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  • Tim Cook, Joe Biden plan ‘make in America’ chips at TSMC plant

    Apple Far Out event quick highlights







    In their bid to cut the dependency on China amid the supply chain turmoil, US President Joe Biden and Apple CEO Tim Cook have announced plans to start using chips made in the US, after opening a new processor factory in Phoenix, Arizona.

    “These chips will power iPhones and MacBooks, as Tim Cook can attest. Apple had to buy all the advanced chips from overseas. Now we’re going to do more of their supply chain here at home,” Biden said during an event at the Arizona factory of chip-maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

    In addition to TSMC Arizona’s first fab, which is scheduled to begin production of N4 process technology in 2024, TSMC has also started the construction of a second fab which is scheduled to begin production of 3nm process technology in 2026.

    The overall investment for these two fabs will be approximately $40 billion, representing the largest foreign direct investment in Arizona history and one of the largest foreign direct investments in the history of the US, TSMC said in a statement.

    Tim Cook and Joe Biden.

    Tim Cook and Joe Biden.IANS

    “When complete, TSMC Arizona aims be the greenest semiconductor manufacturing facility in the US producing the most advanced semiconductor process technology in the country, enabling next generation high-performance and low-power computing products for years to come,” said TSMC Chairman Dr Mark Liu.

    In addition to the over 10,000 construction workers who helped with construction of the site, TSMC Arizona’s two fabs are expected to create an additional 10,000 high-paying high-tech jobs, including 4,500 direct TSMC jobs.

    When complete, TSMC Arizona’s two fabs will manufacture over 600,000 wafers per year, with estimated end-product value of more than $40 billion.

    Advanced chips

    Advanced chipsIANS

    During the ceremony, TSMC revealed six semiconductor tools which are designed to support production of leading-edge semiconductor process technology.

    “This project is truly a testament to the Grand Alliance TSMC has formed with customers, suppliers and partners to further our collaboration and unleash innovation,” said TSMC CEO Dr CC Wei.

    In August, Biden signed the historic $280 billion Chips and Science Act into law that includes $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

    The Chips and Science Act is the Biden administration’s bet to incentivise chipmakers to reverse course and build fabs in the US and cut the dependence on China.

    Cook said that the progress we’ve made with Apple Silicon has transformed our devices.

    “When you stop and think about it, it’s extraordinary what chip technology can achieve. And now, thanks to the hard work of so many people, these chips can be proudly stamped ‘Made in America’,” he said at the TSMC event.

    (With inputs from IANS)

  • Mark Zuckerberg brings digital avatars to WhatsApp users

    Why WhatsApp Payments failed to click in India







    Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday announced the company is bringing digital avatars to WhatsApp.

    On WhatsApp, people can now use their personalised avatars as profile photos or choose from one of 36 custom stickers reflecting many different emotions and actions.

    “We’re bringing avatars to WhatsApp! Now you can use your avatar as a sticker in chats. More styles coming soon across all our apps,” said Zuckerberg.

    Mark Zuckerberg brings digital avatars to WhatsApp users

    Mark Zuckerberg brings digital avatars to WhatsApp usersIANS

    Your avatar is a digital version of you that can be created from billions of combinations of diverse hair styles, facial features, and outfits.

    “Sending an avatar is a fast and fun way to share feelings with friends and family. It can also be a great way to represent yourself without using your real photo so it feels more private,” said WhatsApp.

    The company said that it will continue to deliver style enhancements including lighting, shading, hair style textures, and more that will make avatars even better over time.

    WhatsApp Logo

    pixabay.com

    Zuckerberg looks forward to “seeing people explore and build immersive worlds, and to bringing this to more countries soon”.

    “We want everyone to have control over their experience in Horizon Worlds, so we’re always working to add more tools and features that let people customise their own experiences,” Meta had said in a blog post.

    Meta has also announced to add legs to its virtual avatars which are not yet on its VR platform Horizon Worlds, and may arrive early next year.

    (With inputs from IANS)

  • Apple has a treat for karaoke singers; Apple Music Sing arriving in time for holidays [details]

    How Apple is helping Indian developers achieve perfection; put India on world map







    It’s the festive season and the holidays are just around the corner. Apple has a treat for everyone to make social gatherings more fun. Apple Music has announced plans to roll out a new karaoke mode named ‘Apple Music Sing’.

    Apple Music Sing allows users to sing along with their favourite songs with adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics, the company said in a blogpost on Tuesday. Multiple lyric views are available in the new mode, allowing users to take the lead, join in duets, sing backup, and more.

    Apple has a treat for karaoke singers; Apple Music Sing arriving in time for holidays [details]

    Apple has a treat for karaoke singers; Apple Music Sing arriving in time for holidaysApple

    The Music Sing makes it enjoyable and simple for everyone to take part, when and wherever they choose, with a constantly expanding collection that includes tens of millions of the most singable music in the world.

    “Apple Music will also be launching a suite of more than 50 dedicated companion playlists featuring all of the epic songs, duets, choruses, and anthems that have been compelling people all around the world to sing,” Apple said.

    Apple Music Sing will be available later this month to Apple Music subscribers worldwide, and it can be enjoyed on iPhone, iPad, and the new Apple TV 4K.

    Apple, Music, India, subscription, price

    Apple MusicApple.com (screen-grab)

    “Apple Music’s lyrics experience is consistently one of the most popular features on our service,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music and Beats.

    “We already know our users all over the world love to follow along to their favourite songs, so we wanted to evolve this offering even further to enable even more engagement around music through singing,” Schusser added.

    (With agency inputs)

  • RBI hiked policy rate by 35 basis points to 6.25%, remains focused on withdrawal of accommodation

    Shaktikant Das’s tenure as RBI Governor extended for 3 years







    Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das announced 35 basis points rake hike in its bi-monthly monetary policy meeting today. The rate hike was primarily aligned with market expectations of a 25-35 basis points hike.

    The repo rate now stands at 6.25% from 5.90% amid inflationary pressure, geo-political uncertainty and the risk of looming recession. The standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands at 6.00% and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate stand at 6.5%.

    This year RBI has hiked repo rates five times so far, starting from 40 basis points in May, followed by three successive 50 basis points rate hikes in the last three MPC meetings and 35 basis points in the December policy meeting.

    Shaktikanta Das, the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, attends a news conference in Mumbai, India, December 12, 2018.Reuters

    “The global economy is still marred by profound shocks and unprecedented uncertainty. Mixed signals are emanating from the geo-political situation and financial market volatility. The war in Ukraine overwhelmed the world in a black swan moment and fundamentally altered the global economic outlook. In this hostile international environment, the Indian economy remains resilient, drawing strength from its macroeconomic fundamentals.” Das said.

    The RBI remains focused on the withdrawal of accommodation as the CPI inflation still remains higher than RBI’s upper tolerance band of 6% for 10th consecutive month. The committee is of the opinion that inflation is expected to remain higher than 4% over the next 12 months and further calibrated monetary intervention is required to keep inflation expectations anchored and bring down persistently high core inflation.

    “Pressure points from high and sticky core inflation and exposure of food inflation to international factors and weather-related events do remain. While being watchful of the impact of our earlier monetary policy actions, will keep Arjuna’s eye on the evolving inflation dynamics and be ready to act as may be necessary.” Das said.

    RBI

    Reserve Bank of India (RBI)IANS

    The headline inflation is expected to be 6.6% in the third quarter (October to December) and decline to 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Inflation is expected to come under the upper tolerance band of 6% from the next quarter.

    Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) concluded in today’s policy meet that the growth prospect of the Indian economy is resilient and the inflation is expected to moderate but said the fight against inflation is not over and the future course of monetary policy will depend upon new data, the evolving outlook of the economy and past policy actions.

  • Google Pixel 7 review: Love, Tech, & the lil’ green robot!

    Each time I review a flagship phone – there are very few surprises in store. After all, flagships are built to impress. Companies leave no stone unturned in driving home the fact that only their latest smartphone is the absolute best you can have! So, when I got my hands on the Google Pixel 7, which in some aspects is a step down from the company’s top-tier flagship – the Google Pixel 7 Pro – I was ready to be underwhelmed. It surprises me that that’s not what ended up happening.

    Design

    To start with, all my worries about an unwieldy form factor vanish as I find that the Pixel 7 is actually a fairly snug fit in my palms. At 6.3 inches across and 197 grams, I find this much easier to carry around and use on a day-to-day basis compared to the Pixel 7 Pro.

    The rear panel is glass finish which on my Obsidian Black unit is reflective enough for a quick vanity check every now and then! The signature matte aluminium strip houses the camera bar, and overall looks very minimally elegant, especially in the Lemongrass colour variant. The glass rear panel, exactly like the one on the Pixel 7 Pro, remains slippery and has slid off fabric armrests more often than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus seems to be doing its job exceptionally well in protecting the smartphone from cracks.

    Display

    An OLED display on a smartphone is still a luxury, and always a treat to use. Now, the Pixel 7 offers a refresh rate of only up to 90 Hz and not 120 Hz like the Pixel 7 Pro. If you’re a hardcore gamer and have an eye for detail, this might make a difference but for most other functionalities it really doesn’t matter much.

    I’d switched directly from the Pixel 7 Pro review unit to using the Pixel 7 and the drop down in refresh rate was neither worryingly noticeable nor did it mar any scrolling, viewing or gaming experience for me. The dual speakers on the smartphone offer flagship-worthy sound quality. On lazy weekends, I’d keep my earphones aside, and queue up some Leon Bridges or Rufus Wainwright to gently doze off to.

    Camera

    The primary camera on the Google Pixel 7 has a 50-MP sensor and a 12-MP ultra-wide lens. While it misses the telephoto lens that the Pixel 7 Pro offers, the quality of photos and videos I snapped on the Pixel 7 remains impressive. The colours are always well-saturated, delivering beautiful photos taken in daylight. Google’s Real Tone continues to do a great job of rendering brown skin tones accurately. I love that all the software-based features – Cinematic Blur, Magic Eraser, Action Pan and Unblur – are retained on the Google Pixel 7. The camera and post-processing tweaks make for a great little deep dive to play around with the longer I use the phone.

    Google Lens is also integrated to the Camera app and of all the things it offers – Translate, Text, Search, Shopping, Places and so on – the one I’m most jealous of is the ‘Homework’ option. If only I had this back in school, I wouldn’t still be having nightmares about unfinished maths homework well into my 30s.

    Tech Specs

    The Google Pixel 7 shares the same processors as the Pixel 7 Pro – the Tensor G2 chip. It seems like the focus behind the upgrades is not only on packing in more power but actually amping up software and algorithms in a way that supports better photography features and a decent battery life. The unit I reviewed has 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM.

    Related Stories
    Google Pixel 7 Pro Review: The shiniest, brightest Pixel of ‘em all!

    A look at the best smartphone Google has to offer this year

    The Pixel 7 obviously runs Google’s latest Android 13 and offers a clean user interface that fans of the lil’ green robot love so dearly. A bunch of useful features are programmed in, including live captions and the uncannily accurate live transcription feature that first debuted with the Pixel 6a in India.

    One of the things that wasn’t always seamless was the facial recognition feature to unlock the smartphone. It didn’t seem to kick in when the ambient light was not at its brightest, prompting me to use the passcode instead. The new iPhones, as a comparison, do a much snappier job of this.

    Battery

    The Google Pixel 7 is powered by a 4,355 mAh battery that had the smartphone up and running for a whole working day. Sometimes, it’d still be on the next morning I woke up and keep me company till noon, before I had to plug it in. This kind of battery life was when I used it for gaming and browsing, with the brightness set to less than 50 per cent and with the hotspot on for a couple of hours each day. Pretty impressive, overall. It usually took a little more than 1.5 hours to get the device to fully charge. The handset did get a bit warm a couple of times while charging, and at times when I continued gaming despite the battery dropping to less than 20 per cent charge; but that’s not exactly out of the ordinary.

    Verdict

    The good thing about the Google Pixel 7 is that you don’t really lose out on much if you buy this and not the Pixel 7 Pro. You miss out on a telephoto lens, a marginally higher refresh rate, and a slightly bigger battery. However, everything else that the Google Pixel 7 packs in – a vivid display, great camera and a ton of meaningful software features – make it one of the most compelling Android smartphones in the market right now. The cherry on top is that it’s available at a price that doesn’t pinch as much as flagships generally do.

    Google Pixel 7

    Pros – Great display, brilliant camera, a ton of smart features

    Cons – Facial recognition, charging time

  • How to choose your first broker, a beginners guide

    Stock markets are lucrative yet risky career options, especially for novices who have little or no knowledge of trading. Investment without good insight could prove to be a drastically wrong decision. Although, not every trader has the opportunity to learn to trade in detail. In such cases, approaching a stockbroker is a good option, as they are experts in the field and know where to invest to maximize the returns.

    A broker is an intermediary between the investor and the stock exchange. However, there are unlimited broker options available to earlier generations. But of course, more choices lead to greater confusion. There are two types of brokers, regular brokers who directly deal with clients and the other are broker-resellers who act as the channel between the client and prominent brokers. It is advisable to get the services from regular brokers as they are members of recognized organizations. It is not that broker-resellers are bad choices always, but one needs to check and do research about them before signing up.

    Most of the established brokers have extended their services to just executing the trades for you. They are now called ‘Financial Advisors’ who keep an eye on the stock market for the investor and offer individual advice and recommendations. Then there are online discount brokers who provide a wide range of strategies and tools for novices as well as experienced investors. Your choice of broker should reflect your investment style. Leading international trading guide Dailytrading.com suggests ‘If you are a trader looking for quick gain and make trade execution for short-term trade executions then you should look for a broker with very low executions fee. Another important factor is that they should be registered investment advisors. They must have a license from state security regulators.’

    With the advancement of technology, the revolutionary invention of robo-advisors has become a boon for traders. Instead of human advisors, one can research robo-advisors, which are automated platforms that use computer algorithms to manage your investment portfolios. They are also backed by real advisors for live support services. These robo-advisors provide advice based on inputs about investment goals, time horizons, and risk tolerance.

    One can even have more than one broker if one wishes, but this is not an ideal choice as their advice and recommendation may contradict and leave the trader in the middle of the confusion. According to Daytrading.com ‘ Your first broker is not necessarily your last broker, but if you are judicious at your first step and choose the broker wisely, you may have chances of making a good return from your investments from the beginning itself and, the broker will change and implement the strategies and develop your portfolio based on you changing needs.

    For more information visit here – https://www.daytrading.com/

  • ‘Can’t fold hands and sit because it’s an economic policy’, SC on DeMo

    RBI stops printing Rs 2,000 notes two years after demonetisation







    The Supreme Court on Tuesday, while hearing petitions challenging the Centres demonetisation move in 2016, said that it cannot fold its hands and sit because it is an economic policy.

    Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, representing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), submitted before a five-judge of bench justices Abdul Nazeer, B.R. Gavai, A.S. Bopanna, V. Ramasubramanian and B.V. Nagarathna that the objective of the demonetisation policy was to curb black money and fake currencies, adding that not a single bank suffered losses.

    Gupta submitted that there is no challenge to the decision on constitutional grounds, and therefore, the proportionality principle should only be applied to the extent, which the Attorney General’s note also suggested that there should be a nexus between the objective and the method.

    Reuters

    He added that beyond that it will be against the run of play, as far as economic policy decisions are concerned, and being an economic policy measure, the court will not review the decision.

    Justice Nagarathna said the court will not go into the merits of the decision to implement demonetisation, but it can always go into the manner it was taken, and the two things are totally different.

    “Just because it is an economic policy, the court cannot fold its hands and sit. Merits of the decision, it is for the government to decide in its wisdom as it knows what is best for the people, but while taking that decision, what was the material on record, or the relevant considerations…” said Justice Nagarathna.

    'Open court hearing on Oct 12', SC on SEBI's review petition against RIL

    ‘Open court hearing on Oct 12’, SC on SEBI’s review petition against RILIANS

    In the daylong hearing, the RBI’s counsel informed the bench that ample opportunities were given to people to exchange their notes.

    Senior advocate P. Chidambaram, representing a petitioner, said the government should confidently defend the decision and also the decision-making process, adding that it should place those documents before the court.

    He said if the government was to adopt a route through the Parliament on this count, the Parliamentarians would have stopped the policy, but it did not follow the legislative route.

    Chidambaram submitted that the RBI Governor must be fully-aware of the fact that in 1946 and 1978, the central bank opposed demonetisation and resorted to plenary power of the legislature.

    “Surely, the history of RBI is published by the central bank. They must be deemed to know that also…” he said, urging the court to see the documents to see whether the decision-making was fair and not arbitrary.

    RBI

    Reserve Bank of India (RBI)IANS

    During the hearing, the apex court also inquired into the number of members present in the RBI’s Central Board meeting, which decided to make the recommendation regarding demonetisation in 2016.

    Gupta contended that the process under the RBI Act to make a recommendation to the Centre was followed, and the prescribed quorum was met.

    Gupta said the RBI’s Central Board met and decided to recommend demonetisation and then it went to the Centre, which decided to act. Therefore, the due process was followed.

    Asking RBI to submit the details regarding the quorum, the bench said, “How many members were present? There should be no difficulty in telling us.” Gupta agreed to provide the necessary information.

    Earlier, Chidambaram had alleged that the Centre and the RBI are holding back the information regarding the said meeting.

    Under the RBI Act, RBI’s Central Board has to make a recommendation to the Centre regarding demonetisation of notes or for any series of bank notes of any denomination to cease to be legal tender.

    The top court was hearing petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in 2016.

  • Digital transformation spending in India to reach $85 bn by 2026; here’s how [Explained]

    PM launches 5G services, calls it ‘historic day’







    The spending on Digital Transformation in India is expected to reach $85 billion by 2026 as domestic firms gear up to increase efficiency by bringing down operation costs, improving their security capabilities against risk and delivering better customer experience via tech-enabled digital transformation, according to International Data Corporation (IDC) report.

    A survey conducted by IDC on Digital Transformation in 2022 across 504 prominent decision-makers related to Information Technology (IT) indicates that 80% of the respondent in this group plans to spend more in the upcoming years than what they had in 2021 and 20% would continue to maintain the same level of spending as in 2021. The study suggests that in India, research, manufacturing, professional services, banking, government, retail, and telecommunications are the top industries spending on digital transformation.

    Digital connectivity

    “DX is all about embracing the right technologies; combined with people, processes, and operations that give organizations the ability to evolve and respond in the best possible way to unpredictable and dynamic market conditions,” said Neha Gupta, senior research manager, IDC India.

    Digital transformation might sound like a buzzword thrown around in panel discussions, conferences, articles and studies and it is hard to define the term as it looks different for different businesses. Although in simple terms, it means the integration of digital technologies into all areas of the business to change and better the way business operates and delivers value to its customers.

    The COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown brought businesses to a standstill but forced them to change how they operate and deliver value. The change in the status quo turned out to be challenging initially but within a few months of the lockdown, businesses adapted and innovated to remain competitive and maintain their internal affairs as well as their customer relations by adopting technologically driven solutions.

    Revolutionising Digital Transaction

    The study emphasizes that the digital transformation journey should enable measurable outcomes. The survey conducted by IDC highlighted that Indian organizations are experiencing around 1/3rd of the annual percentage improvement in 2021 across various aspects (revenue, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, among others) because of DX investments.

    “The current headwinds such as IT supply chain disruptions, inflation, and global geopolitical issues, are likely to persist. Indian organizations must look at these factors as enablers of Digital Transformation. Taking aid from technology to save costs and remain competitive in these uncertain times will make them resilient and keep them ahead of the competition,” says Rithika Ponnala, Senior Market Analyst, Digital Transformation practices, IDC India.

  • After iPhones, Apple now plans to shift some iPad production to India

    Apple makes it official; new iPhone 14 series arriving on Sep 7







    As Apple plans to shift more iPhone production away from China to India, it is now reportedly looking to also move the production of some iPads to India to keep its supply chain healthy amid Covid-related disruptions.

    Apple has “talked to Indian officials about locating some iPad manufacturing in the country as US-China relations sour and China’s Covid crackdowns snarl supply chains,” reports CNBC, citing sources.

    Apple is planning to shift iPad manufacturing to India as the company looks to move up to 30 per cent of its manufacturing outside of China.

    iPad Air

    iPad AirApple

    The report said that no concrete plans have been made yet, “but if the effort is successful, it would expand Apple’s footprint in the country”.

    Apple did not comment on the report.

    In India, Apple iPads logged an impressive 34 per cent growth (on-year) in India in the second quarter (Q2) and the company sold over 0.2 million devices in the country, according to CMR.

    Apple iPad (Gen 9) and iPad Air 2022 accounted for a lion’s share of the iPad shipments, according to the CMR Q2 data.

    The tech giant is also fast forwarding its manufacturing plans in India and Vietnam in the wake of China unrest over zero-Covid policy which has severely disrupted its supply chain, leading to an acute shortage of new iPhone 14 Pro models.

    The Wall Street Journal reported over the last weekend that the company is “telling suppliers to plan more actively for assembling Apple products elsewhere in Asia, particularly India and Vietnam” in order to “reduce dependence on Taiwanese assemblers led by Foxconn”.

    Apple iOS 12 USB Restricted Mode

    Customers stand beneath an Apple logo at the Apple store in Grand Central station in New York City, July 21, 2015.REUTERS/Mike Segar

    The China upheaval, which hit its key supplier Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory last month resulting in violent protests, means “Apple no longer feels comfortable having so much of its business tied up in one place,” the report said, citing analysts and people in the Apple supply chain.

    Apple aims to ship 40-45 per cent of iPhones from India compared with a single-digit percentage currently, according to famed analyst Ming-chi Kuo.

    Kuo has predicted that iPhone shipments in the fourth quarter this year are likely to reach around 70 million to 75 million units, nearly 10 million less than market projections before the China turmoil.

    Every fourth iPhone will be made in India by 2025, according to J.P. Morgan.

    Apple first started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017, with iPhone SE.

    The tech giant manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in the country, including iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 at the Foxconn facility while iPhone SE and iPhone 12 are being assembled at the Wistron factory in the country.

    (With inputs from IANS)

  • Resigned at Google, this techie saw his job offer rescinded by Amazon

    https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/778197/amazon-begins-mass-layoffs-combat-unusual-uncertain-macroeconomic-environment.jpg

    Amazon begins mass layoffs to combat “unusual and uncertain macroeconomic environment”IBTimes IN

    Call it ironic, but a Google software engineer, who resigned to take a new job at Amazon, was told by the company that his job offer has been declined, just 3 days ahead of his first day at the e-commerce giant.

    Sharing his ordeal on LinkedIn, Tianyi Gao said that he was a SWE (software engineer) in the company.

    “I got a support-check-in project from my manager, so I accepted an offer from Amazon as my back up plan. Unfortunately, after my resignation was approved, I was told the Amazon offer was rescinded, just 3 weekday ahead of my day 1,” Gao posted.

    Amazon.IANS

    “I failed to either revoke my resignation or delay the process. Today is my last day at Google. I am a H1-B visa holder and I have only 60 days to find another job,” he lamented.

    Gao is among hundreds of employees on H1-B visa who have lost jobs at Meta, Twitter, Amazon, Salesforce and several other tech companies, and are now trying to get in someplace so that they can stay in the US on work visa.

    As more and more companies across the spectrum sack employees amid the global meltdown, at least 853 tech companies worldwide have laid off about 137,492 employees to date, and the tally is only going north amid recession fears.

    According to data from layoffs.fyi, a crowdsourced database of tech layoffs, 1,388 tech companies have fired a total of 233,483 employees since the onset of Covid-19, but 2022 has been the worst for the tech sector.

    As of mid-November, more than 73,000 workers in the US tech sector have been laid off in mass-level job cuts led by companies like Meta, Twitter, Salesforce, Netflix, Cisco, Roku and others.