you have the ability to invest politically, in the for-profit sector and the nonprofit sector simultaneously,” said Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, who teaches philanthropy at Stanford and is a friend of Powell Jobs. “And the reality is we are now seeing a blurring of the lines between the sectors in a way that was not even discussed 10 years ago. The way that we are going to solve social problems is by working with multiple different types of investing.”

Steve Jobs always remained intensely private, despite his philanthropic efforts, and even refused to discuss his giving with biographer Walter Isaacson before his death.

Steve Jobs’ Family Has Been Giving Money Away Anonymously For Over 20 Years is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

It must be highlighted that Waze buyout by either Google or Facebook could have implications for Apple, who buys data from Waze for its much-criticised Maps application on the iPhone and iPad. The report also claims that Apple is not currently part of the acquisition discussions with Waze. On the other hand, Waze would provide more opportunities to Facebook to sell mobile ads, as well as getting better data about its users’ movements. For Google, Waze would help enhance the social side of its recently updated maps app.

Facebook, Google and other companies are beefing up efforts to court customers on the go. The potential bidding tussle for Waze, which uses information from online communities to improve driving directions, reflects the widening importance of maps on smartphones and other handheld gadgets.

None of the bidders is close to clinching a deal and the talks may fall apart, they said. Waze may also walk away from the discussions and use more venture backing to expand its mapping program, which has more than 40 million users.

For Waze, it’s still everything to play for and any outcome is possible. We’ll keep you posted as the story develops further.

Google & Other Tech Giants Considering A Bid To Acquire Waze is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Example titles on sale include every game from The Sims 3 series, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Dead Space, Monopoly HD (regularly priced at $9.99), Risk (regularly priced at $6.99) and more. As iPad titles are usually more expensive than iPhone versions, this is your time to pick up some great deals.

You can check out the list of EA games on sale here in the App Store. What games are you going to buy today?

EA 2013 Memorial Day Sale: iOS Games Slashed to $0.99 is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

However, she quickly added that her “tentative view” is not final, because she hasn’t yet read all the documentation. But this could add further pressure on Apple and suggests it would be better to settle the lawsuit as the other defendants did.

“I believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of e-books, and that the circumstantial evidence in this case, including the terms of the agreements, will confirm that,” Cote said.

Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Apple, said in a statement, “We strongly disagree with the court’s preliminary statements about the case today.”

The Justice Department declined to comment.

The Judge’s thoughts come after Apple has pointed to evidence that the publishers were already outraged at Amazon’s policy of keeping e-book prices low. According to their evidence, Apple initially contacted the publishers and its proposed 30% cut from e-book proceeds received a somewhat lukewarm reaction, with each publisher having its own proposal for Apple.

Judge’s “Tentative View” is Against Apple in E-Book Case is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Sources have described iOS 7 as “black, white, and flat all over.” This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements.

Sources say that over the past few months, Apple has re-architected iOS 7?s new interface several times, so until the new software is announced at WWDC, interface elements could dramatically change from what Apple has been testing internally in recent weeks.

Now that over half a billion devices running Jobs’ and Forstall’s iconic system have been sold, Ive has the immense challenge to make Apple’s software as clean and seamless as his glass and aluminum devices, all while making the software remain simple enough to resonate with customers.

For the upcoming operating system, which Apple says will be unveiled at its June Worldwide Developers Conference, Ive has not simply picked areas of the software design to tweak. He has essentially made his mark on every corner of the operating system, according to descriptions from sources, all while mostly keeping the essence of what has made iOS so ubiquitous.

A number of specific changes are reported in the iOS 7 currently under development, and these changes are also subject to a further change before the major release will take place. People familiar with the matter point out that the design changes appear to alter the home screen, notifications, lock screen and native apps.

The report goes on to detail the new design elements:

In addition to the Home screen buttons, most of Apple’s apps have been redesigned to fit the white, black, and flat theme of the new operating system. For example, the shredding animation for deleting virtual passes has likely been removed from Passbook.

Additionally, the iPhone’s Notes app has replaced the yellow notepad design for a flat white look. Apps such as Mail, Calendar, and Maps have also gained a more uniformed look with flat white textures. While the core elements of those apps are mostly white, each app has been given a unique button color. Essentially, each app has a white base with a respective color theme.

But that isn’t all: besides the new look, iOS 7 will also bring several new features. We’ve told you about the Flickr and Vimeo integration, but there will be much more.

After Apple (not surprisingly) confirmed the keynote for June 10, we are counting the days already until we finally see the iOS 7′s beta version.

Ive’s Flat iOS 7 to Emphasize Black and White Design Elements is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource