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Apple plans to build massive campus in San Jose

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Apple employees can make thousands selling their login info.
Apple employees can make thousands selling their login info.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been busy scooping up real estate in North San Jose throughout 2015 and now we finally know what they might be doing with all that acreage.

A new Apple campus is reportedly in development, and according to a report from the Silicon Valley Business Journal, it could be a lot bigger than the current spaceship campus that’s scheduled for completion next year.

Catalyst’s new waterproof case will keep your iPhone 6s dry

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A waterproof case for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can protect it in water up to 16 inches deep.
A waterproof case for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can protect it in water up to 16 inches deep.
Photo: Catalyst

If you upgraded to an iPhone 6s, chances are the case on your old 6 fits just fine. But if the old case is waterproof, don’t go dropping that 6s in a puddle.

The iPhone 6s is taller, wider and thicker by 1/100th of an inch in either direction, hardly noticeable in hand but enough to compromise the protection on a waterproof case.

Catalyst, an accessories company favored by Apple users unafraid of a little water on their devices, has rolled out a new waterproof case for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

5 secret remote tricks to supercharge your Apple TV

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tvOS changes the default scrubbing behavior of your Siri Remote, and we couldn't be more glad.
tvOS changes the default scrubbing behavior of your Siri Remote, and we couldn't be more glad.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Your Apple TV remote is an amazing little device that lets you manage your big TV exerience. There are quite a few little settings you may have missed, though, when you started up your new Apple TV.

You can adjust and tweak your way through the Apple TV settings to make the most of your time with the remote, including monitoring its battery, adjusting accessibility options, and — yes — even figuring out what Siri commands you can use.

Here are five of them, just for you.

Talented cartoonist turns iTunes Terms & Conditions into comic book art

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R. Sikoryak does Steve Jobs and the iTunes Terms and Conditions.
R. Sikoryak does Steve Jobs and the iTunes Terms and Conditions.
Photo: Robert Sikoryak

We’ve all seen those horrendously long Terms and Conditions documents with every bit of Apple software we download, including the iTunes Terms and Conditions.

But what if you could see them in an illustrated version? We all might read them in that case.

These illustrated panels, each drawn in a different comic book style after famous other cartoonists, put Steve Jobs front and center of the otherwise dry, dusty legal disclaimers from Apple.

Totally worth a look, right?

Pick up your Pebble Time now to save $50

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pick-up-your-pebble-time-now-to-save-50-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201511pebble-timepress-1-png
Pebble Time is cheaper than ever in the U.S. Photo: Pebble
Pebble Time is cheaper than ever in the U.S. Photo: Pebble

Pebble Time just got its first price cut since making its official debut on Kickstarter back in February, and it’s one worth taking advantage of. For a limited period, customers in the U.S. can save $50 — that’s 25 percent — on the black, white, and red models.

Andy Warhol’s classic Macintosh ad can be yours for $600,000

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Apple (from Ads).
Apple (from Ads).
Photo: Andy Warhol

Old Apple computers are no stranger to Sotheby’s, but next week a different piece of Apple history is hitting the auction block, only this high-priced collectors item was created by Andy Warhol instead of Steve Jobs.

Warhol’s acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas painting of the classic Apple logo is going up for auction and could fetch as much as $600,000 according to early estimates. The painting is part of Warhol’s ‘Ads’ suite of creations which were created in 1985, just one year after the Macintosh launched.

The painting wasn’t created using a Macintosh, but Sotheby’s includes this interesting anecdote of how Warhol first met Steve Jobs when the Apple CEO came over to John Lennon’s house to setup a Macintosh for his son:

China’s secret shops can upgrade your 16GB iPhone to 128GB

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In China, a 16GB iPhone 6 can be upgraded to 128GB for $100 or less.
In China, a 16GB iPhone 6 can be upgraded to 128GB for $100 or less.
Photo: Imgur

China’s legendary black markets have goods and services for every need, from organs to counterfeit designer handbags. For cashed-strapped Apple fans in this communist country, there’s also a thriving market around iPhone upgrades.

For as little as $100 U.S. dollars, the 16GB iPhone can get upgraded to 126GB. That’s a big deal to Chinese consumers, who have trouble affording the 16GB iPhone 6 at just over $700, let alone any models with more capacity.

This headset turns your smartphone into a virtual reality gateway [Deals]

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Homido's VR Headset converts your smartphone into the processor and screen for fully immersive virtual reality experiences.
Homido's VR Headset converts your smartphone into the processor and screen for fully immersive virtual reality experiences.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The age of virtual reality is here, and you’re probably closer to taking part in this exciting new form of interaction and storytelling than you think. If you’ve got a smart phone, you’ve got most of what you need to drop into virtual reality today — the only other thing you’ll need is something like the Homido VR Headset. Simply slide your smartphone into the headset’s receiver and you’re on your way to another reality, all for $69.95 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Tony Fadell says Steve Jobs was considering an Apple Car in 2008

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Photo: Web Summit/Flickr CC
An Apple Car was one of Steve Jobs' big dreams.
Photo: Photo: Web Summit/Flickr CC

Steve Jobs was considering building an Apple Car as far back as 2008, the year after successfully launching the iPhone, according to a new interview with Nest CEO and iPod co-creator Tony Fadell.

Speaking with Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang, Fadell says that he and Jobs enjoyed “a couple of walks” (Jobs’ favored way of taking meetings), talking about a possible Apple vehicle.

Lloyds Bank’s Apple Pay ad is a heartwarming holiday treat

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Screen Shot 2015-11-04 at 13.33.11
A heartwarming early holiday ad for Apple Pay.
Photo: Lloyds Bank

Living in the U.K. as I do (in contrast to most of my California-based Cult of Mac co-writers), Christmas ads are one of the few bright spots at this time of year.

And Lloyds Bank just kicked off the season with a cracking 40-second ad showing off the fact that it is now well and truly on the Apple Pay bandwagon. The ad tells the story of a girl looking for the perfect Christmas gift for her mom — with Apple’s mobile payment service coming to the rescue.

Check it out below.

Wikipedia’s founder thinks Apple should stop selling iPhones in the U.K.

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iPhone 6s
Bye-bye Britain?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has branded a new proposed law banning encrypted communications in the U.K. as “stupid,” and says that if it is passed, Apple should stop selling iPhones in the country out of principle.

“I would like to see Apple refuse to sell iPhone in UK if government bans end-to-end encryption,” Wales posted on Twitter. “Does Parliament dare be that stupid?”

Steve Jobs director lashes out at ‘hindsight experts’

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Michael Fassbender's Steve Jobs takes a quick glance at the box office figures.
Photo: Universal Pictures

The new Steve Jobs movie has bombed at the box office — but director Danny Boyle thinks the failure has nothing to do with the movie he made, but rather the decision to open it nationally too quickly.

“We did brilliantly the first two weekends,” he said. “Then [the studio] went too wide too soon, and that’s a mistake. But hindsight experts are always around on Monday mornings.”

4-inch iPhone 6s is coming soon, says top Apple analyst

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Is the 4-inch iPhone coming or not?
Is the 4-inch iPhone on its way?
Photo: ModMyI

A 4-inch iPhone 6s — resembling an “upgraded iPhone 5s” — is on the way in the first half of 2016, says renowned Apple prognosticator, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo claims the handset will come with an A9 processor and metal casing — although customers shouldn’t expect Apple to incorporate its 3D Touch technology into the handset, as a way of differentiating it from the premium iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models.

Custom Lego minifigs put Jobs, Woz, and Cook on your desk

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Apple custom Lego minis
If you really wanted, you could stage your own Apple keynote address in Lego form.
Photo: FamousBrick

A company that specializes in making Lego-ized versions of tech-world giants is offering minifigures based on Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, current CEO Tim Cook, and some people who work for other companies, if you want to be all diverse about it.

The figures won’t even set you back that much, really. Depending on how much you value plastic that looks like people.

Decibullz earphones are molded music to the ear

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Decibullz brings its moldable earpieces to wireless earbuds.
Decibullz brings its moldable earpieces to wireless earbuds.
Photo: Decibullz

The openings to my ear canals are small. There, I said it. Hearing is not a problem, but finding earbuds that fit is a pain in the, well, ears.

Apple’s customary earphones that came with every iPod or iPhone I bought got tossed in a drawer. At least there, they wouldn’t fall out.

Decibullz, a startup company when they hit it big with moldable earbuds last year, is now trying to bring to production a set of wireless earphones with the moldable tips. The molding process requires nothing more than a glass of hot water.

5 hidden remote touchpad tricks will make you an Apple TV expert

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Apple TV remote

The new Apple TV remote is a thing of beauty. It’s got six simple buttons, it’s rechargeable and it features a beautifully simple touchpad at the top to swipe across menus, app icons and letters to enter passwords.

But the simple joy of using the touchpad is very Apple-like. There are hidden secrets to the surface uses, with

Here’s how to get the most out of your Apple TV remote touchpad.

How to change Twitter hearts back to stars (or any other emoji)

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The Internet is not happy with Twitter's change of heart.
The Internet is not happy with Twitter's change of heart.
Photo: Twitter

Twitter decided to take a step toward Facebook today by changing its star icon for favorites into a heart icon and calling them Likes.

The changes have not gone over well, with many Twitter fans questioning the decision while others are just down right angry that Twitter took away the best way to say, ‘I saw your tweet, but don’t want to reply to it.’

Luckily, there is a way to change the hearts back to stars when using the social network through a browser. You can even change the hearts to a beer, poop, unicorn, or any other emoji and it doesn’t require much work.

Here’s how to strike back against Twitter’s new hearts icon:

Master the mountain with these carbon-fiber ski boots

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Dynafit Khion Carbon goes up as well as it goes down.
The Khion Carbon ski boot goes up as well as it goes down.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Dynafit Khion Carbon

It is never easy to design something that’s going to serve two distinctly different purposes, like a car that turns into an airplane or a fork that doubles as a spoon. Or, in this case, a ski boot that is helps you skin up a mountain or ski the downward slopes reliably, precisely and with some sense of ear-grinning enjoyment.

Pencil artist makes his point with amazing new book

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The art of Salavat Fidai is at the tip of his pencils.
The art of Salavat Fidai is at the tip of his pencils.
Photo: Salavat Fidai

The art that flows from Salavat Fidai’s pencils actually never leaves the pencils.

A curvy stallion, a row of circus elephants or the Eiffel Tower remain on the tips of pencils thanks to Fidai’s steady hand and patient craft knife that carves the soft lead into a sculptural symbol easily recognized in the most unexpected place.