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India Today
7 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Apple AirPods India production faces setback as China tightens rare earth material supply
Apple's plan to make AirPods in India has hit a speed bump, and it has to do with a key material that's mostly controlled by China. According to a report by Moneycontrol, the issue lies in the supply of dysprosium, a rare earth metal used in tiny magnets that help AirPods work the way they do. Foxconn, the company making these AirPods in India at its Telangana factory, has been struggling to get enough of this material. And it's not because of internal mismanagement. The problem is bigger, and it's political. China recently tightened export rules on dysprosium and other rare earth materials, and that's made things difficult for companies operating outside the making this situation more complicated is that it comes just after Foxconn moved more than 300 Chinese engineers out of its Indian facilities. So, the timing has made some people wonder whether this supply issue is a one-off hiccup or something more deliberate. Either way, it's got Foxconn concerned. As per Moneycontrol, the company has flagged the issue to the Telangana government and several central ministries, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and even the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Everyone's aware now, but solving this might depend on how talks between India and China progress from that said, despite the trouble, Apple's AirPods production in India hasn't stopped entirely. The report further mentions that both Apple and Foxconn had foreseen some of these problems months in advance and managed to build a buffer. So, for now, they're somehow able to keep going. There's also word that Foxconn is working with the Indian and Chinese governments to get something called an End User Certificate, which is required by China before it can allow the export of such sensitive materials. Counterpoint Research's Neil Shah told Moneycontrol that the situation shows just how reliant the tech world still is on China for rare earth materials. And he's right. Dysprosium and other rare earth metals play a critical role in electronics. Without them, it's tough to maintain the same product of now, Foxconn's Indian unit contributes only a small share of Apple's global AirPods production. But it was seen as a key part of Apple's efforts to reduce its dependence on China. This supply roadblock gives an advantage to Apple's other partners, like Luxshare and Goertek, both of whom have production facilities in concern that this kind of disruption could hurt India's electronics manufacturing dreams in the long run, especially under the PLI scheme. If material shortages continue or worsen, it could affect pricing, timelines, and possibly even product features.- Ends
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Smarter phones, steeper prices: AI could push flagship costs up 15% in India
The integration of AI into smartphones is poised to increase flagship handset prices in India by 10-15% due to rising chipset and memory costs. While AI features are expanding to mid-range devices, analysts caution that passing increased costs to consumers could negatively impact sales in a market already facing subdued demand. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) could become a double-edged sword for smartphone brands, with industry executives and experts predicting a 10-15% increase in flagship handset prices in the coming quarters in India due to rising chipset and memory module costs, vital for unlocking full AI late, AI and generative AI (GenAI) capabilities have also trickled into mid-range smartphones , spurred by handset brands and chipset makers' initiatives. However, analysts cautioned that if the rising costs are passed on to mid-range model buyers, it could further dampen shipments in India this year."With the rising chipset costs and also corresponding memory chipset costs to bring the full AI capabilities in a smartphone, the overall cost to manufacture a flagship smartphone will rise," Neil Shah, vice president at Counterpoint Research , told ET."After a point, brands will not have enough room to adjust the BoM (bill-of-materials) costs to keep the pricing the same year after year and will have to raise prices for flagships by at least 10-15% as they move to chipsets with advanced nodes," Shah CH, senior director (product marketing) at Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek , said the cost to offer premium performance in a smartphone is increasing, but added that consumers are willing to pay more to buy a premium their part, chipset makers and other vendors are attempting to control costs, he said. "MediaTek is part of a very complex supply chain, which also includes memory, display, and camera, and others. Every industry is doing its best to control the costs," he International Data Corporation (IDC) noted that currency fluctuations are also weighing on chipset Joshi, research manager, IDC, said passing on higher costs to consumers could further crimp smartphone sales in India, a market experiencing subdued demand. She added that since AI capabilities are already available in devices priced at over ₹30,000, a price hike could have an industry-wide effect.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mango Introduces AI-powered Stylist for Personalization
GETTING PERSONAL: Mango, the Barcelona-based global fashion chain, is broadening its use of AI with the launch of 'Mango Stylist,' a virtual fashion assistant for shoppers. The tool, powered by generative artificial intelligence, is designed to make shopping the Mango website easier, faster and more personalized. The Mango Stylist is currently functioning in the brand's women's line, in 10 markets, mainly in Europe and the U.S. Other markets include Spain, Portugal, the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Turkey. More from WWD SharkNinja's Neil Shah Talks New 'F1' Movie Sponsorship and APXGP Collaboration Radar Advances Its Inventory Tracking Technology With WhatsApp Partnership, L'Oréal Paris Wants People to Ask Beauty Genius - Not ChatGPT - for Beauty Help The retailer indicated that since 2018 Mango has developed more than 15 machine-learning platforms that apply AI in different areas including pricing, design and customer service. Among the most notable cited by the company are 'Lisa,' to address use cases of its employees and partners, and 'Inspire,' to help the design and product team create prints, fabrics and garments, as well as window dressing, architecture and interior design. Mango Stylist, the company indicated, uses algorithms 'to understand the context and personal tastes of each user, offering them product recommendations tailored to their preferences, as well as the possibility to explore the latest trends and discover Mango product combinations and complete looks through a chat on its e-commerce site and the brand's Instagram account.' The development of Mango Stylist was a result of the collaboration of different Mango teams including IT, data, digital product, styling, design, visual merchandising and customer service. The tool also integrates with Mango's after-sales virtual assistant, 'Iris,' which is already active in several markets. It's providing a single conversational point of contact for customers, which makes it possible to resolve queries at different stages of the shopping journey, from the start of a search for fashion to the after- purchase of WWD Macy's Is Closing 66 Stores in 2025 — Here's the List, Live Updates Inside the Demise of Lord & Taylor COVID-19 Spikes Elevate Retail Concerns
Entrepreneur
20-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
New wave of Tech IPOs should find their home in London, says Head of Tech Sector at the London Stock Exchange
"Nvidia had $29 million of revenue at IPO, and Amazon had revenues of $16 million at the time they went public. London has all the potential to provide companies with this growth opportunity" says Neil Shah, Head of Tech Primary Markets at the London Stock Exchange. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Despite comprising only 1.4% of the 503 companies in the S&P 500 index of the largest US-listed businesses, the 'Magnificent 7' (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Alphabet, Meta, and Tesla) were responsible for over 50% of the index's total gains - and over 75% of its earnings growth - in 2024. It's sometimes hard to believe how small some of those companies were when they first went public, especially when high profile US IPOs are now reserved for companies with revenues in the billions, not millions. "When I started out in investment banking at Thomas Weisel Partners in 2009," continues Shah, "there were software companies going public in the US with about $40 million in revenue. It is a very different picture today, that would just be impossible. It would probably still be impossible at $400 million in revenue. $400m of revenue a quarter, maybe, but not annually." But it is still possible in London. This may come as a surprise to the average Brit who may only come across the London Stock Exchange in the evening news summary of the FTSE 100 with its big banks, big pharma and miners. The London Stock Exchange team gets as excited about early stage growth companies as they do about unicorns. Most stock exchanges have left the messy business of young, growing scale ups to VCs or Private Equity. Not so in London. "AIM turns 30 this year. It is the world's most successful growth market and is run by the London Stock Exchange. Nominated advisers closely support companies not only through the IPO process, but thereafter. And some of the work required by a company to go public could potentially be done at a tenth of the cost of a US listing." "When companies choose to list in London, they can benefit from a full-time fundraising team in the form of the house broker retained by the company, meaning there is less of a burden on a company founder. And as public companies, they can also attract and incentivise talent in a liquid, transparent way that private companies cannot." Shah also believes that (along with a range of high-quality small cap funds and investors) Venture Capital Trusts, or VCTs - a unique British invention that combines the best of a Silicon Valley VC and a traditional small cap fund - offer an attractive alternative to more fashionable venture funding sources. The traditional venture capital model has fueled household name successes like Uber, Facebook and Zoom. But it has also given the world high profile failures like WeWork, Theranos and 23andMe. London's approach, where sensible valuations, supportive institutional investors and quality growth companies mingle, could be having its moment. AIM has supported some fantastic founder-led companies such as Craneware which went public with $15m of revenue in 2007 ($200m today) and Cerillion, which went public in 2016 with £14m of revenue and a £22m market cap. Today, it's worth over £450m. Nvidia founder Jensen Huang took to the stage at London Tech Week in mid June, saying "The UK has one of the richest AI communities anywhere on the planet... and the third largest AI capital investment of anywhere in the world." If Huang or Bezos were taking Nvidia or Amazon public today, they may be looking to the City, not Wall Street, for support. "British investors are really well-travelled. More than a third of our [London-listed] companies are international," says Shah. "It doesn't matter where you're from, you can be successful here."
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Business Standard
20-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Foxconn eyes iPhone enclosure manufacturing in Tamil Nadu
Taiwanese company Foxconn is planning to start manufacturing iPhone enclosures — the external metal or glass frames of iPhones — in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, at a new unit within the ESR Industrial Park, The Economic Times reported. So far, only Tata Electronics has been making these enclosures in India. Until now, Foxconn has focused on iPhone assemblies in India, harnessing its Sriperumbudur facility. The proposed enclosures facility will be located separately but nearby Foxconn's display module assembly plant, which is already nearing completion within the same industrial park. Apple looking to broaden local supply base Industry experts believe Foxconn's move signals Apple's intent to diversify its suppliers in India, similar to its strategy in China. Neil Shah, vice-president, Counterpoint Research, was quoted as saying by The Economic Times that it was natural for Foxconn to diversify the production in India. This aligns well with Apple's broader strategy to derisk and diversify its supply chain, he emphasised. Producing capital equipment in India Apple is also in talks with Indian companies to make capital equipment and machinery needed for iPhone production. These machines would be supplied to iPhone vendors in India as they expand and launch new models. This step is important because imports of crucial equipment, mainly from China, are currently delayed at ports. By building machines locally, Apple aims to cut business risks. There is strong demand for such equipment, especially with two new factories, one each by Foxconn and Tata Electronics, preparing to begin iPhone manufacturing. Foxconn ships 97 per cent of iPhones from India to US From March to May, nearly 97 per cent of iPhones exported by Foxconn from India went to the United States, based on customs data reviewed by Reuters. These shipments were worth $3.2 billion, a large rise from the 50 per cent monthly average seen through 2024. This change shows Apple's effort to avoid high US tariffs on Chinese goods. Earlier, Indian-made iPhones were shipped to markets like the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the UK. Now, most are headed directly to the US. The shift comes as Washington plans to impose even steeper duties on Chinese imports.
