In addition, Apple has also released macOS Monterey 12.2, the second major update to the macOS Monterey update that launched in October…reports Asian Lite News
Apple has released watchOS 8.4, the third major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September.
According to Apple’s release notes, watchOS 8.4 fixes a bug that could cause some Apple Watch chargers not to work as expected with the Apple Watch.
A number of Apple Watch Series 7 owners have reported issues with charging after updating to the watchOS 8.3 software.
The Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 per cent battery charge, needs to be on a charger, and needs to be in the range of the iPhone.
To install the update, open the dedicated Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone. Then, navigate to General > Software Update to check for the new software.
In addition, Apple has also released macOS Monterey 12.2, the second major update to the macOS Monterey update that launched in October.
macOS Monterey 12.2 comes over a month after the release of the 12.1 update, which brought SharePlay support.
The macOS Monterey 12.2 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences.
The iPhone maker’s second biggest global manufacturer Pegatron is likely to commence operations in India this year…reports Nishant Arora
As India renews its thrust on local manufacturing of electronics under the production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) with Union Budget 2022-23 around the corner, Apple and Samsung alone are expected to manufacture/assemble smartphones worth around $5 billion (nearly Rs 37,000 crore) in the financial year 2021-22.
The two giants are set to surpass the PLI targets set by the government by over 50 per cent, according to industry experts.
“The leading global value chains (GVC) firms have got off to a blazing start. Besides Pegatron and Bharat FIH which are now gearing up, the big three — Wistron, Pegatron and Samsung — will achieve significant production of $5 billion in 2022,” Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), told .
Apple’s contract manufacturers in India — Foxconn and Wistron — will avail the PLI incentives for the first time this year.
The iPhone maker’s second biggest global manufacturer Pegatron is likely to commence operations in India this year.
Samsung, which has the world’s largest mobile handset manufacturing factory in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, will avail the incentives under the scheme for the second year.
According to Mohindroo, Indian players like Lava, Padget Electronics (Dixon) and UTL also appear to be cracking the thresholds while “Opteimus and Bhagwati are gearing up”.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last year extended the PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing with a focus on mobile phones by a year until 2025-26, though the base year of the scheme 2019-20 remains the same.
The PLI scheme provides an incentive of 4 per cent to 6 per cent on incremental sales of goods under target segments that are manufactured in India, for five years.
Apple and Samsung are also exporting locally-produced smartphones to the world like never before.
In 2021, the top countries that ‘Make in India’ iPhones were exported to include the UK (27 per cent), Japan (24 per cent), the Netherlands (23 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), Italy (4 per cent), Turkey (4 per cent) and the UAE (2 per cent), according to data by market research firm CMR.
The top countries that Samsung exported to from India in 2021 include the UAE (47 per cent), Russia (12 per cent), South Africa (7 per cent), Germany (5 per cent), Morocco (4 per cent) and the UK (3 per cent).
The introduction of the PLI scheme has given a positive thrust to India’s participation and rise in the global value chains.
“With all the green shoots, the country expects exports from India to grow further in the coming years. Samsung and Apple’s manufacturing partners have invested under the PLI scheme and both dominate mobile phone exports from India,” said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.
For instance, Apple’s share of iPhone exports from India stands at more than 4.6 million units in 2021, with exports to Europe, Japan and the Middle East, among others.
“Over the past four years, Apple’s share of make-in-India iPhones has grown 15 times to reach 75 per cent in 2021,” Ram told.
Apple has now started assembling its new flagship iPhone 13 in India. iPhone 13 is being assembled on trial basis at the Foxconn plant in Chennai, and will be available in the domestic market, as well as for exports from the country by early next year.
It is reportedly ramping up production of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices in India and Vietnam to end its dependence on China.
The tech giant is already assembling its highest-selling models iPhone 12, iPhone 11 and XR in India, along with iPhone SE, 7 and 6S.
Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with iPhone SE.
Apple has also significantly increased the price of all of its products in the country as a result of inflation….reports Asian Lite News
Apple recently closed its business in Turkey due to concerns about the sharp drop in the exchange rate of the Turkish lira and now a new report has claimed that the iPhone maker has resumed sales of products in the country.
According to MacRumors, Apple has also significantly increased the price of all of its products in the country as a result of inflation.
Customers purchasing the iPhone 13 Pro in Turkey will now be charged 19.999 TL, up from 14.999 TL earlier this week, the Apple Watch Series 7 at 5.399 TL, up from 4.399 TL, and AirPods Pro at 3.599 TL, up from 2.899 TL.
The Turkish lira crashed to a record low of 13.44 to the dollar earlier this week.
The Turkish lira is currently equivalent to approximately $0.078. It has depreciated by nearly 40 per cent this year and 20 per cent in the last week alone. In the past year, the lira has fallen by 45 per cent against the US dollar.
Turkey’s currency has been in a downward slide since early 2018 due to geopolitical tensions with the West, current account deficits, shrinking currency reserves.
There is no word on when Apple might resume sales in Turkey. Meanwhile, the inflation rate is close to 20 per cent, dramatically increasing the price of goods.
This microchip shortage has badly affected the automotive industry, which has increasingly become a big consumer of microchips…reports Nishant Arora
The two big-ticket investments in India this year — Tesla and Apple — which were set to lift the country as a brand on the world map and further end dependence on China-led investments in the tech and auto sectors, has somewhat been delayed owing to the pandemic and global chip shortage. Nonetheless, both the giants now aim to rewrite their India manufacturing story next year as Covid slows down.
Both Elon Musk and Tim Cook had announced a big-bang entry into the country. Musk wanted his electric cars to run on the domestic roads (despite import duty concerns) while Cook announced to open first branded retail store (in Mumbai), along with a thrust on assembling/manufacturing more Apple products in the country.
However, the second Covid-19 wave and a severe automobile semiconductor shortage have somewhat hampered their plans for the year.
According to Soumen Mandal, research analyst (IoT, automotive and devices ecosystem) at Counterpoint Research, India is believed to become one of the largest EV markets soon and Tesla is aware of this fact.
“None of the big automakers wants to leave out the opportunity to acquire a share in the India market. Tesla is not an exception in this case. The cheap availability of resources and lower labour cost will allow Tesla as well as other automakers to earn a higher profit if they set up a local manufacturing or assembly plant,” Mandal told .
The government wants Tesla to either start local manufacturing or assembly plant before getting any import tax concession.
“Hence, the desire to earn more profit as well as the wish to acquire a market share in one of the to-be largest auto markets is bringing Tesla to India,” he added.
This microchip shortage has badly affected the automotive industry, which has increasingly become a big consumer of microchips.
When most automakers are predicting that this chip shortage will go through 2023, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that things will turn positive from 2022.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (Xinhua/Ding Ting/IANS)
“All most every automaker is currently suffering from the ongoing semiconductor shortage. While most of the automakers like Stellantis, Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW, Ford and others have cut production severely due to the ongoing chip crisis, Tesla has not been affected significantly,” said Mandal.
The Indian passenger car market is mostly dominated by cars priced below Rs 10 lakh, whereas the current Model 3 of Tesla costs (about Rs 29 lakh without import and other taxes) put the car in the premium segment, and the market share of the premium segment in the country was just 7 per cent in 2020.
Presently, India is under the global spotlight due to the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. Under the scheme, the foreign manufacturers can acquire resources at very nominal cost only if they set up manufacturing or assembly plant, locally.
The PLI scheme has been extra generous towards electric vehicles and its components like batteries because India is already running behind in EV adoption and wants to put a significant number of EVs on road by 2030.
The pandemic has also forced the iPhone maker from opening its own offline store to its fans in India this year. It opened its own online store before the festive season last year, which has seen a tremendous success.
“The retail store continues to be a key fulcrum for Apple’s growth in India. It will steer Apple products availability, accessibility and affordability in the country,” said Prabhu Ram, Head, Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research (CMR).
The consumer demand for the new iPhone 13 series is robust in the country. The iPhone 13 series, for which pre-orders were thrown open in India last week, received a record response like last year from fans across the country.
“However, the current supply chain dynamics is causing some constraints for Apple Watch as well as the iPhones. We believe that Apple is slightly better placed in augmenting its supplies over the coming quarters, and meet the strong demand,” Ram told.
Apple’s newly-launched iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max push the boundaries of what is possible in a smartphone…reports Asian Lite News
This time, the Pro’s camera system gets its biggest advancement ever with new ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto cameras that aims to capture stunning photos and videos, powered by the unmatched performance of A15 Bionic.
“For long now, smartphone cameras have been a key battleground for OEMs to differentiate their premium flagship phones in a hyper-competitive smartphone market. With new features such as 3x optical zoom, macro photography and the Cinematic Mode, Apple has been able bring new camera capabilities to its iPhone 13 series,” CMR’s Head, Industry Intelligence Group Prabhu Ram told IANS.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
New computational photography features like photographic styles personalise the look of images in the camera app, and both models now include Night mode on all cameras. Video takes a huge leap forward with Cinematic mode for beautiful depth-of-field transitions, macro video, Time-lapse and Slo-mo, and even better low-light performance.
“The Cinematic mode, in particular, brings powerful visual storytelling capabilities to consumers everywhere. The cinematic mode will further democratise professional-grade film-making sans the need for expensive cinema cameras,” Ram added.
With new sensors and lenses for all three rear cameras, optimised to work seamlessly with iOS 15 and powered by the new image signal processor (ISP) in A15 Bionic for improved noise reduction and tone mapping, the iPhone 13 Pro lineup features the best camera system ever on iPhone.
“For creative control, the focus can be changed during and after capture, and users can also adjust the level of bokeh in the Photos app and iMovie for iOS, and coming soon to iMovie for macOS and Final Cut Pro, making the lineup the only devices able to edit the depth-of-field effect in video even after recording. Enabled by A15 Bionic and advanced machine learning algorithms, Cinematic mode records in Dolby Vision HDR,” Apple said.
Apple has also posted a new ad for the iPhone 13 Pro highlighting its cinematic video recording capabilities. The ad was directed by two-time Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow.
“That’s really bringing it up to the professional film cameras,” cinematographer Greig Fraser, who was joined in a promotional video with Bigelow, said during Apple’s Tuesday event. “We’re going to very, very soon see filmmakers make films in a different way.”
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Cinematic mode on iPhone records videos of people, pets, and objects with a better depth effect. For creative control, the focus can be changed during and after capture, and users can also adjust the level of bokeh effect in the Photos app and iMovie for iOS, and coming soon to iMovie for macOS and Final Cut Pro, making the lineup the only devices able to edit the depth-of-field effect in video even after recording. Enabled by A15 Bionic and advanced machine learning algorithms, Cinematic mode records in Dolby Vision HDR.
“It will democratise film making and essentially help a lot of user generated content to go pro level, which can further better the consumption of such content. Also (it is a) good option for solo content creators especially for digital platforms. The new iPhone comes with great features at a time when live commerce and social commerce is commencing. The camera features will help many solopreneurs to create a compelling and immersive video stories to complement the trend,” techARC Founder and Chief Analyst, Faisal Kawoosa, told IANS.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also introduced ProRes, an advanced video codec used widely as the final delivery format for commercials, feature films, and broadcasts, to offer higher colour fidelity and less compression. iPhone is the only smartphone to provide an end-to-end workflow — capture, edit, and share in Dolby Vision or ProRes.
“I think the form factor here and advancement in computational photography will surely help more user to shift in favour of smartphone photography. However, cameras will still have professional audience sticking with them but surely, they need to innovate further,” market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak said.
Last month, a High Court judge ruled that Apple had infringed two of the patents, and therefore Apple should pay fees…reports Asian Lite News.
The US tech giant Apple have warned that it could exit Britain if a court orders it to pay “commercially unacceptable” fees to patent company Optis Cellular over alleged infringement of 3G and 4G patents, media reported. The company is currently involved in a lawsuit with Optis in the UK, with Apple refusing to pay the firm license fees for patents Optis claims it used in the iPhone and other technologies, according to a report by appleinsider. Last month, a High Court judge ruled that Apple had infringed two of the patents, and therefore Apple should pay fees. The value of the fees has yet to be determined, but This Is Money writes it could be a legal fight worth up to 5 billion pounds ($7 billion) to Apple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mig5jGvxK8
As for how much it could be, Justice Meade said during a hearing in January that Apple “might be disappointed” by the set rate, the appleinsider reported. Meade offered it was unlikely that Apple would perform a drastic action, such as exiting the UK market, if the fees are too high, with “no evidence it is even remotely possible” that Apple would consider it. Marie Demetriou, Apple’s lawyer, argued back, as quoted in a report by appleinsider, “I’m not sure that is right. Apple’s position is it should indeed be able to reflect on the terms and decide whether commercially it is right to accept them or to leave the UK market. There may be terms that are set by the court which are just commercially unacceptable.”
LG recently held a special promotion for iPhones, iPads and other Apple products on Lifecare, its online shopping mall for group employees, according to the sources….reports Asian Lite News
LG Group, South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate, is apparently looking to beef up its business relationship with Apple, industry insiders said on Tuesday, amid rumours that its electronics affiliate may sell the US tech titan’s products at its retail shops.
LG recently held a special promotion for iPhones, iPads and other Apple products on Lifecare, its online shopping mall for group employees, according to the sources.
This was reportedly the first time that the group offered mobile devices from another smartphone manufacturer for its employee purchase programme, reports Yonhap news agency.
The move came amid growing speculations that LG Electronics may sell Apple products to local consumers at its 400 stores nationwide following its departure from the mobile business.
In April, LG Electronics announced that it will withdraw from the smartphone business by July after years of losses.
Industry insiders said LG Group is looking to boost business ties with Apple for its future growth. The group already has been providing electronics parts, including displays and camera modules, to Apple.
Recently, its electric vehicle (EV) parts joint venture with Magna International Inc., LG Magna e-Powertrain Co., has been linked with Apple’s possible self-driving car development.
LG Uplus, the group’s telecommunications unit, also started to develop an office working system compatible with Apple iOS for employees using iPhones.
Following LG’s exit from the mobile business, Apple has been trying to expand its presence in the South Korean smartphone market that is dominated by its archrival Samsung Electronics.
Apple recently launched a trade-in programme in South Korea to woo consumers with LG smartphones.
Referring to the existing App Store investigation, he added that the CMA had “already uncovered some worrying trends,” and that, “consumers and businesses could be harmed if they go unchecked.”..reports Asian Lite News.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it will examine if Apple and Google constitute a duopoly on mobile devices given their control over app stores.
Alongside its existing examination of Apple over the App Store, the CMA has begun investigating whether the dominant iOS and Android platforms represent unfair competition, AppleInsider reported on Tuesday.
“Apple and Google control the major gateways through which people download apps or browse the web on their mobiles — whether they want to shop, play games, stream music or watch TV,” CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli was quoted as saying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIsc5QoUuYs
“We’re looking into whether this could be creating problems for consumers and the businesses that want to reach people through their phones,” he said.
Referring to the existing App Store investigation, he added that the CMA had “already uncovered some worrying trends,” and that, “consumers and businesses could be harmed if they go unchecked.”
This new study would in theory have come under the aegis of the UK’s newly formed Big Tech regulator. However, the Digital Markets Unit will have no authority until new legislation empowers it in 2022.
The CMA is calling for users or businesses to contribute to its study and emphasizes that it is soliciting the views of developers in particular. The closing date for submissions is July 26.
