Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new iPhone that will use USB-C charger ports. Previous iPhone models had used Apple's own "Lightning" charger ports.  In June 2022, the European Union passed a law requiring all devices to be compatible with a USB Type-C charging port by late 2024, arguing that it will reduce electronic waste and save money for consumers. Apple had contested the law as unnecessary. What do we know about the iPhone 15? "USB-C has become a universally accepted standard. So we're bringing USB-C to iPhone 15," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's Vice President of iPhone Marketing at a launch event. Apple had long argued that its Lightning chargers were more secure than USB-C chargers. The company also said that the iPhone 15 would have internal components that simplify repair and a new frame that allows the back glass to be easily replaced. Last month, Apple said it was endorsing the passage of a California law that required tech producers to enable people to fix their devices without taking them back to companies. The firm also announced that the iPhone 15 batteries would be made from 100% recycled cobalt and that it would no longer use leather in its product. It added that a new watch will be its first carbon-neutral product. Apple says that it aims to be carbon-neutral by 2030, including in its supply chain. The announcement comes after China imposed restrictions on the use of iPhones at government offices and state-backed entities. Sales of iPhones, which account for nearly half of Apple's revenues, dropped 2.4% last quarter. Apple shares also slid on the stock market following Beijing's measures.

Every fourth iPhone will be made in India by 2025 as per J.P. Morgan Analysts' reading of the last month and Apple Inc recently announced its plan to produce 5 per cent of latest model - iPhone 14 this year in India is much earlier than anticipated. It is considered that this is the tech giant's strategy to diversify manufacturing and relocating its plant outside of China amid mounting geopolitical tensions and the global supply chain "de-risking" which is underway because of China's "zero-Covid" policy, but India is the desired destination shows a significant milestone in the history of the company and India's preparedness, past performance especially its remarkable resilience during and after the second wave of Covid-19 and competency as well. It is a known fact that an overwhelming majority of the world's electronics and electrical equipment and manufacturing has remained limited to a few select countries like China. Apart from the well-researched factors like a cheaper and larger workforce, it has also been so because of business-friendly ecosystem in such nations. However, with the looming pandemic and supply chain constraints that were seen over the last couple of years, the detrimental effects of any industry's overdependence on China or any one nation for that matter were clearly seen by the world. Severely hampering the interests of the larger population, the disturbances in the lone supply chain from China has had a domino effect as well. Many countries far-off have had to pay a heavy price. Taking lessons from what the globe faced in these last couple of years, the world has been actively trying to secure other locations and countries to establish their manufacturing units and usher in a new era of electronics manufacturing and equipment as well. Over the past few years, India has made rapid strides in the manufacturing sector as well as the electronics industry segment as part of its resolve to not remain dependent on the thin supply chain emanating from China. The hugely-successful tech and innovation giant Apple announced that their biggest unit to manufacture iPhones will be coming up in Hosur, Bengaluru employing about 60,000 people single-handedly. Of these, the first 10 per cent i.e. 6,000 employees would be tribal women from Jharkhand who have undergone training in making these select iPhone mobile devices. This further provides opportunities to not only rural folk but also the tribal sisters that has remained outside the mainstream until now. In this context, it is not a surprise that Apple's major supplier Foxconn has recently announced its collaboration with the Indian giant Vedanta to establish a semiconductor manufacturing unit in Gujarat. With this plant functioning, India would enter the elite club of 5 nations that have the ability to manufacture glass and semiconductors as well. Therefore, it becomes a noteworthy milestone and indeed a revolutionary step that these global giants are finally making their presence felt instead of just seeing potential in India. "Geopolitics and geo-economics are undergoing a sea change. The world is looking to adopt a China Plus One strategy and India is clearly in a sweet spot. This is India's moment," said Anil Agarwal, the Chairman of Vedanta. Following the mounting geopolitical tensions emanating from China and the consequent cut in production of mobile devices by multiple non-Chinese tech platforms, tech and business analysts have reported that the tech giant Apple was looking for ways to move about 5 per cent of iPhone production and 25 per cent of all Apple production including of Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and Airpods, away from China towards India - the second-biggest smartphone market in the globe. This is a result of dampened sales outlook, fears of an incoming recession as well as the efforts of tech giants to shift production towards more peaceful and stable systems like India. From an industries and manufacturing point of view, India has become much more lucrative than earlier with new-age policies and business outlook apart from reduced red-tapism and streamlined single-window clearances amidst the erstwhile bureaucratic hurdles in place. This single step would be able to create a huge ecosystem for India's ancillary industries as well. India, which is world's fifth largest economy, has been striving hard to position itself as an attractive manufacturing and exports hub for multinationals. Slashing the corporate tax rates in September 2019, India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said: "If Apple and its entire ecosystem move to India, it will have a greater effect on other companies" and it happened. The rising focus on India can be attributed to India's operating conditions and cost competitiveness in terms of value. In addition, the country has proven success in meeting outsourcing requirements that laid favourable ecosystem for MNCs. It has earned the trust of several nations around the world with true spirit of hard work, professionalism and ethical practices. It has a large domestic market and plentiful low-cost talent pool. Apple Inc. has been manufacturing iPhones at Foxconn's Sriperumbudur factory in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu since 2017. Apple gets iPhones made by electronic giants - Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron in India. Apple has already outsourced the making of iPhones India to Tata Electronics' Plant in Hosur that is expanding its facility and roping in one of the contract manufacturer of iPhone. Now, India is all set to get the biggest Apple Inc. iPhone manufacturing unit in the same town. In furtherance of the announcement that the workforce at the manufacturing unit would quadruple over the next couple of years, the expansion of current facilities and scaling up of production output have also been reported by various sections of the media. In turn, this is surely bound to lead to further investment and the establishment of many new ventures as well. With the potential to improve livelihoods of thousands of individuals as well as put India on the global electronics map, the government has been ramping up support for its agenda of self-reliance or atmanirbharta through many such government policies and regulations as well. With a renewed focus on research & development in this sector, this inward-looking approach of the Indian government has ensured that our domestic manufacturing capabilities are given enough of a support to stand up and deliver in case the need so arose. Playing a significant role in innovation, this effort to develop India into a manufacturing hub with an entrepreneur-friendly ecosystem would help both the nation and the world as well. Source: Business Standard

Apple Inc supplier Foxconn  will reopen an iPhone manufacturing facility in southern India on Wednesday, government officials and a legislator in the region where the plant is located told Reuters.   The Foxconn plant, in the town of Sriperumbudur near the Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai, employed about 17,000 people but was closed on Dec. 18 after protests over 250 of its workers who fell sick with food poisoning.    K Selvaperunthagai, a member of the state assembly for the area, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin told the assembly late on Friday the plant would reopen on Wednesday.   Apple said on Monday the Foxconn India plant continued to remain on probation, adding that it would continue monitoring conditions at workers' dormitories and dining halls, along with independent auditors.   "Workers will start to return gradually as soon as we are certain our standards are being met in every dormitory and dining area," Apple said in a statement.   Foxconn said: "We have implemented a range of corrective actions to ensure this cannot happen again and a rigorous monitoring system to ensure workers can raise any concerns they may have, including anonymously."   Foxconn has been making the iPhone 12 and testing production of the iPhone 13 at the Sriperumbudur facility, its only plant in India, government officials have said. Apple has eight other suppliers in India.   The plant will restart production on Wednesday with not more than 100 people and could take more than two months to resume full production, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.   Neither Apple or Foxconn commented on when production would restart.   Tamil Nadu, a state of more than 70 million people and one of the country's most industrialised, is sometimes called the "Detroit of Asia". It is home to factories of companies including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault.   Selvaperunthagai told Reuters the state government would build a hostel facility with a capacity to house tens of thousands of workers from various industries to address the concerns about standards of dormitories and dining facilities.   "The government is clear that they don't want such incidents to happen again," said. Source:  Reuters