Newly-launched Apple iPhones, Watch Series 4 now on sale globally

Apple has announced that its newly-launched iPhone XR, XS, XS Max and 'Watch Series 4' are going on sale globally from Friday.

The new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4 will be available in India starting September 28.

In India, one would have to shell out Rs 12,075 a month, as zero-cost EMI, for a period of one year to own the 512GB variant of iPhone XS Max -- the most expensive iPhone released this month -- that would cost Rs 1,44,900.

The iPhone XS with 512GB storage model would be priced Rs 134,900 and the cheapest of the lot, iPhone XR (64GB)would hit the shelves at a starting price of Rs 76,900 in India.

The iPhone XS and XS Max support dual SIM and dual standby functionality and are fuelled by Apple's latest A12 Bionic chipset built on 7-nm design and a new neural engine with an 8-core dedicated machine learning (ML) processor.

New iPhones worth the cost as they replace many other gadgets: Tim Cook

Defending the high cost consumers would have to pay to own the most expensive iPhone released this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the device is worth the cost as it replaces many other gadgets one might need, a media report said.

Apple's newest line of iPhones -- the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max -- cost as much as $1,449 for the most expensive model, CNBC reported late on Tuesday.

"The phone has replaced your digital camera. You don't have a separate one anymore. It's replaced your video camera. It's replaced your music player. It's replaced all of these different devices," Cook was quoted as saying to ABC's "Good Morning America".

"And so arguably the product is really important. And we've found that people want to have the most innovative product available and with that, it's not cheap to do."

Apple engaging third party to make a few iPhone sets in Bengaluru: Govt

Technology major Apple has started making certain models of iPhone in Bengaluru through a contract manufacturer, Parliament was informed on Monday.

"While Apple has already started manufacturing of certain models of iPhone in Bengaluru through a contract manufacturer, details of private business decisions are not maintained by the Centre," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The government has received representations seeking concessions including duty exemption on manufacturing and repair units, components, capital equipment and consumables for smartphone manufacturing, which have not been accepted, he said.

In a separate reply, the minister said as on July 15, 16,324 applications have been received of which 11,129 have been recognised as startups.

Apple shuns the tech industry's apology tour

Sorry, Apple’s not sorry. There has been a theme at the tech industry’s big conferences this year: Facebook and other tech giants keep telling us that they’ve learned from their mistakes and are going to be a lot more thoughtful about the far-out stuff they plan on doing in the future.

Apple has been cool to this narrative, and it was striking how the company’s executives danced around the tech backlash story line from the stage on Monday at its annual conference for developers.

Though Apple acknowledged the darker side of society’s obsession with the digital world, it didn’t go anywhere near the idea that its own technology might bear any of the blame.

Apple did announce several new ways of letting adults and children limit how much time they spend on their phones. A tool called Screen Time, for example, is meant to help iPhone customers manage the time they spend on their devices. You can also add limits to how much you use certain apps. And parents will be able to use Screen Time to place limits on how their children use their iPhones.

Got your iphone battery replaced last year? Apple to offer you $50 rebate

Apple Inc. said it will reimburse customers who paid full price for iPhone battery replacements.

The $50 credits will be issued to users who paid for out-of-warranty iPhone battery swaps between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 28, 2017, Apple said in a statement on its website. The credits apply to battery replacements by Apple Stores or authorized Apple repair providers, and cover iPhone 6 or later devices. Apple said it will email eligible customers about obtaining the credit by July 27.

Apple disclosed late last year that its iPhone software intentionally slowed down the performance of older iPhones with aging batteries to avoid random shutdowns. The company said that new batteries stopped the slowdowns and offered $29 battery replacements, a $50 discount.

The credit announced on Wednesday means that those who replaced their batteries before the program went into place will now get that discount as well.

iPhone X sales slowdown: Suppliers struggle with high inventory low demand

Investors hunting for clues to the iPhone X’s reception can take a deeper look at its main manufacturing partners. And the latest doesn’t look good.

Apple Inc.’s five largest device assemblers reported a sharp slowdown after peaking at the end of last year, suggesting demand for the high-end device may have faded just a quarter after its release.

While Hai Precision Industry Co., Pegatron Corp. and three other key suppliers reported an 8 percent rise in their total sales across the March quarter, growth slowed sharply later in the period - a drop that in the past has presaged a downturn for Apple.

The concern is that the iPhone X, while enjoying a customary holiday quarter spike for new-generation Apple gadgets, fizzled out rapidly. Apple’s costliest smartphone has struggled to draw customers in emerging markets, while competitors from Huawei to Xiaomi roll out more premium phones and dominate China - the US company’s biggest foreign market. On Friday, Morgan Stanley cut its estimate on iPhone shipments by 6 million, underscoring the growing unease since Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the maker of iPhone processors, issued a disappointing outlook that triggered a 7 percent loss in Apple’s value over just two days.

Screen addiction: Is Apple obliged to make the iPhone safer for kids?

TECHNOLOGY NEWS - The average teen spends at least six hours a day looking at a screen, with most of it from using a smartphone.

Many parents, naturally, have wondered if so much time spent in front of a screen is safe.

Recent research suggests it’s not. Teens who spend five or more hours a day on electronic devices are 71 per cent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide than those who spend less than an hour a day on a device. Digital media use is linked with more depression and less happiness, with experiments, natural experiments and longitudinal studies all showing that digital media use leads to unhappiness rather than the other way around.

Steve Jobs might have been onto something when he told a surprised reporter in 2010 that he didn’t let his kids use iPads and he generally restricted their screen time.

Indeed, there’s an increasing consensus that the technology companies who have led us into the digital age have a responsibility to build some safeguards. That’s why I helped draft a letter from Apple shareholders spearheaded by Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System that asks the company to take steps to protect their youngest consumers. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it could also improve the company’s bottom line.

Limitation, not elimination

According to the research, the problem isn’t teens owning smartphones. In fact, teens who don’t use smartphones at all are actually a little less happy than those who use them a limited amount.

It’s only when use goes beyond two hours a day that issues begin to appear, including less sleep and a higher risk of suicide-related outcomes such as depression and making suicide plans.

Flipkart ranking: These top smartphones got buyers drooling in 2017

The year 2017 was a great one for the smartphone industry, despite the overall consumer market being somewhat slow in India. While some of the revolutionary features like the 18:9 aspect ratio screens and dual-camera set-ups excited the tech geeks as well as common buyers alike, futuristic technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence became mainstream in smartphones.

Simultaneously, there was seen a major shift in users’ preference, too – while buyers earlier were more after devices carrying powerful innards, the year 2017 saw them drifting more towards exciting features – along with top-tier specifications adding value to capable smartphones.

Home-grown e-commerce major on Friday released its pick of best smartphones in various segments, based on the shopping trends seen across online shoppers on its platform. The company claimed to have arrived at its selection “after analysing the shopping carts of over 150 bn shoppers”.

“With the e-commerce landscape drastically growing in India, the smartphone category continues to be a frontrunner among online shoppers. Flipkart flagship sales events, exclusive partnerships and innovative schemes like ‘no-cost EMI’, ‘product exchange offers’ and ‘buy now, pay later’ has exponentially impacted the sales on the online smartphone category, specifically the budget and mid- range segment,” Flipkart said in a statement.

Here is a snapshot of Flipkart’s top picks in various segments:

iPhone X debut: Should Apple worry as model 7 outsells 8 in US?

Apple Inc’s older iPhone 7 models are outselling the recently launched iPhone 8 ahead of the early November debut of the premium iPhone X, broker KeyBanc Capital Markets said, citing carrier store surveys.

Traditionally, new editions of the iPhone have sold quickly as fans queue for the latest upgrade, but early surveys have added to chatter that the iPhone 8 is not proving as popular as its predecessors.

US wireless carrier AT&T said last week its third-quarter postpaid handset upgrades were fewer by nearly 900,000 from a year ago, and brokerage Jefferies attributed it to weak iPhone 8 demand.

“Many respondents indicated that a meaningful portion of customers are buying iPhone 7 in lieu of the new iPhone 8, given the lack of significant enhancements in the new phone,” KeyBanc analyst John Vinh wrote in a client note.

Vinh also said feedback from stores indicated that customers were waiting to purchase the iPhone X or to compare the iPhone X with other models before buying the iPhone 8.

Apple last month introduced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which resemble the iPhone 7 but have a glass back for wireless charging. While iPhone 8 starts from $699 in the United States, iPhone 7 is retailing from $549 after a price cut.

Apple's iPhone 8 pops open due to bloated battery: Chinese state media

A fresh case of Apple Inc's new iPhone popping open due to a swollen battery has been reported in state media in China, the world's biggest smartphone market where the US firm is seeking to revive faltering sales.

The incident comes as Apple investigates similar cases reported in Taiwan and Japan of batteries in its latest iPhone 8 Plus becoming bloated, causing the device's casing to open.

On its website on Thursday, China's state-backed ThePaper.cn cited an iPhone buyer surnamed Liu as saying his newly purchased iPhone 8 Plus arrived cracked open on Oct 5. There was no sign of scorching or an explosion.

Liu told ThePaper he bought the handset through online marketplace of JD.com Inc. He said he did not charge the new device and returned it to the seller.

Pictures taken by Liu and displayed on ThePaper's website showed an iPhone 8 plus split open along the side featuring the sim card holding, with the phone's internal parts visible.

An Apple spokesperson said the company is looking into the matter and declined to comment further.

The incident comes as indifferent reviews of the iPhone 8, which comes 10 years after Apple released the first version of the revolutionary phone, drove down shares of the company since the handset's launch.

Some investors worry whether pre-orders for the device were well below previous launches, although some Apple fans are waiting for the premium iPhone X due out in early November.

Apple competes in China with local makers, including Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Oppo which sell phones with high-end features at lower prices.

Apple to launch iPhone 8, X today: Watch out for its AR feature

Apple’s going to announce its latest iPhone model today. But we already know about one of the coolest new features: the dead-simple ARKit, which allows devices to create cool AR apps with no hardware (other than your iPhone camera) required.

However, the biggest thing that Apple is about to release isn’t its screen, but ARKit, the company’s entrance into the augmented reality (AR) space.

Apple’s ARKit, which will be released in iOS 11, will give developers new capabilities to mix virtual objects with the real world through the phone’s camera. Already, huge companies like Ikea have developed an array of beta augmented reality (AR) apps in anticipation of iOS 11, from a The Walking Dead inspired zombie game to an app that helps you find friends at music festivals.

Apple to launch iPhone 8 It is a new feature that will allow you to create unparalleled augmented reality experiences for iPhone and iPad. By blending digital objects and information with the environment around you, ARKit takes applications beyond the screen, freeing them to interact with the real world in entirely new ways.

ALSO READ: iPhone X, 8 launch today: Here are all the details on the Apple event

Good news for Apple fans! You may soon get an iPhone 5S for Rs 15,000

Global technology major Apple Inc could be planning to lower the online price of its iPhone 5S handset in India, mainly to expand its loyalty base in the country, according to media reports. The sharp reduction in the iPhone 5S price – from Rs 18,000 at present – is said to be part of an exclusive online market strategy of Apple, which aims to dominate India’s mid-range smartphone market segment.

To wrest a larger share of the market in this segment from rival Android players like Samsung, Motorola, Lenovo, Oppo and Asus, the Apple iPhone 5S will have the latest version of iOS and many other flagship features like a good camera and robust battery backup – all for Rs 15,000. According to three senior industry executives quoted by the Economic Times in a report, the company's distributors have already informed retail stores of this price cut and that the iPhone 5S would be sold shortly on the online platform at an aggressive price point. Simultaneously, the iPhone SE will start selling in India through the offline channel at a price of Rs 20,000. “The company will have a 10-12% pricing advantage for the iPhone SE once the company starts assembling it in India by next month,” an executive was quoted as saying in the ET report.

“Apple wanted to have one iPhone model with an aggressive pricing in India and was banking on company-certified refurbished models. But now that the proposal has been struck down by the government, it is betting on the iPhone 5s,” said one of the executives.

A price-cut and accessibility both online and offline, in addition to higher traction for the newer iPhone models, are expected to boost Apple's India sales. At present, the online channel accounts for 50-55 per cent of iPhone sales in India, compared with about 30% for the larger industry.
READ MORE

Apple exploring app that can charge iPhone handsets using Wi-Fi routers

US tech giant Apple is experimenting with wireless charging technologies that could see users charge their iPhones with a Wi-Fi router.

"Apple's patent application for 'Wireless Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antennas' is a method for transferring power to electronic devices over frequencies normally dedicated to data communications," appleinsider.com reported on Friday.

The patch antennas may be used for wireless power transfer at microwave frequencies or other frequencies and may be used to support millimetre wave communications.

The patch antennas may be used to form a beam steering array. The wireless circuitry may include adjustable circuitry to steer wireless signals associated with the antenna array.

"Apple's patent application merely covers the theory behind wireless power transmission using existing communications link frequencies, and does not divulge specific operating details beyond the implementation of specialised beam forming patch antennas," the report noted.

Apple is set to bring "True Color iPad Pro" screen technology to its smartphones for the first time.

"The screen technology uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment. Which means reading anywhere is more natural and comfortable - almost like looking at a sheet of paper," Forbes.com reported earlier.

The full spectral sensing ambient light sensor will be added to the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8.
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Apple to be worth at least $824 bn in 2017, predict analysts

Benefiting from its expensive 'plus' models and rising demands of its products, Apple Inc will be worth at least $824 billion this year, analysts have predicted.

Apple's shares already soared more than 16 per cent to fresh highs during the second quarter but analysts are optimistic the stock has much more room to grow, MarketWatch reported on Monday.

Canada-based global investment bank RBC Capital Markets on Monday lifted its 12-month price target to $157 from $155 and reiterated an outperform rating.

That would increase Apple's market capitalisation to $824 billion from $740 billion currently. Apple's stock hit a record high of $144.77 on April 4, the report said.

RBC analyst Amit Daryanani also increased his March-quarter iPhone estimates and fiscal 2017 revenue estimates, saying trends indicate consumer preference for Apple's more expensive plus models, which have contributed positively to average selling prices.

While the company's third-quarter outlook "could come modestly below estimates" as consumers delay planned upgrades ahead of the iPhone 8 launch in September, its large installed base and attractive valuation make it worthy of investment despite muted expectations.

Analyst at Pacific Crest Andy Hargreaves suggested that Apple is struggling with the optical fingerprint functionality expected on the OLED iPhone, which could lead to delays or the removal of it.

"While this creates some risk of production delays, at this point we do not believe it materially threatens volume through the coming iPhone cycle," Hargreaves was quoted as saying.

According to a report in USA on Tuesday, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak believed that Apple, Google and Facebook will be bigger in 2075 and dominate the world.

Shares of Apple inched 0.6 per cent higher to $141.12 on Monday. The company will announce its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2017 on May 2.

Apple had $246.1 billion cash at the end of its last fiscal quarter.
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Apple takes on Samsung, iPhone 8 to start at $850-900

Apple's pricing strategy for its iPhones to be released in 2017 is predicted to be lower than previous versions and the rumoured high-end iPhone 8 with an OLED display is expected to cost upwards of $1,000, but a base 64GB model could start at $850 to $900 in the US.

"This price point would be similar to Samsung's new Galaxy S8+, which starts at $840 to $850," macrumors.com quoted Steven Milunovich, Analyst, financial services firm UBS, as saying.

iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will start at around $649 and $749, respectively.

In addition to an edge-to-edge OLED display with narrow bezels, the iPhone 8 is expected to come with wireless charging, no physical Home button, and potentially 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning.

The upcoming phone are also rumoured to equip "True Color iPad Pro" screen technology for the first time.

The screen technology uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment. Which means reading anywhere is more natural and comfortable - almost like looking at a sheet of paper.

The full spectral sensing ambient light sensor will be added across the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8. (READ MORE)

Apple to begin assembling iPhones in Bengaluru soon: Karnataka IT minister

To gain its foothold in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market, Apple Inc is ready to start assembling iPhones in India.

“Apple Inc is ready to start assembling high-end iPhones in less than a month. This will boost its chances of gaining a foothold in the fast growing Indian market, said Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thurday.

"In less than a month, we will have something out - Apple will start assembling and making its high-end iPhones at its plant in the city. Taiwanese contract manufacturer company, Wistron Corp will help Apple in in the process,"   Kharge added.

Recently, Apple has been in talks with Indian government seeking concessions on import of key components. However, the Indian government has rejected most of the demands of the Cupertino based company.

Kharge said if the Centre is keen on taking on China, it should not give special treatment to Apple alone, but to other players as well such as Samsung and Lenovo.

“Open the entire eco-system for high-end manufacturing of electronics if you really want to compete with China and Taiwan," Kharge said.

Kharge also said that the government should give companies certain timelines, subsidies and incentives to create a level-playing field for them.

"The government should give companies a timeline, say in 10 years they should be able to manufacture 100 per cent of phones and its components by procuring them from the local market. Such a timeline should be given because we don't have that environment now," he said.

"The government should also give companies subsidies and incentives to create a level-playing field for them to strengthen the Indian eco-system," Kharge said. (READ MORE)

Apple leak reveals new expensive iPhone 8

LATEST BUSINESS NEWS - The 5.8-inch iPhone 8 with an OLED display — that may be called 'iPhone X' — is reportedly being launched along two other devices — updated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (with brand names as iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus), a media report said.

According to the financial newspaper Nikkei, Apple will shrink the top and bottom bezels to make iPhone 8 smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus.

The report also claimed that priced at $1,000, iPhone 8 will be the most expensive smartphone Apple has ever released.

In February, a report claimed that out of the a 5.8-inch display, only 5.15-inch would be usable. The rest of the space would feature a "function area".

Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 would also come with wireless charging.

The company was also planning to introduce a new connector type for accessories for the iPhone, iPad and other devices through its official Made-for-iPhone (MFi) licensing programme.(READ MORE)

Apple to start India manufacturing in coming months with iPhone SE: Report

Apple Inc will in the coming months start assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturer's plant in the technology hub of Bengaluru, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp is setting up a plant in Bengaluru to focus solely on assembling iPhones, a separate source told Reuters earlier this month.

Apple's move comes as it seeks to boost its share in the world's fastest growing major mobile market, where handsets far cheaper than Apple's iPhones dominate. It also comes as smartphone sales growth is slowing in Asia's other massive market, China.


To lower prices, Apple has been seeking to set up local production and has been in talks with the Indian federal government regarding issues such as tax concessions.

The industry source told Reuters the initial manufacturing of the iPhone SE model was not contingent on those concessions.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Economic Times newspaper earlier on Friday reported Apple planned to initially assemble 300,000 to 400,000 iPhone SE handsets in India. The industry source told Reuters the numbers would be substantially lower to begin with.(Read More)

GST could throw spanner in Apple's Make in India plans: Report

Apple Inc for manufacturing its flagship devices in the country, reported The Economic Times on Monday.

The financial daily quoted Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia as saying that giving individual exemptions under the GST regime was not possible. So, Adhia explained, all countervailing duty (CVD) exemptions would go.

As reported earlier, the Cupertino, US-headquartered company continues to engage in talks with the central government over full-scale manufacturing of its flagship devices in the country. For this, Apple is seeking a 15-year CVD exemption from the government to make India a hub for exporting the devices rather than just producing devices for the local market, according to officials at the commerce ministry. Apple is facing a challenge of rising input costs in China, apart from the Chinese government increasingly cracking down on foreign companies.(Read More)

Apple inching closer to iPhone assembly in Bengaluru

The government of Karnataka said on Thursday it welcomed a proposal from Apple Inc to begin initial manufacturing operations in the state, in a sign the tech company is slowly moving forward with plans to assemble iPhones in the country.

"Apple's intentions to manufacture in Bengaluru will foster cutting edge technology eco system and supply chain development in the state, which are critical for India to compete globally," the government of the south Indian state said in a statement.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters, however, that no deal, or memorandum of understanding had so far been finalised with the Karnataka government.

The person, who asked not to be named, said if Apple did go ahead with plans to begin assembling the iPhone, it was likely to do so initially at a plant being set up by its Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp at Peenya on the outskirts of the tech hub of Bengaluru, Karnataka.(Read More)