Morning Report: Still More iPhone 6 Parts, NYC Glass Cube Patent, Dropbox Pro

We hope you like the existing iPhone color options, because Apple appears to be continuing that tradition with this year's iPhone 6 — that is, if a new set of leaked components can be believed. Thursday's Morning Report also has details on a patent for Apple's iconic glass cube store, along with Dropbox going on the offensive with its cheapest cloud storage yet. What are you waiting for? Click and read on for more!

iPhone 6 Components Confirm Same Trio of Color Options

Getting sick of iPhone 6 leaks yet and hoping Apple will just announce the thing already? MacRumors today reported that yet another batch of leaked components have turned up online, this time in a triumvirate of color schemes which seemingly confirm Cupertino's plans to unleash the handset in the Space Grey, Silver, and Gold options currently available with the iPhone 5s.

Among the parts shown are the nano-SIM card tray, the Touch ID-enabled home button, and an embedded Apple logo from the rear of the handset, which appears to contradict earlier rumors of a scratch-resistant Liquidmetal alloy. However, the component marks the first time since the original iPhone in 2007 that Apple has returned to an embedded logo component.

Last but not least, the leaked images from Nowhereelse.fr (via Google Translate) appear to show off both the internal speaker as well as the vibrator motor of the alleged iPhone 6, which is once again expected to be launched on September 9; however, Apple has yet to officially confirm or send invitations to a media event on that date at this writing.

Apple Nabs Patent for Iconic Glass Cube Flagship Store Design

Usually when Apple patent filings make headlines, it's because Cupertino has some amazing new technology up its sleeve. But this week, Patently Apple reported that the iPhone maker has also filed for both trademark and patent design protection for its most famous retail store, the so-called "glass cube" on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

First filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office back in August 2010, the trademark on that iconic design may still be pending, but Apple was recently granted the design patent D712,067, protecting yet another invention that credits late co-founder Steve Jobs as one of the structure's inventors and designers.

Dropbox Pro Takes Aim at Google Drive with 1TB for $10/Mo.

The Dropbox Blog announced Wednesday an extensive revamp of Dropbox Pro, the cloud storage provider's paid service tier. Although Dropbox is widely considered something of a cheapskate when it comes to storage capacity, the company has moved to eliminate that perception by distilling its Pro offering to a single pricing plan: 1TB of space for only $9.99 per month.

That matches a similar Google Drive offer launched earlier this year, and now makes Dropbox an exceptional value, especially considering the extensive range of features included. In addition to the price change, Dropbox Pro now includes new sharing controls including passwords and expirations for shared links, as well as view-only permission for shared folders. Pro users also have the option to unlink a lost or stolen computer from their account, remotely wiping the contents of a Dropbox account from that system in the process.

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(Image courtesy of MacRumors and Nowhereelse.fr)