Update: The gunman has now died from injuries sustained when he was hit by a police vehicle. Police intervened to save the hostage when he ran from the store and the gunman gave chase. The gunman has still not been named, but police say he was an Amsterdam resident with a criminal record … The Amsterdam Apple Store gunman who took a hostage yesterday was demanding the payment of a €200M ($227M) ransom in cryptocurrency....

Apple’s dependence on China has never been brought into sharper focus than now, with COVID-19-related disruption at the biggest iPhone assembly plant costing the company an estimated billion dollars per week. A new report says that the company’s efforts to diversify production have continued to make progress, but that iPhone production remains hugely dependent on China … Background We’ve been warning for many years about both the need and the difficulty of reducing Apple’s dependence on China, but the pandemic made even clearer the risks of the company having most of its manufacturing eggs in one basket....

Almost six years since its Thunderbolt display was discontinued, Apple has officially re-entered the consumer external display market with the all-new Studio Display. With a starting price of $1,599, let’s take an in-depth look at the Apple Studio Display vs LG UltraFine and Pro Display XDR. After the Apple Thunderbolt display was canceled in 2016, the official Apple-endorsed display became the LG UltraFine 27-inch 5K (full review) and 21.5-inch 4K – later replaced by the 24-inch 4K model....

All of today’s best deals are up for grabs as the countdown to Christmas draws to a close. For this Thursday, we’re tracking some Apple Watch Series 8 discounts at $49 off just in time to help kickstart those upcoming New Year’s resolutions. The folks at Anker have also launched their annual Christmas sale that is discounting iPhone accessories from $10 to join this ongoing price cut on Apple’s latest Magic Keyboard for 11-inch iPad Pro at $210....

The 2022 Apple Watch lineup features three distinct wearables. While much remains the same between Series 8 and previous models, there are some differences worth considering. Read on for Apple Watch Series 8 vs 7 and earlier to help deicde what’s the best pick for you or someone you’re shopping for. For Apple Watch Ultra vs Series 8 and more, check out our full comparison on that: Table of contents Apple Watch Series 8 vs 7 and earlier...

Avengers: Infinity War had a big opening day at the China box office. The third Avengers film has broken several records since it hit the U.S. (and several other countries around the world) back in April. Infinity War even set a pre-sales record in China ahead of its opening, with the final total coming in around $65.4 million (well above the $47.5 million reported a few days back). It may come as a surprise to some, but Avengers: Age of Ultron is the only Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that’s made its way into the top 10 all time China openings to date....

The stars of Avengers: Infinity War each get the spotlight in new character posters. Marvel Studios is ramping up the marketing campaign for Infinity War. After delivering two trailers and moving the release date up, there’s less than a month till the movie hits theaters. That would typically mean press screenings are right around the corner, but Marvel’s being especially secretive with this blockbuster. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo even just shared a note with everyone online asking to be mindful of others and not post spoilers....

A helpful Marvel fan points out when one should start playing Avengers: Infinity War if they want to ring in the New Year with their favorite moments. According to most people, 2018 has been a pretty long year, and not just for America. While the controversial presidency of Donald Trump dominates the headlines stateside, many other countries also found themselves going through increased amounts of civil unrest and political upheaval. Yet, with every new year comes a chance to try and change things for the better, and 2019 will be no different....

When it comes to space travel, most science-fiction stories use a method that allows spaceships to travel faster than light in order to get from one point to another very quickly. In Babylon 5’s case, their ships use Hyperspace. In a nutshell, Hyperspace is another dimension which the Babylon 5 ships access using either Jumpgates or Jump Engines which allow them to puncture holes into Hyperspace. That way, they can travel through it and go faster than light to their desired destination....

Over the years few graphic novels have affirmed themselves as timeless classic besides some obvious choices. Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is considered a touchstone Batman story, while Alan Moore’s Watchmen is often ranked among great literary works in general. Moore’s 1988 story The Killing Joke is also a landmark comic book title; one that explores the origins of The Joker and how he became an iconic villain. Warner Bros....

In the wake of Hollywood’s biggest night, where Spotlight, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Revenant all took high honors at the 2016 Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel held his annual Post-Oscars Special. The special featured appearances from numerous Oscar nominees and presenters - mostly in pre-taped segments that were not dependent on who would actually win an award at the ceremony. Among those appearances were Batman V Superman stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Jesse Eisenberg....

There’s no keeping Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man down, not even a failed attempt to launch a shared cinematic universe centered around the one and only web-slinging superhero (see The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Following in the footsteps of Tobey Maguire and, most recently, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea) will be the next actor to bring Peter Parker to life in live-action on the big screen, starting with his appearance in Captain America: Civil War this year....

The official trailer for Antebellum is released, along with a new poster. Written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, Antebellum revolves around the character of Veronica Henley. Portrayed by Janelle Monáe, Veronica is a popular author that finds herself trapped in a terrifying reality. Antebellum marks the directorial debut for Bush and Renz. Previously, the duo had collaborated on a music video for Jay-Z. They also helmed the short film 17....

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the leader in modern mobile device management (MDM) and security for Apple enterprise and education customers. Over 22,000 organizations leverage Mosyle solutions to automate the management and security of millions of Apple devices daily. Request a FREE account today and discover how you can put your Apple fleet on auto-pilot at a price point that is hard to believe. A few weeks ago, Apple announced a new business program: Apple Business Essentials that was designed to make it easier for business customers to deploy, manage, and secure Apple devices....

Norfolk State University has announced a new partnership with Apple to provide every student with a 5G iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple Smart Keyboard Folio, and AirPods Pro. NSU, the largest HBCU in Virginia, will also deploy MacBook Pros and iMacs to select students and design labs. In a press release, Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of education and enterprise marketing, said that Norfolk State is taking a “bold step forward” by providing students with equal access to Apple devices....

Apple is paying another round of bonuses to some of its staff members, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Notably, this is the second round of such bonuses, having previously issued bonuses ranging from $50,000 to $180,000 back in December. The bonuses come as Apple faces increased competition for top talent in Silicon Valley from the likes of Meta, Google, and Microsoft. According to today’s report, the latest round of bonuses are valued at as high as $200,000....

Apple has shared a new short video demonstrating several easy ways to get creative with iPhone 12 to achieve cinematic shots. The latest Shot on iPhone campaign video highlights the use of the ultra-wide lens, slo-mo, and objects you probably have around your house to replicate cinematic shots that usually require more hardware. Apple published the new Shot on iPhone video highlighting film techniques on its YouTube channel today and comes alongside a new Shot on iPhone Today at Apple session....

Apple is facing a new class action lawsuit over an alleged design flaw in the Apple Watch Series 6. As reported by Bloomberg, the proposed class action lawsuit alleges that the Apple Watch Series 6 suffers from a design flaw that makes the screen “prone to breaking or detaching” and exposing “razor-sharp edges.” The customers behind the class action lawsuit say that Apple did not provide enough room inside the Apple Watch Series 6’s design to account for potential swelling of the battery....

As the year draws to a close, Apple Music has today released its top streamed songs of the year. The most streamed song of 2021 goes to ‘Dynamite’ by K-pop superstars BTS. The most-read lyrics accolade goes to Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘drivers license’, which rose to prominence at the beginning of the year and was the second most streamed track. The company also shared Top 100 charts across all songs, most-read lyrics, fitness songs and most Shazamed music (see after the jump)....

“Apple must be stopped,” said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, at an app conference in South Korea. He also said that Google was “crazy” in the way it handled app purchases … Background Epic Games has been battling with Apple over payments for in-app purchases. Epic launched its own store to bypass Apple’s cut of in-app payments, in contravention of App Store terms, and the Cupertino company suspended the company’s developer account....