Category: Smartphones & Gadgets

  • Google to launch India-made Pixel 8 phones in 2024

    Tech large Google mentioned on Thursday that it’s going to begin the manufacture of the most recent Pixel collection of premium smartphones in India. Production of Pixel 8 will begin very quickly, mentioned Google.

    The first of the India-made units are anticipated be to rolled out in 2024, and the corporate is partnering with worldwide and home producers to produce Pixel smartphones domestically, mentioned a high official.

    “When we set out with our {hardware} enterprise, we dedicated to constructing and investing for the long term, and our plan to manufacture in India is an early step in the lengthy journey of increasing our gadget manufacturing capability and serving to meet the nation’s rising demand for Pixel smartphones,” mentioned Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice-President of Devices and Services, Google, on the Google for India occasion right here.

    He acknowledged India being a precedence for Pixel smartphones, noting the numerous momentum for Pixel in the nation over the previous a number of years. This announcement is an early step on Google’s journey towards increasing its gadget manufacturing capability and serving to meet the nation’s rising demand for Pixel.

    “We’re humbled at how India has embraced our constant smartphone improvements, and proceed to obtain heartening suggestions from our companions and our rising Team Pixel household. We look ahead to sharing extra particulars in the approaching months,” Osterloh, mentioned.

    Meanwhile, Google has continued to improve the Pixel smartphone expertise, and has grown Pixel service community throughout the nation. In partnership with F1 Info Solutions, Google now has 28 service facilities in 27 cities throughout India, and can proceed to develop protection to extra areas and cities in the months forward.

    In latest years, India has established itself as a very world-class hub for manufacturing, ensuing in a thriving atmosphere for companies to flourish, the corporate added.

    Published on October 19, 2023

  • Local value addition in ‘Made in India’ smartphones climbs 16% in 2023

    Indian native value addition for “Made in India” smartphones is anticipated to be 16 per cent in line with knowledge sourced by businessline from Counterpoint – a world know-how market analysis agency. As Indian localisation insurance policies corresponding to subsidy schemes and import curbs immediate smartphone producers to arrange smartphone manufacturing traces in India – Counterpoint estimates that the native value addition in India has grown from 6 per cent in 2016 to a projected 16 per cent for 2023. 

    Production influence

    These numbers are for the trade throughout the board, that’s, beneficiaries and non beneficiaries of the Centre’s manufacturing linked subsidy scheme for cell phones. Counterpoint additional highlighted that native value addition is anticipated to extend by only one per cent in 2023. Local value addition for smartphone manufacturing was already 15 per cent in 2022, in line with Counterpoint estimates. 

    businessline additionally spoke with provide chain consultants aware of the manufacturing traces for Samsung and Apple. According to those consultants the Indian value add for Samsung is between 25-30 per cent of the retail worth of Samsung telephones. In comparability, native value addition for made in India Apple iPhones is 6-8 per cent of its India retail worth in line with the knowledgeable. 

    Also learn: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Review: Titanium tiara on a smartphone diva!

    Apple and Samsung are thought-about to be success tales of the Centre’s manufacturing linked subsidy scheme for smartphones. Since the launch of the scheme in 2020, Samsung has routinely exceeded the Centre’s PLI targets for native manufacturing. Contract producers for Apple, Wistron, Pegatron and Foxconn have additionally reported exceeding PLI targets in current years.

    Their position in the localisation of smartphone manufacturing turns into much more essential as indigenous smartphone makers miss the newest PLI targets and Chinese smartphone makers are excluded from Centre’s subsidy scheme and are underneath the scrutiny of the Enforcement Directorate. 

    Local benefit

    Samsung’s excessive native value add in comparability to Apple is basically a operate of time. Samsung has been making cell phones in the nation even earlier than the Centre launched subsidies in 2020. Therefore it has localised quite a lot of its element ecosystem to the nation as a substitute of following the import and meeting mannequin as per an government working with a contract producer for Samsung.

    Samsung makes show and printed circuit boards for its cell units in India that are a few of the most precious elements of a smartphone. In addition to this it has additionally localised the manufacturing of battery, show mechanicals and digicam modules to India. 

    Also learn: Google takes on Apple with new Pixel that’s extra just like the iPhone

    Despite important investments in Indian manufacturing traces by Apple, it nonetheless doesn’t make shows for its iPhones in India. A supply additional added that Apple has possible began making printed circuit boards for sure fashions of iPhones in India, nonetheless manufacturing of PCBs is occurring solely at a restricted capability in the nation. 

    Apple additionally sells its iPhones at a a lot larger premium over its invoice of fabric (price of producing) in comparability to Samsung. A $1000 greenback iPhone will solely price $300-$350 to make, nonetheless the invoice of fabric price for a Samsung machine retailing on the identical worth could possibly be as excessive as $600 in line with a senior government. This is one more reason why Indian value addition for Apple on retail worth is far decrease than Samsung.

  • Apple updates iPhone 12 software to address France’s radiation testing requirements

    (*12*)

    Apple has mentioned it deliberate to adjust to France’s radiation testing requirements by rolling out an replace that can cease the iPhone 12 from utilizing extra energy when the system is in touch with static surfaces.

    Apple has disputed the findings of French regulators who mentioned that the iPhone 12, which has been in the marketplace for 3 years, gave off greater than permissible quantities of radiation and halted gross sales of the system.

    On Tuesday, Apple gave its fullest clarification but of the discrepancy between France’s findings and people in different international locations the place the iPhone 12 has been authorized on the market.

    In an article posted on its web site, Apple mentioned for greater than a decade, iPhones have included sensors that enable the telephone to detect when it’s close to a person’s physique to maintain transmission energy at decrease ranges. When the telephone shouldn’t be close to a physique – equivalent to when it’s laid on a desk – the system makes use of barely greater ranges of transmission energy.

    Apple mentioned the testing protocol utilized by L’Agence Nationale des Frequences didn’t take this characteristic into consideration. The firm issued a software replace that can turn out to be broadly accessible to customers in France this month that turns off the body-detection know-how, maintaining the telephone at decrease transmission energy ranges always.

    In an announcement, Apple mentioned the iPhone 12 continues to be secure to use even with out the software replace.

    “We need all iPhone 12 customers to know that iPhone 12 is secure to use and all the time has been. IPhone 12 was licensed to meet relevant worldwide vitality transmission rules and requirements when it first shipped in 2020 and no adjustments have been made since then that may have an effect on vitality transmission,” Apple mentioned within the assertion.

  • Apple tech support staff urged to stay mum on iPhone 12 radiation issue

    Apple Inc., going through an argument in France over the iPhone 12’s radiation ranges, has suggested tech-support staff not to volunteer any data when customers ask concerning the issue. 

    If prospects inquire concerning the French authorities’s declare that the mannequin exceeds requirements for electromagnetic radiation, staff ought to say they don’t have something to share, Apple workers have been instructed. Staff also needs to reject prospects’ requests to return or alternate the cellphone except it was bought up to now two weeks — Apple’s regular return coverage. 

    Customers asking if the cellphone is protected needs to be instructed that each one Apple merchandise undergo rigorous testing to be sure that they’re protected, in accordance to the steerage.

    The French authorities requested Apple earlier this week to stop gross sales of the iPhone 12 as a result of assessments confirmed that the machine emits electromagnetic waves which are too sturdy. The nation’s digital Minister instructed Apple it has two weeks to repair the issue by way of a software program replace.

    Apple rebutted the claims and stated it could interact with France to present that the iPhone 12 is compliant. The Cupertino, California-based know-how large stated it supplied officers with in-house and third-party lab testing to exhibit that the product is inside the authorized vary. 

    Apple was already phasing out the iPhone 12 simply because the issue flared up. The mannequin debuted in 2020, and Apple stopped promoting it Tuesday with the announcement of the iPhone 15 line. But France’s stance threatens to spark concern among the many tens of millions of current iPhone 12 customers. Apple bought greater than 100 million models of the machine inside its first seven months on sale, in accordance to Counterpoint Research.

    In the times since France’s preliminary assertion, different nations within the European Union, together with Belgium and Germany, have began to assess the iPhone 12’s radiation ranges.

    More tales like this can be found on bloomberg.com

  • Apple Wonderlust Event 2023: iPhone 15 adopts usb-c standard

    Apple has moved to the USB-C standard after an extended wait by customers, a standard that Apple already makes use of on its laptops and a few high-end iPads.

    This change got here resulting from EU regulators introduced in a regulation calling to a typical charging standard for gadgets by 2024-2025.

    Apple posted a 2.4% decline in iPhone gross sales for its fiscal third quarter – a uncommon drop for the product that has for years powered the corporate’s progress.

    (*15*)

    Related Stories
    Apple Event 2023: Apple unveils iPhone 15, new watches

    iPhone 15 Pro to begin from ₹1,34,900 onwards; Apple makes transfer to USB-C charging for iPhones official.

    Reuters provides

    Apple was pressured into the change by European laws, however analysts imagine that the corporate will place the change as an improve, making the most of quicker knowledge speeds that may switch high-quality movies made with iPhones.

    The largest query of the day was whether or not Apple reserves these options for a brand new top-end machine and makes smaller upgrades to its cheaper fashions.

    “Just like we noticed individuals who aren’t Ultra athletes purchase the Apple Watch Ultra, we’re going to see a bunch of individuals purchase this even when they aren’t digital camera or images fans, simply because they like the newest and best,” stated Ben Bajarin, chief govt and principal analyst of Creative Strategies. “That by itself creates that buzz and momentum and attract to the highest finish.”

    The international smartphone market has slumped from delivery 294.5 million whole telephones to 268 million within the second quarter, however Apple’s shipments declined the least of any main smartphone maker, dropping from 46.5 million telephones to 45.3 million, in response to knowledge from Counterpoint Research.

    Also launched on the occasion was the Apple Watch Series 9 begins at ₹41,900, and Apple Watch SE begins at ₹29,900 and might be out there from September 22.

    Apple September Event 2023

    Apple September Event 2023
    | Photo Credit: Via Apple Newsroom

  • Apple Wonderlust Event 2023: Apple unveils iPhone 15, new watches

    Apple on Tuesday took the wraps off newer variants of a few of its best-selling gadgets, hoping that they make it to the highest of want listing of consumers through the all-important vacation season.

    Apple September 2023 Event: India Price

    iPhone 15: ₹79,900 onwards.

    iPhone 15 Plus: ₹89,900 onwards.

    iPhone 15 Pro: ₹1,34,900 onwards.

    iPhone 15 Pro Max: ₹1,59,900 onwards.

    Apple Watch SE: ₹29,900 onwards.

    Apple Watch Series 9: ₹41,900 onwards.

    Apple Watch Ultra 2: ₹89,900 onwards.

    Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): ₹24,900

    The announcement of the iPhone 15 line and upgraded good watches on the firm’s annual flagship occasion got here in opposition to the backdrop of flagging discretionary spending and heightened scrutiny in China.

    Here are the main points of the important thing bulletins
    The iPhone

    Apple launched iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, sporting 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch shows, respectively, just like their predecessors.

    The new fashions function a 48-megapixel important digital camera, able to 2X telephoto possibility for capturing pictures and 4K video, and the new A16 bionic chips.

    Apple additionally switched to the USB-C charging customary from the Lightning port, in accordance with a European regulation. Apple additionally stated the iPhone 15’s battery is made from 100% recycled cobalt.

    The higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max fashions, priced at ₹1,34,900 and ₹1,59,900, now use titanium as a substitute of chrome steel for the facet bars and have slimmer borders across the display screen.

    All the new fashions function a 48-megapixel important digital camera, with flagship Pro Max having 5X optical zoom and 3X telephoto functionality.

    The iPhone 15 begins at ₹79,900, iPhone 15 Plus: ₹89,900, iPhone 15 Pro: ₹1,34,900 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max: ₹1,59,900 onwards.

    Watches
    Apple Watch Series 9

    Apple Watch Series 9
    | Photo Credit: Via Apple Newsroom

    Apple introduced Watch Series 9 and the second technology of Watch Ultra, sporting the identical dimensions as their predecessors.

    The newest watches get the following technology S9 chip, able to higher animations and results. It is the primary processor improve since Apple launched the Series 6 line in 2020.

    New options on board embody “double faucet”, a new gesture management to the watch with out touching its face, and improved dictation and brightness.

    The Apple Watch Series 9 begins at ₹41,900, and Apple Watch SE begins at ₹29,900 and will probably be obtainable from September 22.

    The Series 9 is the corporate’s first carbon impartial product, and beginning this yr all watch manufacturing will probably be powered by 100% clear power, the corporate stated. Apple may even drop leather-based from all its merchandise, together with the watch bands.

  • Apple’s new iPhones get faster chips, better cameras and new charging ports

    Apple on Tuesday unveiled its subsequent technology of iPhones — a line-up that can boast better cameras, faster processors, a new charging system and a value hike for the fanciest mannequin.

    The showcase at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, comes as the corporate tries to reverse a light hunch that has seen its gross sales drop from final 12 months in three consecutive quarters.

    The malaise is a key purpose Apple’s inventory value has dipped by about 10 per cent since mid-July, dropping the corporate’s market worth under the USD 3 trillion threshold it reached for the primary time earlier this summer time.

    Investors apparently weren’t impressed with what Apple rolled out Tuesday. The firm’s shares fell practically 2 per cent on Tuesday, a steeper decline than the key market indexes.

    Also learn:Apple iPhone 15: Pricing in India versus different nations

    As has been case with Apple and different smartphone makers, the 4 kinds of iPhone 15 fashions aren’t making any main leaps in know-how. But Apple added sufficient new bells and whistles to the top-of-the line mannequin — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — to spice up its beginning value by USD 100, or 9 per cent, from final 12 months’s model to USD 1,200.

    As a part of the upper base value, the most affordable iPhone 15 Pro Max will present 256 megabytes of storage, up from 128 megabytes for the least costly model of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

    Apple is holding the road on costs for remainder of the line-up, with the fundamental iPhone 15 promoting for $800, the iPhone 15 Plus for $900 and the iPhone 15 Pro for $1,000.

    Although sustaining these costs are certain to squeeze Apple’s revenue margins and put additional stress on the corporate’s inventory value, Investing.com analyst Thomas Monteiro believes it is a prudent transfer with still-high inflation and spiking rates of interest pinching family budgets. “The actuality was that Apple discovered itself in a difficult place main as much as this occasion,” Monteiro mentioned.

    And the worth hike for the iPhone 15 Pro Max may assist Apple enhance gross sales if shoppers proceed to gravitate towards the corporate’s premium fashions. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives expects the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max to account for about 75 per cent of the machine’s complete gross sales within the upcoming 12 months.

    All the new fashions will probably be available in shops September 22, with pre-orders starting this Friday.

    One of the largest adjustments that Apple introduced is a new approach to cost the iPhone 15 fashions and future generations. The firm is switching to the USB-C commonplace that’s already extensively used on many gadgets, together with its Mac computer systems and lots of its iPads.

    Apple is being pressured to part out the Lightning port cables it rolled out in 2012 due to a mandate that European regulators plan to impose in 2024.

    Although shoppers typically do not like change, the transition to USB-C ports will not be that inconvenient. That’s as a result of the usual is already extensively used on a spread of computer systems, smartphones and different gadgets individuals already personal. The shift to USB-C could even be a well-liked transfer since that commonplace usually costs gadgets extra rapidly and additionally gives faster information switch speeds.

    iPhone 15 options

    The primary iPhone 15 fashions have been redesigned to incorporate a shape-shifting cutout on the show display screen that Apple calls its “Dynamic Island” for app notifications — a glance that was launched with final 12 months’s Pro and Pro Max gadgets. The primary fashions are additionally getting a faster chip utilized in final 12 months’s Pro and Pro Max fashions, whereas the following technology of the premium iPhone 15s will run on an much more superior processor that can allow the gadgets to accommodate the identical sort of video video games that usually require a console.

    iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

    The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max additionally will probably be geared up with what Apple maintains is the equal of seven digicam lenses. They will embody periscope-style telephoto lens that can enhance the standard of pictures taken from far distances. The telephoto lens boasts a 5x optical zoom, which lags the 10x optical zoom on Samsung’s premium Galaxy S22 Ultra, however represents an improve from the 3x optical zoom on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.

    In anticipation of subsequent 12 months’s launch of Apple’s blended actuality headset, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can even have a spatial video possibility designed for viewing on that headset.

    Apple is encasing the premium fashions in titanium that the corporate says is similar alloy used on some area ships.

    Besides its new iPhones, Apple additionally introduced its subsequent technology of smartwatches — a product that made its debut practically a decade in the past. The Series 9 Apple Watch, available in shops September 22, will embody a new gesture management that can allow customers to manage alarms and reply telephone calls by double snapping their thumbs with a finger.

  • Apple iPhone 15 launched in India, starting at ₹79,900

    Apple iPhone 15 goes to be made accessible in India in congruence with its international launch for the primary time starting at ₹79,900.

    The pre-order date set for iPhone 15 have been set for September 15, and the official gross sales set to start from September 22. This launch marks the primary iPhone launch after the inauguration of Apple’s official shops in Delhi and Mumbai.

    • Also learn: Apple iPhone 15: Pricing in India versus different nations

    The iPhone 15 collection contains, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 professional max. The iPhone 15 Plus collection with the 128 GB mannequin begins at ₹89,900, the 256 GB variant at ₹99,900, and the in depth 512 GB model priced at ₹1,19,900.

    • Also learn: Apple’s new iPhones get quicker chips, higher cameras and new charging ports
    High costs in India

    Although, specialists watching the smartphone manufacturing area are jubilant, iPhones are being offered at a a lot greater markup in India, in comparability to different markets around the globe.

    To put this in perspective — in the US, costs begin at $799 (₹66,242) for the iPhone 15 128 GB and go as much as $1,199 (₹92,772) for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In Dubai, iPhone 15 begins at Dh 3,399 (₹76,719).

    • Also learn: Apple Event 2023: Apple unveils iPhone 15, new watches

    Experts imagine that Apple is purposefully driving up promoting value of iPhones in India, even because the Centre’s subsidies to make iPhones in India, have diminished the manufacturing prices of the cellphone.

    Faisal Kawoosa of TechArc defined, “it’s unlikely that the price of manufacturing for iPhones in India, differs from different elements of the world. However, given the restricted buying energy of most Indians, iPhones proceed to be a luxurious product. Apple is positioning iPhone 15 as such.”

  • Apple iPhone 15: Pricing in India versus other countries

    Apple has unveiled its newest lineup of smartphones, the iPhone 15 sequence, introducing design enhancements and up to date expertise. The sequence contains iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Pre-orders for the iPhone 15 sequence will start on September 15, with official gross sales starting on September 22. This launch marks the primary iPhone launch after the inauguration of Apple’s official shops in Delhi and Mumbai.

    The iPhone 15 sequence presents a variety of storage choices to go well with varied wants.

    iPhone 15

    The base mannequin, the iPhone 15, with 128 GB of storage, is priced at Rs 79,900. For these requiring extra storage, the 256 GB variant is on the market at Rs 89,900, whereas the top-tier 512 GB model could be obtained for Rs 1,09,900.

    iPhone 15 Plus

    The iPhone 15 Plus sequence follows the same pricing construction, with the 128 GB mannequin beginning at Rs 89,900, the 256 GB variant at Rs 99,900, and the in depth 512 GB model priced at Rs 1,19,900. These costs make the iPhone 15 sequence a aggressive selection for shoppers searching for customisable smartphone choices.

    Global costs

    In the US, costs begin at $799 (Rs 66,242) for the iPhone 15 128 GB and go as much as $1,199 (Rs 92,772) for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In Dubai, iPhone 15 begins at Dh 3,399 (Rs 76,719)

    Features

    The A17 Pro chip, launched in the iPhone 15 Pro sequence, boasts a complicated 3nm structure, setting a brand new commonplace in smartphone processing energy. Despite the efficiency increase, Apple asserts that battery life stays constant, with the Pro fashions able to as much as 29 hours of video playback. 

    Also learn| Apple Event 2023: iPhone 15 to return with USB-C

    Camera capabilities have additionally seen enhancements from the earlier fashions. The major lens now presents a 48 MP decision. The ultra-wide-angle lens can now be utilized for macrophotography.

    The iPhone 15 Pro showcases an aerospace-grade titanium design, and in a transfer in direction of sustainability, the interior body of the iPhone 15 sequence is constructed completely from 100 per cent recycled aluminium, aligning with Apple’s 2030 local weather objectives.

  • Optiemus enters into JV with Corning International to produce ‘Made in India’ mobile glass covers

    The collaboration will pave the way for the manufacturing  “Made in India” finished cover glass parts for use in mobile devices, and other cover glass applications.


    The collaboration will pave the way in which for the manufacturing “Made in India” completed cowl glass components to be used in mobile units, and different cowl glass purposes.
    | Photo Credit:
    mihailomilovanovic

    Optiemus Infracom, a number one telecommunications and manufacturing group, and Corning International Corporation have entered into a three way partnership (JV) to arrange India’s first manufacturing facility for producing high-quality completed cowl glass components for the mobile client electronics trade.

    Corning is among the world’s main innovators in glass and glass-ceramic supplies for mobile client electronics purposes.

    The 70:30 JV between Optiemus and Corning will assist broaden India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem, as the federal government strengthens its ‘Make in India’ initiative, the businesses stated including that this collaboration will pave the way in which for the manufacturing of “Made in India” completed cowl glass components to be used in mobile units, and different cowl glass purposes.

    “We are dedicated to make obtainable world-class high-quality merchandise for international and native manufacturers. Embarking on this new journey, we intend to emerge as one of many high producers of completed cowl glass components to be used in mobile client digital units in the subsequent 5 years,” Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Optiemus Infracom, stated.

    He stated the collective experience in innovation, design, and manufacturing, will present holistic options for the manufacturers.