Latest news with #MaryAltaffer
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What Apple's biggest iPhone supplier Foxconn told Indian government on asking hundreds of Chinese engineers to 'Leave India'
FILE - The Apple logo is displayed at an Apple store, Jan. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Foxconn has asked hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return home from its iPhone factories in India, with the Indian government being informed of the staff withdrawal without being provided specific reasons for the move. More than 300 Chinese workers have left the facilities over the past two months, Bloomberg reported, dealing a significant blow to Apple 's manufacturing expansion in the country. Apple's India manufacturing push faces major setback as Chinese expertise exits The departure of Chinese technical staff will slow down the training of local workforce and the transfer of manufacturing technology from China, likely raising production costs and affecting efficiency on iPhone assembly lines. According to Bloomberg, the timing is particularly challenging as Apple prepares to ramp up production of the new iPhone 17 with its manufacturing partners in India. The move appears linked to Beijing's broader strategy to curb technology transfers and equipment exports to India and Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, Chinese officials verbally encouraged regulatory agencies and local governments to restrict such transfers, potentially aimed at preventing companies from shifting manufacturing away from China. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta IA está generando ingresos (Ver más) Finanzas y economía Prueba ahora Undo Foxconn implements contingency measures amid Chinese staff withdrawal To mitigate the impact, Foxconn is replacing departing Chinese staff with Taiwanese and Vietnamese workers while converting machinery to be operated by Indian employees. The company is asking suppliers to retrofit existing machinery that largely runs on Chinese-language software to be used by English-speaking engineers. The Indian government has not seen a major impact on phone production yet, according to a person familiar with the matter. Foxconn is expected to receive the retrofitted machinery in a few months, while the company continues building a new iPhone plant in southern India as part of Apple's plans to manufacture most iPhones for the US market in India by late 2026. Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously praised the skill and expertise of Chinese assembly workers as a key reason for setting up production in China, beyond just cost advantages. The withdrawal of these experienced engineers from India represents a significant setback for Apple's diversification strategy, particularly as the company seeks to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing amid ongoing geopolitical tensions . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What Apple's biggest iPhone supplier Foxconn told Indian government on asking hundreds of Chinese employees to 'Leave India'
FILE - The Apple logo is displayed at an Apple store, Jan. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Foxconn has asked hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return home from its iPhone factories in India, with the Indian government being informed of the staff withdrawal without being provided specific reasons for the move. More than 300 Chinese workers have left the facilities over the past two months, Bloomberg reported, dealing a significant blow to Apple 's manufacturing expansion in the South Asian country. Apple's India manufacturing push faces major setback as Chinese expertise exits The departure of Chinese technical staff will slow down the training of local workforce and the transfer of manufacturing technology from China, likely raising production costs and affecting efficiency on iPhone assembly lines. According to Bloomberg, the timing is particularly challenging as Apple prepares to ramp up production of the new iPhone 17 with its manufacturing partners in India. The move appears linked to Beijing's broader strategy to curb technology transfers and equipment exports to India and Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, Chinese officials verbally encouraged regulatory agencies and local governments to restrict such transfers, potentially aimed at preventing companies from shifting manufacturing away from China. Foxconn implements contingency measures amid Chinese staff withdrawal by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like RPG 팬들은 이 게임을 수년간 최고의 전략 게임이라고 부릅니다. Raid: Shadow Legends 플레이하기 Undo To mitigate the impact, Foxconn is replacing departing Chinese staff with Taiwanese and Vietnamese workers while converting machinery to be operated by Indian employees. The company is asking suppliers to retrofit existing machinery that largely runs on Chinese-language software to be used by English-speaking engineers. The Indian government has not seen a major impact on phone production yet, according to a person familiar with the matter. Foxconn is expected to receive the retrofitted machinery in a few months, while the company continues building a new iPhone plant in southern India as part of Apple's plans to manufacture most iPhones for the US market in India by late 2026. Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously praised the skill and expertise of Chinese assembly workers as a key reason for setting up production in China, beyond just cost advantages. The withdrawal of these experienced engineers from India represents a significant setback for Apple's diversification strategy, particularly as the company seeks to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing amid ongoing geopolitical tensions . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Toronto Sun
10-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Apple unveils software redesign while reeling from AI missteps, tech upheaval and Trump's trade war
Published Jun 10, 2025 • 5 minute read The Apple logo is displayed at an Apple store, Jan. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech's pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence, Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during an annual developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its technology. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The presummer rite, which attracted thousands of developers from nearly 60 countries to Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters, subdued compared with the feverish anticipation that surrounded the event in the last two years. Apple highlighted plans for more AI tools designed to simplify people's lives and make its products even more intuitive. It also provided an early glimpse at the biggest redesign of its iPhone software in a decade. In doing so, Apple executives refrained from issuing bold promises of breakthroughs that punctuated recent conferences, prompting CFRA analyst Angelo Zino to deride the event as a 'dud' in a research note. More AI, but what about Siri? In 2023, Apple unveiled a mixed-reality headset that has been little more than a niche product, and last year WWDC trumpeted its first major foray into the AI craze with an array of new features highlighted by the promise of a smarter and more versatile version of its virtual assistant, Siri — a goal that has yet to be realized. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar,' Craig Federighi, Apple's top software executive, said Monday at the outset of the conference. The company didn't provide a precise timetable for when Siri's AI upgrade will be finished but indicated it won't happen until next year at the earliest. 'The silence surrounding Siri was deafening,' said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said. 'No amount of text corrections or cute emojis can fill the yawning void of an intuitive, interactive AI experience that we know Siri will be capable of when ready. We just don't know when that will happen. The end of the Siri runway is coming up fast, and Apple needs to lift off.' Is Apple, with its 'liquid glass,' still a trendsetter? The showcase unfolded amid nagging questions about whether Apple has lost some of the mystique and innovative drive that has made it a tech trendsetter during its nearly 50-year history. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Instead of making a big splash as it did with the Vision Pro headset and its AI suite, Apple took a mostly low-key approach that emphasized its effort to spruce up the look of its software with a new design called 'Liquid Glass' while also unveiling a new hub for its video games and new features like a 'Workout Buddy' to help manage physical fitness. Apple executives promised to make its software more compatible with the increasingly sophisticated computer chips that have been powering its products while also making it easier to toggle between the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. 'Our product experience has become even more seamless and enjoyable,' Apple CEO Tim Cook told the crowd as the 90-minute showcase wrapped up. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said Apple seemed to be largely using Monday's conference to demonstrate the company still has a blueprint for success in AI, even if it's going to take longer to realize the vision that was presented a year ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This year's event was not about disruptive innovation, but rather careful calibration, platform refinement and developer enablement _positioning itself for future moves rather than unveiling game-changing technologies,' Jeronimo said. Apple's next operating system will be iOS 26 Besides redesigning its software. Apple will switch to a method that automakers have used to telegraph their latest car models by linking them to the year after they first arrive at dealerships. That means the next version of the iPhone operating system due out this autumn will be known as iOS 26 instead of iOS 19 _ as it would be under the previous naming approach that has been used since the device's 2007 debut. The iOS 26 upgrade is expected to be released in September around the same time Apple traditionally rolls out the next iPhone models. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Apple opened the proceedings with a short video clip featuring Federighi speeding around a track in a Formula 1 race car. Although it was meant to promote the June 27 release of the Apple film, 'F1' starring Brad Pitt, the segment could also be viewed as an unintentional analogy to the company's attempt to catch up to the rest of the pack in AI technology. While some of the new AI tricks compatible with the latest iPhones began rolling out late last year as part of free software updates, the delays in a souped-up Siri became so glaring that the chastened company stopped promoting it in its marketing campaigns earlier this year. While Apple has been struggling to make AI that meets its standards, the gap separating it from other tech powerhouses is widening. Google keeps packing more AI into its Pixel smartphone lineup while introducing more of the technology into its search engine to dramatically change the way it works. Samsung, Apple's biggest smartphone rival, is also leaning heavily into AI. Meanwhile, ChatGPT recently struck a deal that will bring former Apple design guru Jony Ive into the fold to work on a new device expected to compete against the iPhone. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Besides grappling with innovation challenges, Apple also faces regulatory threats that could siphon away billions of dollars in revenue that help finance its research and development. A federal judge is currently weighing whether proposed countermeasures to Google's illegal monopoly in search should include a ban on long-running deals worth $20 billion annually to Apple while another federal judge recently banned the company from collecting commissions on in-app transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system. On top of all that, Apple has been caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's trade war with China, a key manufacturing hub for the Cupertino, California, company. Cook successfully persuaded Trump to exempt the iPhone from tariffs during the president's first administration, but he has had less success during Trump's second term, which seems more determined to prod Apple to make its products in the U.S. The multidimensional gauntlet facing Apple is spooking investors, causing the company's stock price to plunge by 20% so far this year — a decline that has erased about $750 billion in shareholder wealth. After beginning the year as the most valuable company in the world, Apple now ranks third behind longtime rival Microsoft, another AI leader, and AI chipmaker Nvidia. Apple's shares closed down by more than 1% on Monday — an early indication the company's latest announcements didn't inspire investors. Toronto Blue Jays Ontario Olympics Sunshine Girls Columnists
Toronto Sun
05-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Apple loses bid to halt court ruling that blocks some fees from its iPhone app store
Published Jun 05, 2025 • Last updated 9 minutes ago • 2 minute read FILE - The Apple logo is displayed at an Apple store, Jan. 3, 2019. Photo by Mary Altaffer / AP SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A three-judge appeals panel rejected Apple's request to pause an April 30 order banning the company from charging a fee on in-app iPhone transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system in a two-page decision issued late Thursday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The setback threatens to divert billions of dollars in revenue away from Apple while it tried to overturn the order reining in its commissions from e-commerce within iPhone apps. Apple sought to put the order on hold after it was issued by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in a stinging rebuke that also held the Cupertino, California, company in civil contempt of court and recommended opening a criminal investigation into whether one of its executives had committed perjury while testifying in her Oakland, California, courtroom. It marked another twist of the screw in a legal battle initiated nearly five years ago by video game maker Epic Games, which alleged Apple had turned the iPhone's app store had been turned into a price-gouging monopoly. The antitrust case focused largely on the 15% to 30% commissions that Apple rakes in from a portion of the commerce conducted within iPhone apps under a system that prohibited app makers from offering alternative payment methods. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Apple is still seeking to overturn Gonzalez-Rogers' ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but her order blocking Apple's commissions on some in-app commerce will remain in effect while potentially leaving a dent in its profits. 'The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended,' Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney wrote in a post after the appeals court denied Apple's request. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Although Gonzalez-Rogers mostly sided with Apple in her initial 2021 ruling in the case, she ordered the company to begin allowing apps to include links to alternative payment systems — a decision that withstood appeals that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2024. Apple then complied by requiring commissions of 12% to 27%, provoking Epic to ask Gonzalez-Rogers to hold Apple in contempt of her order. After holding a new round of hearings that unfolded over a nine-month period straddling last year and this year, Gonzalez-Rogers brought down another legal hammer on Apple. Columnists NHL Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA
