Apple buying iPhone 4Ses ahead of expected iPhone 5 launch

As if we needed any more proof that we are mere weeks from seeing a new iPhone, Apple appears to be making room for the new device by taking the old one off consumers' hands.Depending on the iPhone's condition, Apple will pay up to $345 for the year-old device. Owners can use Apple's Recycling Program to determine how much their device is worth by inputting its model, color, and condition. The big-money goes to the 64GB iPhone 4S in excellent condition, black or white, apparently.After the device is evaluated by a third party (prepaid shipping options available), owners will receive an Apple gift card good for use at a retail location or at Apple's online store -- just in time to buy the new iPhone, which is expected to be unveiled September 12. Of course, there's no guarantee that owners will get top dollar for their device.Apple isn't the only one buying used iPhones, though. As my colleague Rick Broida pointed out a week ago, Amazon is offering some of the highest trade-in valuesseen on used iPhones. An AT&T iPhone 4S 32GB in perfect working condition is worth up to $455 to the Internet retailer. But like Apple, Amazon's payout comes in the form of a gift card.

Apple buying Color's engineers -- not tech, report says

Did Apple really buy a video-sharing app, its small collection of patents, and other assets?Not quite, according to a new report.Citing sources, All Things Digital says Apple instead picked up "about 20" of the startup's engineering types, who will work on cloud-based projects for Apple, while the remainder of Color is "wound down." The price on the deal was said to be in the $2 million to $5 million range, the report adds, well short of the $41 million in funding the company got before it launched.News about Apple's interest in Color was reported last night by The Next Web. The report suggested that Apple would be interested in some of the company's patents, which might tie in, and perhaps extend the company's media sharing tools. The engineering pickup, which Apple has not confirmed, comes days after CNET first reported of Apple's similar, engineer-focused buy of Particle, a San Francisco-based HTML5 company. CNET has contacted Color's largest investor, Sequoia Capital, as well as founder and CEO Bill Nguyen for more information, and will update this post when we know more.