Apple India logs record sales, re-enters list of top 10 smartphone brands

The maker of popular smart technology products like the iPhone and MacBook has faced stiff competition here, the world's second-largest smartphone market.

After two years of downbeat news, Apple, the premium consumer electronics giant, managed to turn around its business in India. The management of the US-based entity informed its investors on Thursday that it registered record sales in this country during the July-September quarter.

Luca Maestri, senior vice-president and chief financial officer at Apple Inc, said in a post-results conference call that they had “established new Q4 (July-September) records in many major developed and emerging markets”. Including India, America, Canada, Germany, France, Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. As a result, its gross margin expanded 40 basis points, to 38 per cent.

Maestri added the company’s laptop and desktop business had record sales in India. “Despite the tough compare, we generate an all-time revenue record for Mac in the US and in India.” The maker of popular smart technology products like the iPhone and MacBook has faced stiff competition here, the world’s second-largest smartphone market. After shipping in 3.2 million units in 2017, the India unit of Apple sold only 1.7 million units of iPhones in 2018.

More, in October-December 2018, it failed to capture top spot in the premium smartphone market, after years. It fell behind OnePlus (36 per cent market share), with 30 per cent share. In April-June 2019, its share in the above Rs 30,000 price segment fell further — to 21 per cent — and slipped to third spot, behind OnePlus and Samsung.

The firm, however, left no stone unturned to regain top spot this festive season. From new and competitively-priced iPhones to slashing prices of its older models, it had a multi-pronged strategy. The entry-level new iPhone model — iPhone 11 — was priced Rs 64,900, or 15.6 per cent less than the XR variant of 2018. The model is priced even lower than the iPhone X, launched at Rs 70,990 only two years ago.

Also, to capture the country’s shopping mood ahead of the festive season, the new iPhones were made available from September 27 in India, three days ahead of its global launch. According to Navkendar Singh, research director at IDC, the launch date could have been advanced to align it with the upcoming Big Billion Days sale by Flipkart (starting September 29) and similar shopping events that were expected to kick off by the last week of that month.

Business Standard

iPhone's LCD panel supplier JDI sees OLED screens sweeping market by 2021

While OLED panels are slimmer, more energy-efficient and offer higher contrast, JDI's liquid crystal displays will retain a price advantage that keeps them competitive in smartphones through 2021.

Business Standard : Japan Display Inc., the struggling supplier of mobile screens to Apple Inc., says it has about a year before it needs to decide on whether to take a plunge on next-generation organic light-emitting diode displays.

While OLED panels are slimmer, more energy-efficient and offer higher contrast, JDI’s liquid crystal displays will retain a price advantage that keeps them competitive in smartphones through 2021, the company’s new Chief Executive Officer Minoru Kikuoka said in an interview. He anticipates a more decisive shift to the new technology may occur in that time period, declining to elaborate on plans of specific customers.

When Apple launched its first OLED iPhone in 2017, it was seen as the beginning of the end for the LCD’s long reign. For Japan Display, which relies on Apple for a large portion of its revenue, that spelled trouble because the company was falling behind in the development of the new screens. But the iPhone X, which used an OLED display from Samsung Electronics Co., didn’t sell as well as anticipated, and Apple followed up a year later with an LCD-based addition to its lineup with the iPhone XR -- giving the Japanese company some breathing room.

With the smartphone market plateauing and fancier screens failing to ratchet up demand from users already content with their existing devices, value for money has once again risen in importance for people considering a new purchase, according to the CEO.

“We are seeing consumers put more emphasis on affordability when it comes to their smartphone preferences,” Kikuoka said. “The industry is now gaining a new appreciation for the kind of price competitiveness offered by the LCDs.”

Apple’s 2019 phone lineup includes one LCD model -- the iPhone 11, which Apple launched at a starting price $50 lower than its predecessor -- and the company plans to add a second one in the first half of next year to replace the aging iPhone 8. But the Cupertino, California-based company may still shift entirely to OLED for new phones as early as 2020. Though it will still sell a number of older LCD models, the time for Japan Display is running out.

After repeatedly pushing back mass production of its own OLED screens, JDI is finally close to having its first OLED product, Kikuoka said, declining to give further details other than to say that it won’t be a smartphone screen. A person familiar with the matter confirmed an earlier report that JDI’s first OLED will be used in the Apple Watch. Still, competing in the mobile phone arena would take billions of dollars in additional investment, money that Japan Display doesn’t have.

Finally, Apple iPad gets its own iPadOS: Compatible devices and what's new

The iPadOS brings desktop-like browsing experience, improved file manager, enhanced multitasking capabilities, redesigned user interface, etc.

Business Standard : American technology company Apple Inc on Tuesday rolled out the iPadOS for the iPad Air 2 (and later versions), all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation (and later models), and iPad mini 4 (and later models). Announced in May at the Apple’s worldwide developer conference, the iPadOS brings new tools and features to iPads, which were until now using the iOS. The new operating system for iPads brings a desktop-like browsing experience, improved file manager, enhanced multitasking capabilities, redesigned user interface, etc.

Here is what is new in the iPadOS:

Home Screen

The iPadOS brings a redesigned home screen with a new layout to show more apps and information at a glance. The new home screen supports adding multiple widgets, allowing easy access to quick information such as weather, calendar, events, reminders, etc.

Multitasking with 'Split View' and 'Slide Over'

With new Split View and Slide Over feature, the iPadOS makes it easy to work on multiple files and documents, and using the same app for multiple purpose. Now, you can compose an email while viewing another email side by side or access multiple apps like Messages or Calendar with just a swipe.

New capabilities for Apple Pencil

Apple Pencil features are integrated in the iPadOS to make it feel more natural. You can now mark up and send entire webpages, documents or emails on iPad by swiping Apple Pencil from the bottom corner of the screen. A redesigned tool palette gives quick access to tools, colour palettes, shapes, object eraser, a new pixel eraser for removing any part of a stroke and a ruler for drawing straight lines.

Improved Files App

The Files app gets a major improvement and iCloud Drive support for folder sharing. Now, anyone with access to a shared folder will see it in iCloud Drive and will have the ability to access the latest version. The File app now also supports external drives, allowing users to easily plug in USB drives, SD cards or log into an SMB file server, all from within the Files app.

Apple to start online sales in India soon with local sourcing rules eased

The new investment rules could provide a boost to Apple, allowing it to grow sales in the country and possibly help it reduce its dependency on China by building an alternative supply chain in India.

Business Standard : Apple Inc is poised to start online sales of its devices in India within months, a person familiar with the matter said, benefiting from new rules making the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market more attractive to foreign brands.

On Wednesday, India eased rules that forced companies such as Apple to source 30% of their production locally -- a requirement the iPhone maker has been lobbying against for years -- to include exports as part of the requirement.

That rule posed a problem for electronics brands because most of its devices and components are manufactured in China. The government also allowed so-called single brand retailers to set up online stores before physical shops.

With escalating trade tensions damaging ties between the US and China, New Delhi’s latest investment rules could provide a boost to Apple, allowing it to grow sales in the country and possibly help it reduce its high dependency on China by building out an alternative supply chain in India.

ALSO READ: Apple's $44 billion valuation drop shows growing cost of reliance on China

The Cupertino, Calif-based device and services company will begin selling its iPhone, iPads and Apple Mac computers online in the coming months. It’s also firming up the Mumbai location of its first company-owned brick & mortar store in India -- likely to open next year -- the person said, asking not to be identified as the details are confidential. Selling online will be a big step forward for Apple in a country where counterfeit products abound in online platforms increasing buyers’ distrust.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comments.

Some of the phone maker’s older devices are assembled by Taiwanese contractor Wistron Corp. in a factory in Bangalore, while the world’s largest contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology Group, tests assembly of Apple’s latest iPhone X in a factory near Chennai.

Foreign airlines ban MacBooks on Indian flights; DGCA mulls similar move

Apple issued a similar replacement programme last year for the latest 13-inch Pros over issues related to battery expansion.

With several international airlines banning some older models of Apple's flagship laptop MacBook Pro in both check-in or hand luggage, including in India, fears of battery fire have returned to haunt users of the device.

In June, Apple announced a voluntary recall of its faulty 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there's a chance that the devices sold between September 2015 and February 2017 could overheat and potentially cause fires.

Seeing this, India is pondering if it should ask the airlines to restrict the affected MacBook Pro models. “The DGCA is examining the issue and if need be, will do the needful,” said a senior official.

Singapore Airlines (SIA), a major operator to India, on Sunday said on its website: "Customers are to refrain from bringing the affected (MacBook Pro) models either as hand-carry or in checked baggage until the battery has been verified as safe or replaced by the manufacturer. Please visit Apple’s MacB ook Pro Battery Recall Program page to get more information on whether your product is affected, as well as on the available battery replacement options." Thai is also not allowing 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks sold between September 2015 and February 2017 on the aircraft either as carry-on or checked luggage.

The iPhone-maker reportedly said it had received 26 reports of the laptop's battery overheating, with as many as five consumers reporting minor burns and one suffering from smoke inhalation.

Nearly 432,000 potentially affected MacBook Pro units were sold in the US and 26,000 in Canada.

Apple issued a similar replacement programme last year for the latest 13-inch Pros over issues related to battery expansion.

In 2016, battery fires in Samsung's flagship smartphone Galaxy Note 7 caused the firm operating losses of some 6.1 trillion won ($5 billion).

Business Standard

Apple likely to launch three iPhones in 2020 with 5G support: Report

Apple might use Qualcomm's 5G chip in its first generation 5G phones, despite the fact that it now has access to Intel's smartphone modem chip business.

American technology behemoth Apple is likely to launch three models of its iPhone smartphones with 5G network support next year, according to the company’s analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst earlier in his statement said that Apple might add 5G network support to at least two models of the three new iPhones planned in 2020. However, the company’s recent acquisition of chip-maker Intel’s smartphone modem business and revived relations with Qualcomm has fast tracked this process. The analyst believes that the company now have the resources to build 5G-ready iPhone in time to compete with its competitors, especially Android original equipment manufacturers – according to a news report in the Apple-centric technology news platform Macrumors.

The news report also states that Apple might use Qualcomm’s 5G chip in its first generation 5G phones, despite the fact that it now has access to Intel's smartphone modem chip business. This is because Apple will take time, until 2021, to build its own modem chips using Intel technology. Additionally, according to Kuo's earlier statement, the iPhone 2020-series might feature 5.4-inch to 6.7-inch screens. All three smartphones are expected to boast OLED panels.

ALSO READ: Apple to launch three iPhones in 2019 with optic & haptic upgrades: Report

Meanwhile, Apple is currently working on 2019 iPhones which are expected to launch sometime in September. The upcoming iPhone 2019-series is expected to get three models of different screen sizes, like the current generation iPhone. Codenamed the N104, D42 and D43, the upcoming iPhones are reported to be successor to the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, respectively.

According to a recent news report in the 9to5mac, the upcoming iPhone models would come with a lightning port. All three 2019 iPhone models are also reported to be powered by A13 processor, details of which are still not known. Touted to be named the iPhone 11 series, it is expected to come with a new Taptic Engine, which is expected to replace Apple’s 3D Touch feature, which has been there in all iPhones since the 6S.

Business Standard

Apple introduces web login; challenges Google, Facebook on privacy

The company, meanwhile, retired the iTunes app for the Mac.

Apple Inc on Monday launched a "Sign In With Apple" function to rival Facebook and Google web login accounts, drawing a contrast with rivals by stressing protection of users' information.

Apple will also tighten controls on location tracking. When users sign in with their Google or Facebook Inc profiles to third-party apps, the apps often share valuable data with Google and Facebook, a practice that Apple is looking to stop. Apple said it created a system to let users generate a random, unique email to use with each app so that users do not have to reveal their real email address.

The company, meanwhile, retired the iTunes app for the Mac. Originally introduced in 2001 by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as a way to load songs onto the then-new iPod, iTunes became sprawling over the years, letting users manage music and movies as well as handle backups and updates to iPhones and iPads. Apple said it will replace iTunes with standalone apps for music, video content and podcasts.

Apple delivered the announcements to app developers who descended on San Jose, California, for the annual developer conference. Apple's App Store is a key driver of the iPhone maker's services segment, which brought in $37.1 billion in revenue last year.

Apple takes a cut of sales from apps sold through the store, though that practice is under scrutiny in several legal proceedings.

Investors are looking to Apple's services business to power revenue and profits as iPhone sales decline. Revenue from the company's signature device had its biggest-year-over year drop in Apple's most recent quarter.

But the company still sold more than 10 times as many iPhones and iPads as it did Mac computers last year, so many developers focus on writing their apps for them rather than the Mac.

Apple announced an update of the Mac Pro, a $6,000-and-up high-powered machine intended for professional users such as movie editors, with pricy add-ons such as a $1,000 monitor stand. The Mac Pro has never sold in great numbers but the device is important to Apple's image as a technology leader and in courting the creative professionals who Jobs won over. Microsoft Corp has targeted the same users with its Surface Studio computers.

Buisness Standard

Apple ropes in Nokia veteran Ashish Chowdhary to lead India operations

Chowdhary has held various leadership positions, including Head of Asia Middle East and Africa and prior to that, Head of Global Services Business Unit.

In a fillip to Apple CEO Tim Cook's big future plans for the Indian market, Apple has appointed Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer at Nokia Networks, as its India operation head, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker said on Tuesday.

A veteran at Nokia, Chowdhary will take over as Apple India head from January next year, the company confirmed to IANS.

The decision to hire Chowdhary is a testament to the fact that Apple is aiming for a real long-term growth in a price-sensitive market where Apple is an aspirational brand and usually bought by those who have high spending power or can go for older generation phones for affordability.

In line with the development, Nokia also announced on Tuesday changes in the composition of its group leadership team, declaring that Chowdhary will "leave Nokia at the end of 2018 after 15 successful years.

ALSO READ: As iPhone demand wanes, Apple has plan B, but suppliers don't

"Chowdhary will continue to lead Customer Operations and remain a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team until the end of 2018. He will then leave Nokia to take a leadership position in another company," said Nokia.

Apple has roped in Chowdhary -- who has a sound global as well as local knowledge of the industry -- to get a bigger slice of a market that has nearly 450 million users and is one of the fastest growing after China and the US.

Apple India is currently under Michel Coulomb who took over from Sanjay Kaul in December last year.

Chowdhary has 25 years of international experience in the enterprise and telecom sectors. As Chief Business Officer, he was responsible for Nokia Networks' sales and operations globally.

He has held various leadership positions, including Head of Asia Middle East and Africa and prior to that, Head of Global Services Business Unit.

Both these units contributed nearly half of the company's revenues and were key to the successful transformation of Nokia.

The appointment comes at a time when the iPhone maker is seeking tax relief and other incentives from the government to begin assembling more handsets in the country and its proposal to set up a manufacturing unit is also being evaluated.

Breaking his silence on Apple's India presence, CEO Tim Cook admitted on November 1 that his business was flat in the country in the fourth quarter amid weak currency trends.

Cook, however, stressed he is still a big believer in the Indian middle class.... Read More

Business Standard

There are more cons than pros in Apple Watch's new heart monitor app

The watch will also have an "irregular rhythm" notification feature, which alerts people to potential problems and there's every reason to believe it will generate many false positives.

Business Stanadard : The newest version of the Apple Watch will feature a heart monitor app that can do a form of an electrocardiogram. Many have greeted this announcement as a great leap forward for health. The president of the American Heart Association even took part in the product launch.

For a more measured response, it’s worth looking at potential downsides, and it turns out there are a few.

The upside potential is twofold. First, doctors could monitor — at a distance — how patients with known heart problems are functioning outside the office. Second, the device could diagnose heart problems in people who don’t know they have them, picking up abnormal heart rhythms earlier than would otherwise be possible.

With respect to monitoring from a doctor, the Food and Drug Administration “cleared” the app — an easier hurdle to surmount than “approval.” But it specifically said people with diagnosed atrial fibrillation, one of the most common heart arrhythmias, should not be using the app.

If that’s the case, the major potential for the device — which will arrive later this year — is to pick up arrhythmias in otherwise healthy people. That’s still a big selling point. Picking up abnormal function earlier could theoretically lead to improvements in health, such as reductions in strokes.

But just because something seems like a good idea doesn’t mean it is. No screening test is perfect. In the simplest sense, whenever we consider the results of medical tests, they can be “positive” or “negative.”

In general, we would like people who are sick to have a positive screening result, and people who are well to have a negative result. Unfortunately, people who are sick sometimes have a negative result. Those are false negatives. People who are well sometimes have a positive result. Those are false positives.

Both of these outcomes are worrisome. A false negative might leave someone who needs medical help with a mistaken sense of assurance. Given that relatively few people have serious, undiagnosed arrhythmias with no symptoms (if people did, we would be screening for this more often), this isn’t the major concern. False positives are, because they cost us time and money, as well as cause emotional distress.

The health care system is already busy, if not overloaded. No physician wants to field calls from patients who have no problems. Such patients will require visits and further testing, and will potentially receive interventions. They’ll generate bills and harms without benefits... Read More

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

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

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.

ALSO READ: Apple leads global premium phone market; OnePlus enters top 5: Counterpoint

The devices also come with upgraded 12MP + 12MP camera, 2x optical zoom, improved TrueTone quad-LED flash and 7MP RGB camera sensor in the front.

The iPhone XR sports a 6.1-inch LCD screen with liquid Retina display and a single 12MP camera at the rear, all in an aluminium body.

The next generation Apple Watch features edge-to-edge display and comes with support to track heartbeat data, heart rhythm and notify users.

Apple officially introduced its 2018 line-up of iPhones and Apple Watch at an event in California last week.

Article Source Business Standard

Apple expected to unveil its biggest and most expensive iPhone on Wednesday

Apple also is expected to release an iPhone with minor updates to last year's $1,000 model and another version made of cheaper materials, including a 6.1-inch LCD screen.

Apple is expected to unveil its biggest and most expensive iPhone on Wednesday as part of a lineup of three new models aimed at widening the product's appeal amid slowing sales growth.

Most of the buzz is swirling around a rumoured iPhone that is supposed to boast a 6.5-inch OLED screen, up from 5.8 inches on the existing iPhone X.

OLED is a step up from traditional LCD technology in offering a display without a backlight, so black is truly black rather than simply dark.

If the speculation pans out, the even-bigger iPhone would represent Apple's attempt to feed consumers' appetite for increasingly bigger screens as they rely on smartphones to watch and record video, as well as take photos wherever they are.

The iPhone X, a dramatically redesigned model released last fall, got rid of the home button and introduced facial-recognition technology to unlock the device.

It was the first mass-market smartphone to demand a $1,000 starting price. Although the iPhone X didn't fulfill analysts' lofty sales expectations, it fared well enough for Apple to up the ante with the bigger model, whose price is expected to unveil Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Apple to kick off blitz of new products with iPhone Xs line, new watches

Apple also is expected to release an iPhone with minor updates to last year's $1,000 model and another version made of cheaper materials, including a 6.1-inch LCD screen.

Even so, the cheaper iPhone is still expected to sell for $650 to $750. The cheaper phone also is expected to lose the home button. Price cuts for older models, with the home button, are also likely.

Names for the new devices aren't known. The company may also announce a new smartwatch. Apple didn't comment ahead of Wednesday's event, which is being held at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

By making more expensive iPhones, Apple has been able to boost its profits despite waning demand as people upgrade phones less frequently. iPhones fetched an average price of $724 during the April-June period, a nearly 20 per cent increase from a year earlier.

Article Source BS