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Home tracking firm Zillow demonstrates the Apple effect on housing prices in San Francisco & San Jose

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It’s long been taken as read that high tech company salaries push up housing costs in the surrounding areas, but the WSJ commissioned home tracking company Zillow to provide some hard data. By tracking the increase in values of homes owned by Apple employees, it was able to prove that home values in those areas rose further and faster than in surrounding areas with similar demographics.

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The piece notes that zoning laws and regulatory red tape also have a significant effect, by limiting the supply of housing at a time when demand is increasing, but the comparison does suggest that there is a direct link to tech companies like Apple.

Homes occupied by Apple workers are appreciating at 18% a year, compared with 11% for San Francisco as a whole and 12% for San Jose. Since iPhone sales launched in June 2007 [and stock values rose], the Zillow analysis found, the average difference between the median home value of Apple workers and San Jose workers has swelled to 20% from 13%.

The problem of lower-paid workers finding it hard to find housing within reasonable commuting distance of tech companies like Apple has been highlighted in the past. Apple took the decision back in March to hire the majority of its previously contracted security guards as staff, providing them with health insurance and retirement benefits. The company also arranged for its contracted shuttle bus workers to get an improved deal.

Alleged iPhone 6 housing makes another on-screen appearance, ugly antenna breaks still present (Video)

Screen Shot 2014-07-28 at 8.42.26 PM

YouTuber iCrackUriDevice has published a video featuring what could be the rear housing for Apple’s upcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 6. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this part appear on video, but this is definitely the best quality video so far.

There’s no solid proof that Apple is actually manufacturing parts with this design, but the part’s design does match up with other dummy units and rumored schematics we’ve seen up to this point.


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Concept imagines low-cost iPhone with translucent iMac G3-inspired plastic in multiple colors

BusinessInsider points us to this concept from Matteo Gianni and friends that imagines a low-cost iPhone inspired by the original translucent, brightly colored casings Apple introduced with its iMac G3. While the G3-inspired back casing comes from only one sketchy DigiTimes report, the concept also appears to include a curved backside and other elements that line up with more concrete reports.