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Steve Jobs is now available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD

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Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
You can now enjoy Steve Jobs from the comfort of your living room.
Photo: François Duhamel/©2015 Universal Studios

If you didn’t catch Steve Jobs in theaters (and, based on the box office, chances are you didn’t!) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment today released the movie on Blu-ray and DVD.

Extras for the controversial, somewhat divisive film include an “Inside Jobs: The Making of Steve Jobs” bonus feature, and audio commentaries from director Danny Boyle, writer Aaron Sorkin and editor Elliot Graham.

And, hey, if you don’t feel like shelling out for it, you can always enter our free giveaway here.

Apple Pay will go live in China this week

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay is finally coming to Apple's second biggest market.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

It may have taken a bit longer than Tim Cook hoped, but Apple Pay is finally launching in China this week — with bank representatives from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Guangfa Bank and China Construction Bank revealing that the mobile payments service will be available from February 18.

These three banks will be joined by 16 other Chinese banks and financial organizations over the coming months.

Kanye ‘the next Steve Jobs’ West turns his back on Apple

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Kanye
Kanye rocking his Apple Watch Edition.
Photo: Justjared

Whether it’s proclaiming himself the next Steve Jobs, screening the recent Aaron Sorkin movie as a birthday gift for his wife, appearing with a rare custom gold-band Apple Watch Edition, or inviting Steve Wozniak to be one of the first to see his baby daughter, Kanye West has always been an enormous Apple fan.

That appears to have changed, however, with the mercurial rapper/pop star sending out a series of bizarre tweets in which — among many, many other things — he pleads with Facebook and Google (but not Apple) to invest $1 billion in “Kanye West ideas” and says that his latest album will never appear on Apple Music.

Best news and RSS apps for iPhone and iPad

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The built-in Apple News app won't cut it for many. Try these awesome news and RSS apps instead!
The built-in Apple News app won't cut it for many. Try these awesome news and RSS apps instead!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThe iPhone and iPad are both great ways to consume news and RSS on the go, or while simply lounging around the house. No matter what service you use — Feedly, Feed Wrangler or something else — there are tons of RSS and news apps that support them. If you don’t need a news aggregator service, or don’t even know what that means, there are still news apps that can help you find interesting things to read.

These are currently the best of the best news apps available for iPhone and iPad — and why I think they’re so great.

Switch to AT&T and get $650 per line, second phone free

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AT&T really wants your business.
Photo: AT&T
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AT&T really wants your business. Photo: AT&T

AT&T wants you! So much so that the carrier is currently offering $650 per line when you switch from Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon and bring your number with you.

What’s more, if you buy one of the latest devices, you’ll get a second handset free.

Sony’s pico projector makes a big, bright picture

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Sony's $350 MP-CL1 Pico Projector is small and easy to use.
Sony's $350 MP-CL1 Pico Projector is small and easy to use.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

You should never take a video projector camping — it completely defeats the object of the great outdoors. Unless you have kids. Then it’s handy to beam a movie onto the side of a tent to keep them quiet while you drink.

Perfect for the job is Sony’s $350 MP-CL1 — a small, battery-powered pico projector. Not much bigger than an iPhone 6+, it beams a surprisingly sharp and bright image that belies it’s small size.

Hook it up to your iPhone via a HDMI cable and adapter, and you’re off to the woods.

Turn your phone into a virtual reality portal [Deals]

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DSCVR easily turns almost any mobile device into a VR viewscreen.
DSCVR easily turns almost any mobile device into a VR viewscreen.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Virtual reality is finally here…if you can afford it. Picking up one of those sleek new headsets is going to set you back hundreds of dollars, but why drop so much coin when you’ve already got most of what you need for immersive VR in your pocket? DSCVR easily turns your mobile device into a full fledged VR headset for iOS or Android, and right now you can get one for just $24.99.

Apple confirms it’s working on a fix for ‘1970’ iPhone bug

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iPhone 6s
Apple's working to fix the problem.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has acknowledged the existence of a somewhat bizarre bug which bricks any iOS devices that has its date set back to 1970 — and confirms that a fix is on the way.

“An upcoming software update will prevent this issue from affecting iOS devices,” Apple notes on one of its support pages.

While there’s no word on exactly when this software update will be made available, it’s good to know that Apple is on the case.

Kim Jong-Un sure looks happy with his MacBook Pro

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Designed in California, used in North Korea.
Photo: Apple

Apple has a large number of high-profile fans, but there are always bound to be one or two less desirable (but equally famous) ones who slip through the cracks.

One of these is North Korea’s super villain dictator Kim Jong-un, who apparently is quite the Apple fan — as evidenced by a recent photo posted on Twitter by Reuters’ Korean correspondent and author of North Korea Confidential James Pearson, showing Jong-un looking deliriously happy about his Apple MacBook Pro.

$300 3D printer lets kids design and print their own toys

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300-3d-printer-lets-kids-design-and-print-their-own-toys-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602qqmwtusmlhd5ahuoe2vu-jpg
What I would have given for this as a kid.
Photo: Mattel
What I would have given for this as a kid. Photo: Mattel
What I would have given for this as a kid. Photo: Mattel

It’s easy to assume that traditional kid’s toys are taking a beating due to the sky-high popularity of tablets and smartphones among the younger generation.

But toy-maker Mattel is attempting to strike back with a concept that, honestly, sounds amazing: an affordable $300 3D printer designed to let your sprogs (or, let’s be honest, immature adults everywhere) print their own toys, as designed on an accompanying mobile app.

Apple users send 200,000 iMessages every second

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iMessage
A mind boggling number of iMessages are sent every day.
Photo: Apple

Since being introduced back in 2011, iMessage has gone on to become a monster hit for Apple as a communication tool.

How popular is it? According to Eddy Cue, iOS users cumulatively send up to 200,000 per second: a number which adds up to a whopping 63 quadrillion messages per year.

Earthquake damage hits Apple’s A-series chipmaker

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Chips
Bad news for TSMC.
Photo: Fabrizio Sciami/Flickr CC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) might be on course to take over 100 percent of Apple’s A10 chip orders, but that’s not to say that it’s entirely without problems right now.

According to a new report, a recent earthquake which hit one of TSMC’s factories in southern Taiwan caused more damage than initially thought: with resulting wafer shipments for the first quarter of 2016 likely to fall as a result.

Kate Winslet takes home BAFTA award for Steve Jobs

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Kate Winslet, middle, praises the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Michael Fassbender (right).
"Who me?" Kate Winslet is surely the Oscar front-runner now.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Kate Winslet picked up another award win for her role as Apple PR guru Johanna Hoffman at last night’s BAFTA British movie award show.

Winslet’s win was the only prize won by Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs semi-biopic, which was also nominated for “Best Adapted Screenplay” and “Best Actor” gongs for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and lead actor Michael Fassbender, but lost out to The Big Short and Leo in The Revenant.

A prismatic puzzle game and other cool apps of the week

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Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We’re always keeping our heads up for the best new apps coming to our iOS devices and Apple TVs. We’re like prairie dogs that way, only we’re not as cute, and our homes are only metaphorical holes.

Every week, we round up the coolest new apps (or awesome updates to existing ones) that have hit Apple’s digital storefront in the past seven days. And if you’re spending your Valentine’s Day browsing the App Store for some new utilities, we have you covered. Also, we’re sorry that that is how you’re spending your Valentine’s Day.

Check out our weekly picks for apps of the week below.

Winning a Steve Jobs Blu-ray is easier than writing a biopic

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
You don't have to do any of whatever Michael Fassbender was doing in this scene to win yourself a Steve Jobs Blu-ray.
Photo: François Duhamel/© 2015 Universal Studios

Maybe moviegoing audiences didn’t completely fall in love with director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs, but we liked it a lot. And if you also enjoyed it — or are just looking to score yourself a free copy — keep reading.

If you want to code, you want these coding lessons [Deals]

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Master the easy-to-learn, multifaceted language behind Google and YouTube with 50 hours of training.
Master the easy-to-learn, multifaceted language behind Google and YouTube with 50 hours of training.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s a lot to know for anyone looking to get into the lucrative field of coding for the web, and it’s a topic that grows every day. That’s why it’s good to develop some solid, focused fundamentals, which is exactly what these four courses offer. Covering Python, Javascript, iOS Xcode and SQL, it’s a great opportunity to develop your skills in one, two, three or four of the most critical corners of coding for web.

Apps vs. apparel: Can Strava compete with big sportswear brands?

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The last of the indie fitness apps: can Strava hold their own against the big brands?
The last of the indie fitness apps: Can Strava hold its own against the big brands?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Sports apparel makers clearly believe that fitness apps are an important part of their futures. Under Armour and Adidas have invested heavily in fitness apps, and Runkeeper’s recent acquisition by ASICS is just the latest in a long series of app acquisitions by apparel makers.

These companies have big brands and deep pockets. Can an indie developer realistically compete with all that? Gareth Nettleton, VP of marketing for indie fitness app Strava, tells me that like any serious athlete, his hard-charging company thrives on competition.

How to control your Mac with an iPhone or iPad

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Ever forget a file on your Mac? With Screens you'll never have that problem again.
Ever forget a file on your Mac? With Screens you'll never have that problem again.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailEver left the house or office only to realize later that you forgot a file on your Mac? We’ve all done it. This is why I always have Screens VNC running on all my devices. With the help of a single app, you can access and control your Mac from iPad or iPhone, and even other Macs. Here’s how:

Even the U.S. government thinks you should recycle your old devices

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We should probably start recycling more if we want Earth to stay this beautiful...
We should probably start recycling more if we want Earth to stay this beautiful...
Photo: NASA

Honestly, you know things are grave when the U.S. government thinks we’re behind on something. According to the Government Accountability Office, the United States has dismally low recycling rates for used TVs, computers and other devices.

There’s no national infrastructure for a strong recycling program, so states are left to take on the problem themselves, leading to a patchwork of regulations and inconsistencies on how to deal with it. Luckily, Cult of Mac can help Mother Earth and you at the same time — check out our Apple devices buyback program to either sell or straight-up recycle your used or broken gear.

Traveling shouldn’t mean losing access to your favorite movies [Deals]

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Getflix makes it easy and secure to sidestep location restrictions on your streaming media content.
Getflix makes it easy and secure to sidestep location restrictions on your streaming media content.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Take your laptop overseas with you and you’ll likely find, as you crack it open to catch up with the TV show you’ve been binging on, that location restrictions are blocking your stream. That’s not how it should be, and with Getflix you can sidestep annoying and inconvenient location restrictions that come between us and our content. Now you can get lifetime access to more than 100 streaming channels, anywhere around the world, for just $69.

Is Apple doing too much? Catch the discussion on The CultCast

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Apple car truck
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the Apple Car.
Photo: devastatormonstertruck.com

This week: Neighbors complain of “motor noises” emanating from Apple’s secret auto labs; the strange error that’s bricking iPhones everywhere (and how to avoid it); and, has Apple lost their way? Some pundits argue Cupertino needs to shape up and start shipping better products. We discuss!

Our thanks to FreshBooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast.

Why new MacBooks will rock, why ‘Error 53’ sucks and how to make Siri Remote do more

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All the Apple info you need in one gorgeous place.
All the Apple info you need in one gorgeous place.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Your next MacBook will get more than just a speed bump, with Intel’s powerful new Skylake chips bringing intense performance (and maybe better battery life) to the new laptops we’ll all be drooling over soon.

Find out exactly how these new processors will make new MacBooks rock, plus what you need to know about iOS’ brick-inducing “Error 53,” how to make Siri work even harder for you on your Apple TV, and which are the best ergonomic accessories for your Mac in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

Here are the week’s top stories.

Apple will replace your faulty MacBook USB-C cable

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If you bought one of these, you might also have a bad USB-C charging cable.
If you bought one of these, you might also have a bad USB-C charging cable.
Photo: Apple

If you’ve got one of those fancy new Macbooks with the USB-C charging cable, Apple is ready to replace it for you if it’s one of the defective ones.

“A limited number of Apple USB-C charge cables that were included with MacBook computers through June 2015 may fail due to a design issue,” says the Apple web page announcing the program.

Your MacBook might not charge (or only charge intermittently) when it’s connected to one of these faulty cables.