Latest news with #MunsifVengattil
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple gives Tata India iPhone repair business as partnership expands, sources say
By Munsif Vengattil BENGALURU (Reuters) -Apple has brought in Tata Group to handle repairs for iPhones and MacBook devices in its fast-growing Indian market, signalling the Indian conglomerate's deepening role in the U.S. tech giant's supply chain, two people familiar with the matter said. As Apple looks beyond China for manufacturing, Tata has fast emerged as its key supplier and already assembles iPhones for local and foreign markets at three facilities in south India, with one of them also making some iPhone components. In its latest partnership expansion, Tata is taking over the mandate from an Indian unit of Taiwan's Wistron, ICT Service Management Solutions, and will carry out such after-sales repairs from its Karnataka iPhone assembly campus, both sources said. The market for repairs is only going to boom in India, the world's second-biggest smartphone market, as iPhone sales skyrocket. Counterpoint Research estimates around 11 million iPhones were sold in India last year, giving Apple a 7% market share, compared to just 1% in 2020. The latest contract award signals Apple's growing confidence on Tata as it hopes to win more business from the world's most valuable smartphone company. "Tata's deepening partnership with Apple could also pave the groundwork for Apple directly selling refurbished devices in India, like how it does in the United States currently," said Prabhu Ram, a vice president at Cybermedia Research. The takeover from ICT by Tata is currently ongoing, both sources said, who declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Apple and Wistron did not respond to requests for comment, while a spokesperson for Tata declined to comment. While Apple's official service centres across India can do basic repairs, they would now ship phones and laptops to Tata's facility for more complex issues. Wistron's ICT however will continue to service other clients excluding Apple, one of the sources said. Amid an impending threat of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on China, India is also emerging as a favoured destination for iPhone exports. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the bulk of iPhones sold in the United States during June quarter will be made at factories in India. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Google begins direct online sales of Pixel phones in India
The new Pixel 9 smart phone series is displayed at a Made by Google event in Mountain View, California, U.S. August 13, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/File Photo (Reuters) -Google on Thursday began direct online sales of its popular hardware devices in India, including Pixel phones, watches and earbuds, ahead of an anticipated launch of its first physical stores in the South Asian nation. The Alphabet-owned firm said it has for the first time enabled direct online purchases for Indian users on the official Google Store website. The company currently sells it products in India through authorised retailers and via Walmart-backed e-commerce platform Flipkart. Apple , its bigger rival in the premium smartphone category, already sells its phones directly to Indian users, and operates its own retail stores in Mumbai and in New Delhi, with more planned. Google is close to deciding on locations in India where it will open its first physical retail stores outside the United States, Reuters reported in February. In launching the physical stores, Google has sought to mirror a retail approach that helped Apple Inc rake in billions of dollars in the last two decades by showcasing its own products. Apple has 500 plus stores worldwide. Pixel phones in India cost from about $360 to $1,900 for top-end models. Apple's iPhones cost from about $520-$2,100. Google has also started making Pixel smartphones in India. In 2024, Apple dominated the local market for premium phones, priced above $520, with a roughly 55% share, compared with Pixel's 2% share, estimates from research group Counterpoint showed. The fast-growing Indian market has about 712 million smartphone users currently. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Star Health hacker says they sent death threats, bullets to India executives
By Munsif Vengattil, Praveen Paramasivam and Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The hacker who leaked sensitive personal data held by Indian health insurer Star Health last year has taken responsibility for sending death threats and bullets to the company's chief executive and finance head. The hacker, who goes by the alias "xenZen", described their reprisals against Star Health and Allied Insurance Company in a March 31 email to Reuters. The news agency is reporting them for the first time. Star Health, India's biggest health insurer, has faced criticism from customers and data security experts since Reuters reported last September that xenZen had leaked sensitive client data, including medical reports. At the time, xenZen told Reuters in an email they possessed 7.24 terabytes of data related to over 31 million Star Health customers and was speaking to potential buyers for the data. The news agency hasn't independently confirmed the identity or location of xenZen, the accuracy of the facts laid out in the March 31 email or the hacker's motive for targeting Star Health and its executives, which the email ascribed to the company's denial of medical claims to certain customers. In response to questions from Reuters, Star Health's chief legal officer said in a statement the company could not comment "due to an ongoing, highly sensitive criminal investigation" related to its data leak. XenZen said they had concealed bullet cartridges in two packages sent to Star Health's head office in the southern Indian city of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu state, in February. The email included photographs that showed the packages addressed to Chief Executive Anand Roy and Chief Financial Officer Nilesh Kambli and a note inside which read: "next one will go in ur and ur peoples head. tik tik tik." Roy did not respond to a phone call requesting comment, while Kambli told Reuters Star Health's public relations team would respond on his behalf. The company did not respond to further requests for comment. The New Indian Express on Saturday reported that police in Tamil Nadu were investigating the threats and had linked them to xenZen. Tamil Nadu police did not respond to Reuters queries. Three Indian police sources confirmed an investigation was underway. They declined to be named as the matter is confidential. One police source said a man from the neighbouring state of Telangana, who the source did not name, has been arrested in recent days for allegedly helping courier the packages to Star Health on behalf of xenZen. Reuters was unable to identify the individual or the status of his detention. Globally, health care companies have been reassessing the risks for their top executives after UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson was murdered in a targeted attack in December. The killing also called fresh attention to deepening patient anger over health insurance. In the March 31 email to Reuters, xenZen referred to the killing of Thompson and said the death threats to the Star Health executives were sent after the hacker was contacted for help by customers of Star Health who had been denied claims on medical bills despite coverage plans with the company. Star Health did not comment on what xenZen described as their motive, the claims of dissatisfied customers being denied or the police investigation into the threats. Star Health launched internal investigations into last year's data leak, which the company said followed a ransom demand of $68,000 from the hacker. Star Health last September sued xenZen and messaging app Telegram for hosting the sensitive customer data on its chatbots, court papers show. The chatbots hosting the stolen data have since been deleted and the case is ongoing.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zoho suspends $700 million chipmaking plan in latest setback for India, sources say
By Munsif Vengattil and Sai Ishwarbharath B NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian software firm Zoho has suspended its year-long pursuit of a $700 million plan to foray into chip manufacturing, sources familiar with the matter said, dealing another blow to the Indian government's ambitious semiconductor plans. Zoho struggled to find the right technology partner required to advise on the complex chipmaking processes, one of the sources said. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's group has also paused discussions with Israel's Tower Semiconductor for its $10 billion chip project following an internal evaluation by the Indian group. Zoho, valued at around $12 billion, offers cheaper alternatives to cloud-based software tools made by the likes of Microsoft. Its billionaire co-founder Sridhar Vembu is known for his popular and unconventional approach of locating business operations in rural villages. In a bid to diversify, Zoho planned to invest $400 million in a semiconductor facility in Karnataka state in south India. Vembu has said that the technology was vital for the nation. "Zoho could not find a tech partner despite an extensive search," said one of the sources. The entire chipmaking plan, first reported by Reuters in May 2024, has for now been suspended, said the two sources, who declined to be named as the decision is not public. It was not clear if Zoho will decide to revive its plans if a partner can be found. A Zoho spokesperson declined to comment. Representatives for Karnataka state did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Zoho's retreat will be a setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has for several years tried to lure companies in his pursuit to make India a global chip manufacturing hub. India does not have a single operational chipmaking facility. Zoho, established in 1996, offers software and related services on subscription to businesses in 150 countries and has over 18,000 employees and more than 120 million users. Zoho's Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing last year made a handful of hires and a formed a board to oversee chipmaking efforts, the source who gave the reason for the failed plan said. India's Karnataka government said in December it had given a landmark approval to Zoho's planned $400 million facility in Mysuru region, which would have generated 460 jobs and been the first such project in the state. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Tata plant starts iPhone production, Foxconn close behind as Apple looks to India, sources say
By Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A new plant making iPhones in southern India has started production and another will begin shipments in May, as Apple looks to boost manufacturing beyond its tariff-hit main manufacturing hub, China, sources said. Apple is positioning India as an alternative manufacturing base to China as a trade war flares between Washington and Beijing, with U.S. President Donald Trump's more than 100% tariffs on China threatening supply chain disruptions and stoking fears of a rise in iPhone prices. The Trump administration has so far spared China-made electronics from tariffs, but Washington has signaled that some levies could come in the coming weeks. A new Tata Electronics plant in Hosur in south India's Tamil Nadu state started operations in recent days to make older iPhone models on one assembly line, one source said. Another $2.6 billion plant run by Taiwan's Foxconn that is under construction in Bengaluru, Karnataka state, will also start initial operations with one assembly line within days, according to four sources, including one government official. One source said around 300-500 iPhone units per hour can be made at the factory where, according to another, iPhone 16 and 16e models will be produced. The plant is expected to create 50,000 jobs at full capacity when construction is fully completed, which is expected by December 2027. Tata declined to comment, while Apple and Foxconn did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China accounts for more than 75% of iPhone production globally, while India contributes to about 18%, research firm Counterpoint estimates. Apple is taking urgent steps to move production of most of its U.S.-sold iPhones to factories in India by the end of 2026, Reuters has reported. Apple in recent weeks has stepped up production in India to beat U.S. tariffs, shipping some 600 tons of iPhones worth $2 billion to the U.S. in March, a monthly record for both Tata and Foxconn, with the latter alone accounting for smartphones worth $1.3 billion. Tata, a relatively new Apple supplier, has quickly emerged as a key Indian contractor. With the new facilities, Foxconn and Tata will together operate a total of five iPhone factories from India. Sign in to access your portfolio
