From iPhone to Irrelevant? What Happened to Apple Vantage With Palki Sharma
From iPhone to Irrelevant? What Happened to Apple | Vantage With Palki Sharma |N18G
From iPhone to Irrelevant? What Happened to Apple | Vantage With Palki Sharma |N18G
Apple's WWDC 2025 was supposed to wow us. Instead, it reminded us how far the tech giant has drifted from its revolutionary roots. Once known for redefining entire industries, Apple now seems obsessed with refinement over reinvention. The big reveal? A see-through interface called Liquid Glass. But in the age of AI, it felt like a shiny distraction. Stock prices dipped, Siri's upgrade is delayed, and rivals are sprinting ahead. Has Apple lost the plot? Or is it playing a longer game? Palki Sharma tells you.
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India Gazette
31 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Apple sends 97% of India iPhone exports to US amid tariff risk
NEW DELHI, India: Amid mounting U.S.-China trade tensions, Apple has sharply increased iPhone shipments from India to the United States, shifting its supply chain to sidestep heavy tariffs on Chinese-made goods. Between March and May, nearly 97 percent of iPhones exported by Foxconn from India were sent to the U.S.—a dramatic jump from the 2024 average of just over 50 percent, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters. The sharp pivot in export destinations reflects Apple's broader strategy to reduce dependence on China as U.S. tariffs rise and trade policy grows unpredictable under Donald Trump's administration. During the March-May period alone, Foxconn exported $3.2 billion worth of iPhones from India, with shipments to the U.S. reaching nearly $1 billion in May—the second-highest on record after March's $1.3 billion. The redirection marks a stark departure from previous years when Indian-made iPhones were distributed across markets, including the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and the UK. Neither Apple nor Foxconn responded to requests for comment. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that China will face a 55 percent tariff as part of a new plan pending approval by both governments. While India currently faces a standard 10 percent duty, it is working to avoid a 26 percent "reciprocal" levy that Trump announced and later paused. Apple's effort to scale Indian production has triggered a backlash from Trump. "We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of itself. They are doing very well. We want you to build here," he recalled telling Apple CEO Tim Cook in May. In the first five months of 2025, Foxconn has already shipped $4.4 billion worth of iPhones to the U.S. from India—surpassing 2024's full-year total of $3.7 billion. To speed up logistics, Apple even chartered planes in March to deliver iPhone models 13, 14, 16, and 16e worth roughly $2 billion to the U.S. It has also pushed for faster customs clearance at Chennai airport—its central export hub—cutting processing times from 30 hours to six. "We expect made-in-India iPhones to account for 25 percent to 30 percent of global iPhone shipments in 2025, as compared to 18 percent in 2024," said Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research. Tata Electronics, Apple's other Indian supplier, also boosted exports to the U.S., shipping an average of 86 percent of its iPhones there during March and April. That's up from 52 percent in 2024 after it began iPhone production in July last year. Tata declined to comment. Despite India's push to become a smartphone manufacturing hub, high import duties on components still make local production costlier than in some other countries. Historically, Apple has sold over 60 million iPhones annually in the U.S., with 80 percent of them made in China.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
How America's new plan to cut China's supply chain for Apple, Google, Samsung and other technology companies has worried Vietnam
The United States reportedly has another plan to cut China's hardware and components supply chain of Apple, Google, Samsung, Meta and other technology companies. According to a report in Reuters, America is urging Vietnam to reduce Chinese technology in devices assembled in the country and exported to America. Vietnam, a hub for tech giants like Apple and Samsung, relies heavily on Chinese components, with Meta and Google also producing goods like VR headsets and smartphones there. Vietnam has held meetings with local businesses to increase the use of Vietnamese parts, with firms expressing willingness but noting the need for time and technology, one source told Reuters. Trump Tariffs: 46% tariff threat and ... The Trump administration has threatened 46% tariffs, which could disrupt Vietnam's export-driven economy. One source said that Vietnam was asked to "reduce its dependency on Chinese high-tech" to restructure supply chains and lessen US reliance on Chinese components. Another source highlighted the US goal of accelerating decoupling from Chinese tech while boosting Vietnam's industrial capacity, citing VR devices as an example. With a US-imposed tariff deadline of July 8 looming, the scope and timing of a potential deal reportedly remain uncertain. Sources emphasized that reducing Chinese high-tech content in exports is a US priority. Last year, China exported $44 billion in tech goods to Vietnam, 30% of its total exports there, while Vietnam shipped $33 billion in tech goods to the US, per Vietnam's customs data. The US also wants Vietnam to address Chinese goods mislabeled as "Made in Vietnam" to evade higher duties. Vietnam's trade ministry noted progress in recent Washington talks but said key issues remain unresolved. What is Vietnam's big worry Vietnam's Communist Party chief, To Lam, may meet President Trump in late June, though no date is confirmed, sources told Reuters. Local companies have shown willingness to adapt but warned that rapid changes could "destroy business," one source said. Industry experts note that Vietnam's supply chain lags China's by 15–20 years but is progressing in sectors like electronics. Abrupt shifts could strain Vietnam's ties with China, a key investor and also lead to security concerns.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Big tech on a quest for ideal AI device
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has enlisted the legendary designer behind the iPhone to create an irresistible gadget for using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The ability to engage digital assistants as easily as speaking with friends is being built into eyewear, speakers, computers and smartphones, but some argue that the Age of AI calls for a transformational new gizmo. "The products that we're using to deliver and connect us to unimaginable technology are decades old," former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive said when his alliance with OpenAI was announced. "It's just common sense to at least think, surely there's something beyond these legacy products." Sharing no details, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said that a prototype Ive shared with him "is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen." According to several US media outlets, the device won't have a screen, nor will it be worn like a watch or broach. Kyle Li, a professor at The New School, said that since AI is not yet integrated into people's lives, there is room for a new product tailored to its use. The type of device won't be as important as whether the AI innovators like OpenAI make "pro-human" choices when building the software that will power them, said Rob Howard of consulting firm Innovating with AI Learning from flops The industry is well aware of the spectacular failure of the AI Pin, a square gadget worn like a badge packed with AI features but gone from the market less than a year after its debut in 2024 due to a dearth of buyers. The AI Pin marketed by startup Humane to incredible buzz was priced at $699. Now, Meta and OpenAI are making "big bets" on AI-infused hardware, according to CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood. OpenAI made a multi-billion-dollar deal to bring Ive's startup into the fold. Google announced early this year it is working on mixed-reality glasses with AI smarts, while Amazon continues to ramp up Alexa digital assistant capabilities in its Echo speakers and displays. Apple is being cautious embracing generative AI , slowly integrating it into iPhones even as rivals race ahead with the technology. Plans to soup up its Siri chatbot with generative AI have been indefinitely delayed. The quest for creating an AI interface that people love "is something Apple should have jumped on a long time ago," said Futurum research director Olivier Blanchard. Time to talk Blanchard envisions some kind of hub that lets users tap into AI, most likely by speaking to it and without being connected to the internet. "You can't push it all out in the cloud," Blanchard said, citing concerns about reliability, security, cost, and harm to the environment due to energy demand. "There is not enough energy in the world to do this, so we need to find local solutions," he added. Howard expects a fierce battle over what will be the must-have personal device for AI, since the number of things someone is willing to wear is limited and "people can feel overwhelmed." A new piece of hardware devoted to AI isn't the obvious solution, but OpenAI has the funding and the talent to deliver, according to Julien Codorniou, a partner at venture capital firm 20VC and a former Facebook executive. OpenAI recently hired former Facebook executive and Instacart chief Fidji Simo as head of applications, and her job will be to help answer the hardware question. Voice is expected by many to be a primary way people command AI. Google chief Sundar Pichai has long expressed a vision of "ambient computing" in which technology blends invisibly into the world, waiting to be called upon. "There's no longer any reason to type or touch if you can speak instead," Blanchard said. "Generative AI wants to be increasingly human" so spoken dialogues with the technology "make sense," he added. However, smartphones are too embedded in people's lives to be snubbed any time soon, said Wood.
