Apple Close to Finishing WWDC 2013 Decorations

Apple is nearly finished decorating the Moscone Center for WWDC 2013. Work began two days ago with giant Apple logos on the outside of the building, as well as large horizontal and street pole banners.

Spotted on some of the banners inside the Moscone Center is the tagline 'Where A Whole New World's Developing'.

Thanks to MacStories for the imagery.


Workers are also preparing the banners that have sometimes been covered with black sheets pre-Keynote in past years.

Update: MacStories has taken a new photo that appears to show a first-floor banner concealed with a white sheet instead of the black sheet that has been seen in prior years.

More After the Break.

Apple to offer its own iPhone trade-in program for the first time

Just off the wires, Apple appears to be ready to offer trade-ins on iPhones for the first timeaccording to Bloomberg. Apple currently offers a free recycling program for older devices but this would seem to follow efforts by companies such as Gazelle, Amazon and others who offer big bucks for older iOS devices and Macs.

Apple Inc. is starting an iPhone trade-in program this month aimed at getting users to upgrade to the iPhone 5 and turn in older models, people with knowledge of the plans said.

Apple has teamed up with Brightstar Corp., a mobile-phone distributor, to run the exchange program, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t publicly announced the plan.

The trade-ins will only be done at Apple Retail Stores and will allow customers to recieve credit instantly. Recently, Best Buy began offering Free iPhone 5s with plan for an iPhone 4 or 4S trade-in. Apple apparently liked the idea – Brightstar counts both Best Buy and Apple amongst its client list. Apple also worked with Brightstar to help AT&T and T-Mobile with their recent trade-in promotions.

Used iPhones collected in the U.S. will only be resold in emerging markets, where Apple’s share is lower and demand for cheap devices is greater according to the report.

World of Warcraft subscribers are leaving, Activision warns

Subscribers to the online adventure game World of Warcraft have dropped dramatically this year, publisher Activision Blizzard has said.

The company said 14% of users left the game between January and March - a fall of 1.3 million.

The majority of lost users were in the East, despite the company making efforts to appeal to those markets, with recent upgrades.

Activision told investors to expect subscriber figures to dip further.

Shares in the publisher fell by about 5% on Wednesday, following the news.

The California-based company blamed the rise of free-to-play games.

Uncertainty around new consoles due from Microsoft and Sony - and the "very slow start" of Nintendo's newest offering, the Wii U - had contributed to what will be a challenging 2013 for the company as a whole, chief executive Bobby Kotick said.

Martial arts pandas

He told investors on Wednesday: "It's important to note that the nature of online games has changed, and with the environment becoming far more competitive.

"To address this, we're working to release new content more frequently to keep our players engaged longer and make it easier for lapsed players to come back into the game."

Continue reading the main story

"It is coming under pressure on several fronts - subscription-based online gaming is losing ground to micro-transactions and hybrid-monetisation models."

World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers were as high as 12 million in 2010.

In October 2012, 10 million gamers were signed up - a figure boosted by the release of Mists of Pandaria, an expansion pack that sold 2.7 million copies in its first week.

That title, which featured a new "continent" on the game inhabited by martial-arts-skilled pandas, was targeted at the Asian market.

The push reaped initial rewards - user numbers swelled to more than one million in China - but the figures made public on Wednesday suggested the spike was short-lived.

"This is no surprise," Mr Bailey added.

"China is a very advanced and fiercely competitive market for online gaming, that, as well as offering greater direct competition to World of Warcraft, is also experiencing its own shifts in terms of business models and devices."

Hurry Up and Upgrade to Windows 8 Before it Jumps Up in Price

Don’t wait to upgrade to Windows 8, because come February the price will raise exponentially. Your wallet will weep and you won’t be able to look yourself in the mirror. Seriously—if purchasing Windows 8 is on your to-do then hurry up and cross it off the list. I’ll wait.

If you procrastinate, put it off for another week or two, upgrade editions will jump up to as much as $199.99. Right now, at this exact moment, You can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $40, which is pittance compared to what’s looming. Additionally, Microsoft will cut off those who just purchased a Windows 7 PC—that upgrade price is $15 to Windows 8—on Feb. 28.

Jan. 31 is much closer than you realize. Unless you prefer to spend much more than what’s necessary, maybe you should wait. But you snooze, you lose. And Microsoft gets a lot of money. Will consumers even bite when the price jumps up?

SOURCE MICROSOFT

DataMan Next, Lumify, Angry Birds Space, SoundCloud, deals, more

New:

1. DataMan Next: The same developer behind the popular DataMan apps for tracking data usage on your iOS devices is out today with DataMan Next for iPhone featuring an all-new design. The app lets you get real-time stats on cellular and Wi-Fi usage, receive threshold alerts, view usage by bill cycle, and more.

Updates:

1. Lumify Movie Studio version 3.0: The app that we previously referred to as an Instagram of video apps was updated today with a ton of new features including 5 new video filters, multi-track audio mixing, and a slew of new editing features.

2. Angry Birds Space for Mac version 1.4.0: 30 new levels and more in the latest update to the Mac App Store version of Angry Birds Space:

-Make a splash in 30 NEW LEVELS!

-Get ready for the ultimate underwater boss level!

-Three-star levels for 3 new bonus levels!

3. SoundCloud version 2.4.3: 

Xbox vs Ps3 Catfight. #2/2 Final Showdown

Well I doubt if anyone guessed the ** part correctly :P

Playstation 3 vs Xbox 360 - Which Has The Better Picture?

Discover which has better graphics - PS3 or Xbox 360 ...

I used to think the PS3 picture was waaay better than that of the Xbox. Now, there is very little in it. Both systems have improved enormously and both deliver a beautiful visual experience.

Also, I am told you can connect both up to an HDTV, to give you gorgeous, gorgeous pics either way.

Here are some up-to-date picture comparisons I found online:

Still Wondering which Is Better - The Xbox360 or Playstation 3?

Here is a stress-relieving thought ..

There are fabulous games on both gaming platforms. And we can look forward to absolutely thrilling cross-platform offers soon. Games like: Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Rage, Red Faction Armageddon, Homefront, Crysis 2, etc.

So, dare I suggest ...

Don't sweat it!

If you are still undecided, why not go for the most affordable system?

You are going to get a lot of exciting games to play.

And if that system annoys you too much, simply sell it, save a little, then buy the other system.

What do you think?

Yes, Really, What Do You Think Of That Idea?

Reasonable or Mad? Don't be shy ...

Xbox vs PS3 Catfight. #1/2

I Just don't  swank content from other sources directly first i research and then post what might appeal to you. So here is a commonly asked question or rather a  debate involving whether PS3 or Xbox. Both have a lot to offer so let's bring it on and enter the catfight right away.

However, it seems everyone has an opinion on the matter. And these different and passionately held opinions seem to be based on anything from highly technical, spec-led, detailed investigations .. right through to raw gut feeling (usually from people who own the gaming system that they are supporting so vigorously)!

As a result of my rigorous and exhaustive research into the matter, I believe I have foundThe Answer.

Are you ready for it .. ?

Are you ready for the absolute and definitive answer to the question 'Which is better - PS3 or Xbox 360'?

Well, here it is ..