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After another lackluster week, Apple stock (NASDAQ:AAPL) opened the Tuesday after President's Day at $94.65. Share prices made a steady climb Tuesday into Wednesday, peaking at $98.25. Thursday brought a slide until AAPL leveled off on Friday, closing the week at $96.04. Overall, in four days of trading Apple stock gained modestly at +$1.39 (+1.47%). As usual, there are several storylines that could affect AAPL in the near term. Let's take a closer look.

The week in Apple news points to a brewing legal battle between the US Justice Department and Apple over encryption. On a lighter note, Apple is developing a completely new Remote app for Apple TV fans. Apple Pay has officially launched in China, and Sony's biopic Steve Jobs has released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Here are more details on some recent Apple highlights.

Nintendo this week opened pre-registration for its upcoming communication app Miitomo. The app will allows users to create a Mii character to interact with other users and earn coins that can be spent on new outfits and other Mii upgrades. Miitomo will launch sometime in March. You can register now at my.nintendo.com to receive bonus Nintendo Platinum Points.

Jigsaw puzzles are great for holidays, family gatherings and for passing the time at home alone, but they're not the best option for on the go entertainment, until now. Join It - Jigsaw Puzzle for iOS devices allows you to do easy to complex puzzles during long car rides, while waiting for the bus or train or while you're stuck at the airport. The app offers over 300 puzzles (500 on iPad) to choose from with a variety of features that makes it much more than a simple jigsaw puzzle game.

One of the highlights of the fourth-generation Apple TV is the Siri Remote. Compared to the previous Apple TV remote control, the Siri Remote vastly expands on its capabilities. In addition to a glass Touch surface for navigation and swipe gestures, the unit listens with dual microphones for voice commands. The Siri Remote even doubles as a gaming controller, with a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer. Apple has long offered the Remote app for iOS devices to get in on the action.