logo
Weekly Tech Recap: Google unveils Gemini upgrades at I/O, Trump threatens tariffs on India-made iPhones and more

Weekly Tech Recap: Google unveils Gemini upgrades at I/O, Trump threatens tariffs on India-made iPhones and more

Mint25-05-2025
With tech news coming in thick and fast all week, it can be hard to keep track of all the updates. To help the readers stay updated, we've compiled the Weekly Tech Recap, where we take a stock of the biggest developments from the world of technology. Without further ado, let's dive into the top stories that made waves in the tech world this week.
After a protracted legal battle, Epic Games' Fortnite finally made its comeback on the Apple App Store earlier this week. While Apple had previously refused to reinstate Fortnite until its appeal was cleared by the courts, the company finally relented after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers told it to approve the submission or return to court to explain the legal basis for rejecting it.
Last week, Apple also approved an updated app from Spotify, the audio streaming giant, featuring external payment links for purchasing subscriptions.
As expected, Google's I/O 2025 event was all about AI. Key announcements included numerous upgrades to Gemini, the unveiling of Veo 3 and Imagen 4 video and text models, Android XR, and new real-time translation capabilities on Google Meet.
Additionally, the company introduced a new $250/month AI Ultra subscription tier aimed at power users and enterprises.
OpenAI announced this week that it will acquire io, the AI hardware startup co-founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, in an all-stock deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. The ChatGPT maker revealed that Altman and Ive have been collaborating 'quietly' since 2023, envisioning hardware products that seamlessly integrate generative AI models.
It isn't yet clear what the new device will be, but Altman said he has already experienced one of the prototypes. The product is expected to enter mass production in 2027, with reports suggesting that OpenAI and Ive plan to ship 100 million AI devices.
'I've been able to live with it, and I think it is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen,' the OpenAI CEO added.
Amazon-backed AI startup Anthropic unveiled its two new artificial intelligence models—Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4—touting them as the most advanced systems in the industry. Built with enhanced reasoning capabilities, the new models are aimed at improving code generation and supporting agent-style workflows, particularly for developers engaged in complex and extended tasks.
'Claude Opus 4 is the world's best coding model, with sustained performance on complex, long-running tasks and agent workflows,' the company claimed in a recent blog post.
5) Donald Trump threatens 25% tariffs on India-made iPhones:
US President Donald Trump has threatened that Apple's plans to manufacture U.S.-bound iPhones in India will be met with a 25% tariff. Trump further noted that this tariff would apply to all companies in the segment, not just the Cupertino-based tech giant.
"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone's that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Apple to Shutter a Retail Store in China for the First Time Ever
Apple to Shutter a Retail Store in China for the First Time Ever

Mint

time25 minutes ago

  • Mint

Apple to Shutter a Retail Store in China for the First Time Ever

Apple Inc. is closing a retail store in China for the first time, marking a notable retreat in a market where the iPhone maker is striving to revive sales. The company said on Monday that it will shut its Parkland Mall store in the Zhongshan District of Dalian City on Aug. 9, citing a changing landscape at the shopping complex. It has about 56 stores in the Greater China region, making up over 10% of its footprint of more than 530 outlets globally. 'We're always focused on providing an exceptional experience for all of our customers both online and at more than 50 Apple Store locations across Greater China,' the Cupertino, California-based company said in a statement. 'Given the departure of several retailers at the Parkland Mall, we have made the decision to close our store there.' China is grappling with deflationary pressures as consumption wanes and global tariffs hurt exports, a major engine of the world's No. 2 economy. Retail sales growth has fallen short of forecasts, and home prices dropped at a faster pace in June. The closing store is one of two locations in Dalian City. The other, a store at the Olympia 66 shopping complex, remains open. Employees at the site that's closing will be given opportunities to work elsewhere, the company said. The two locations are roughly 10 minutes apart. More broadly, Apple has been looking to stage a comeback in China. Sales in the country fell 2.3% to $16 billion in the second quarter, which ended March 29. Analysts had predicted $16.8 billion. Apple is opening a new store at Uniwalk Qianhai in Shenzhen on Aug. 16. It's also planning additional locations in Beijing and Shanghai over the next year, Bloomberg News has reported. It opened a store in the Anhui province in January. The company is also expanding soon with new stores in Detroit, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and India. A location in Osaka opened on July 26, and a major new flagship store debuted in Miami in January. The company also opened its first store in Malaysia last year. While Apple is still adding new stores, overall retail expansion has slowed since the pandemic hit. Apple has instead focused on opening up its online retail store in new places, such as India and Saudi Arabia, and updating or moving older physical locations. The company also appears to be becoming more selective in renewing its leases, announcing plans to shutter a store in Bristol in the UK on same day as its closure in China. Other upcoming closures include the Partridge Creek store in Michigan and the Hornsby location near Sydney. Apple isn't the only major brand to back out of China's Parkland Mall. Earlier this year, the majority shareholder of the complex took full operational control, and retailers like Coach, Sandro and Hugo Boss haven't renewed their leases in recent years. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

India now makes 44% of all smartphones shipped to US, thanks to Apple
India now makes 44% of all smartphones shipped to US, thanks to Apple

Mint

time39 minutes ago

  • Mint

India now makes 44% of all smartphones shipped to US, thanks to Apple

Amid uncertainty over tariff negotiations with China, there has been a significant rise in 'Made in India' smartphones exported to the US. According to a new report by Canalys, the share of US smartphone shipments assembled in China declined significantly from 61% in Q2 2024 to 25% in Q2 2025. Meanwhile, the report also notes a sharp rise in India-made smartphone shipments to the US, registering a 240% year-on-year growth and now accounting for 44% of total shipments imported into the country, up from just 13% a year earlier. Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Canalys, attributed the rise in Made-in-India smartphone exports largely to Apple's accelerated supply chain shift to the country. 'India became the leading manufacturing hub for smartphones sold in the US for the very first time in Q2 2025, largely driven by Apple's accelerated supply chain shift to India amid an uncertain trade landscape between the US and China,' Chaurasia said in a blog post. 'Apple has scaled up its production capacity in India over the last several years as part of its 'China Plus One' strategy and has opted to dedicate most of its export capacity in India to supply the US market so far in 2025. Apple has begun manufacturing and assembling Pro models of the iPhone 16 series in India but is still dependent on established manufacturing bases in China for the scaled supply needed for Pro models in the US,' he added. Chaurasia further noted that Samsung and Motorola have also increased their share of US-targeted supply from India, although their moves are significantly slower and smaller in scale compared to Apple's. Notably, Motorola still has its main manufacturing hub in China, while Samsung mostly relies on Vietnam for smartphone production. Apple has been gradually increasing iPhone production in India over the past few years, but the company is now looking to scale it up even more amid growing uncertainty over China tariffs under the current US administration. Previous reports have indicated that Apple plans to import most of its iPhones for the US market from India by the end of next year. That would require production in India to rise from the current 40 million units to 80 million units.

Apple isn't leaving China. Its footprint is getting harder to see.
Apple isn't leaving China. Its footprint is getting harder to see.

Mint

timean hour ago

  • Mint

Apple isn't leaving China. Its footprint is getting harder to see.

Apple's plans to make iPhones in India, components in Vietnam, and build new hubs across Southeast Asia reflect a meaningful effort to diversify away from China. But they tell only part of the story. In March, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a new $99 million clean energy fund during a visit to Beijing. He didn't disclose project locations or recipients—only that Apple's commitment to China was 'expanding." The announcement came just two months before Chinese regulators delayed Apple's rollout of generative artificial intelligence features, the Financial Times reported. Those developments show how even one of China's most entrenched U.S. companies may face political and commercial friction as it tries to do business in both countries. As geopolitical pressure intensifies and investors look for clarity on decoupling, Apple's recent maneuvers offer a lesson for global businesses: A company need not leave China entirely so long as it can more effectively hide itself within it. Apple's behavior over the past several years shows it recalibrating its exposure to the actors and regions in China that carry reputational or regulatory risk. But it isn't ceasing to do business in China. Rather, Apple has stepped back from some of its direct affiliations and reduced its visibility without severing its ties to the business ecosystem in China, which remains dominated by the Chinese Communist Party. This model is instructive for other multinationals operating in China and other complex authoritarian environments. Confrontation and divestment are costly. Structural opacity, by contrast, offers flexibility—and protection. Apple needs to remain in good standing with regulators on both sides of the Pacific. That has led to unusual arrangements in China's western Xinjiang region. The Chinese Communist Party's policies of mass surveillance and forced labor there have deservedly drawn international condemnation. Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in 2021, banning imports tied to forced labor in Xinjiang. Many Western businesses have withdrawn entirely from doing business in Xinjiang. In 2016, Apple announced that it had taken minority stakes in four wind power projects in China as part of a strategy to decarbonize its supply chain. The projects were developed in collaboration with Goldwind, one of China's largest wind turbine makers. Goldwind has strong ties to state-led infrastructure planning and to Xinjiang. The company was formerly called Xinjiang Goldwind but dropped the word from its name in 2023. Though not sanctioned by the U.S., Goldwind has faced criticism for its ties to Xinjiang from European and U.S. politicians for its suspected ties to forced labor. An investigation by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit organization, and The Information, a tech and business publication, linked Goldwind to state-run labor transfer programs and construction projects involving the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a U.S.-sanctioned paramilitary entity. U.S. pressure over forced labor in Xinjiang intensified in 2020. Companies such as H&M and Nike, which issued statements addressing forced labor allegations, faced backlash on social media in China. By 2021, Apple's affiliated entities no longer appeared as shareholders in the Goldwind wind projects in Xinjiang. Corporate filings, reviewed in a Chinese business registration database, indicate that the equity stakes were transferred to subsidiaries controlled by Goldwind. Apple didn't publicly disclose the move, and no mention appeared in its environmental or investor reporting: Apple's investment shift is being revealed here for the first time. Apple didn't respond to requests for comment. The company has addressed allegations of forced labor involving Xinjiang in at least one other case, saying it regularly audits its supply chain to avoid the practice. It cut ties with a Chinese supplier that had been accused of forced labor in 2021, Bloomberg reported. Apple may have found other investing strategies that allow it to maintain relationships with Chinese entities in less visible ways. In 2018, Apple had announced it and 10 Chinese suppliers would invest $300 million in China Clean Energy Fund. That fund allows Apple's capital to reach state-linked firms and potentially sensitive regions without appearing in public filings. Among the beneficiaries of the fund, disclosed in a Chinese business registration database, is China General Nuclear Power Group, a state-owned firm added to the U.S. Entity List in 2019 for military ties. U.S. companies face sharp restrictions on doing business with companies on the list. The initial clean energy fund, designed to last just four years, ended in 2022. This year, Apple announced a successor fund worth approximately $99 million during Cook's visit to Beijing—but this time disclosed neither project locations nor recipient companies, continuing its reliance on indirect investment vehicles. This isn't a retreat from China but a careful reconfiguration—one that allows Apple to meet its clean-energy goals while addressing government sensitivities in both the U.S. and China. In 2024, Apple ranked third for China exposure of large U.S. companies in Strategy Risks SR 250 rankings; it has since dropped to 27th. Apple continues to operate at scale within China's commercial and political systems, while relying on structures that make its presence less legible to outside observers. The company meets regulatory expectations in both Washington and Beijing, while it avoids direct exposure that could invite retaliation from either. U.S. sanctions law covers physical imports from Xinjiang, but it doesn't restrict capital flows. Financial contributions routed through investment vehicles, such as the CCEF, are legally safe—even if reputational risk persists. Apple isn't exiting China. It has re-engineered its presence there to be less visible and harder for outsiders to trace. Its energy partnerships, once direct and disclosed, are now filtered through funds. In Xi Jinping's China, the companies that endure aren't the ones that speak out. The ones that endure are the ones that adapt—and recede from transparency. Guest commentaries like this one are written by authors outside the Barron's newsroom. They reflect the perspective and opinions of the authors. Submit feedback and commentary pitches to ideas@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store