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Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

Foxconn

Foxconn shift some Apple production to Vietnam to minimize China risk

Leave a Comment / apple, News, Tech News / By

The advent of the global pandemic has already destabilized the economic condition around the world that might take years to repair and heal. And, amidst such a crisis tension between America and the Republic of China increases as former US President Donald Trump openly blames China for the novel coronavirus. With Trump’s exit from the White House and Joe Biden’s incoming administration, the intensity of impact due to the Sino-American conflict depends on how America can sustain and strengthen its competitive advantages.

But, keeping in mind that the impact of the Sino-US war can fall heavy on the businesses, Foxconn is moving a part of iPad and MacBook assembly to Vietnam from China. The decision has been taken at the request of Apple Inc. This way the company can both minimize the effect of the Sino-American war in its production and business and expand the Vietnamese market. The plant in Vietnam is expected to come online in the first half of 2021.

Foxconn Taking production out of China

Under Trump’s administration, he has repeatedly asked the US firms to take their production out of China. The relationship between the two nations in terms of trading and beyond has gone stale especially after the open accusation. Few months after the outbreak of COVID 19, Trump also decided the ban TikTok as it was responsible for data theft by the Chinese government. He further made some amendments to Clean Network System so that the privacy of every US citizen is protected. Trump didn’t only stop at this as United Nations especially targeted the made in China electronics for higher import tariffs. A restriction in the trade for products using US technology to supply in China was made as it put the nation at risk. No business wants to get caught up in this nasty trade war which can be the end of their market. So, some other Taiwanese manufacturers are also planning to shift some of their production units to countries like Vietnam, India, and Mexico.

Foxconn plan for Apple

Currently, Foxconn is planning to shift the assembly lines for Apple’s iPad tablet and MacBook laptop to the northeastern Vietnamese plant in Bac Giang province. The company has started building the assembly lines as announced in July of this year and will start production by the first half of next year. The source of this news is anonymous as the plan of Foxconn in the Vietnamese market is private. But, the company has not been clear about the fraction of production it is planning to take out of China. The person though has informed that Foxconn is doing this at Apple’s request as the latter wants to “diversify production following the trade war”. So, to support the Vietnamese expansion, Foxconn announced an investment of $270 million to open a new subsidiary called FuKang Technology.

Foxconn
Image Source: businessconnectindia.in

Foxconn has denied commenting on the details about the plan. The company said that due to the reasons of commercial sensitivity they will not comment on any aspect of work revolving around its customers. Apple didn’t choose to make any comments either. Shifting the production of China will also mark a date in history for Foxconn as this will be the first time the company will not assemble iPad in China.

Products other than iPad and MacBook

News has spread that the production in the Vietnamese plant will go beyond Apple’s products. The contract manufacturer has plans to assemble television sets in this new plant for Sony. The production is scheduled for late 2020 to early 2021. But, Sony has declined to comment. Foxconn has a plan to produce more than just Apple’s product meaning it might eventually have a good grip on the Vietnamese electronic market. The anonymous person has informed that the new plant will also manufacture computer keyboards.

Other Asian markets

Foxconn has planned to invest a handsome amount in the Indian market as well. The company has already made plans to spend up to $1 billion in India for iPhone assembly. Apple is requesting to expand business in other markets anywhere beyond China. And, India is a land that produces quality engineers every year. So, it is a smart move for Foxconn to invest such a bulky amount in India. The company is also considering building plants in Mexico.

Tooter

Meet Tooter the “Swadeshi” version of Twitter for the Indians

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There is an ever-increasing pitch for self-sufficiency ever since the pandemic hit and border tensions with China arose. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called this a “vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat” or a self-reliant India. Tooter is up against a formidable challenge and is appealing to the patriotic fervor of Indians urging them to “join the revolution”.

Ever since the Indian government has cracked its proverbial whip on Chinese digital companies, there has been a flurry of activity in the Indian digital space. Be it Reliance Jio launching its Zoom clone, or fledgling Indian startups jumping in with their products to fill the void left by TikTok.

Tooter Vision:

Tooter’s vision reads as follows: “We believe that India should have a Swadeshi social network. Without one we are just a digital colony of the American Twitter India Company, no different than what we were under the British East India Company. Tooter is our Swadeshi Andolan 2.0. Join us in this Andolan. Join us!” Twitter has a massive user base in India, with all popular personalities making their presence felt on the social media giant.

More into Tooter:

Tooter
Image Source: tooter.in

The company is headquartered in Sri City, Telangana. Tooter has been active since July but it has been making waves only recently, with some government bigwigs like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joining the platform. One can join the platform with an email-id. The app is currently for web and Android users only, iOS users have to wait for some more time. On signing up, you automatically follow a verified handle called “news”, among other verified handles. From a user interface point of view, Tooter is very similar to Twitter. On Twitter you have tweets, and on Tooter you have… toots! There is a news feed and people who you can follow. So it is very similar to Twitter in the usage department as well. Tooter also has a blue conch as its symbol. There is also something called Tooter Pro, which is available for Rs. 1000 INR. But the payment process is quite clunky and not intuitive. Even the Pro version features are not well outlined.

Twitter clone why?

Twitter isn’t a Chinese company nor do the Chinese have a majority stake in the company. Then what motivated a hitherto unknown company called Tooter to launch a desi Twitter version? Twitter has had multiple run-ins with the Indian government in the last few months, be it map disputes or hate speech and privacy regulations. Twitter has also had issues with the general population with some calling Twitter’s attitude biased.

Privacy and Regulations:

This is one aspect where Tooter has failed to meet the expectations of its lofty vision statement. The terms of service contain the words – “protected by the First Amendment” – which is a US constitution term(the Indian first Amendment has nothing to do with personal freedom) Tooter claims to be India’s answer to Twitter but its regulatory terms do not reflect that fact. There are many other terms and conditions which appear to be riff raffed from any standard US company regulations.

Tooter does not allow children below the age of 18 to create an account (except for California citizens where the legal age is set at 16). This would sit perfectly fine for everyone who is paranoid about a – “A Social Dilemma” type of situation.

However, Tooter does mention that the sole purpose of its creation is free speech and to protect this “God-given right” and individuals exercising this right. The extent of this is not known yet, and its limits will surely be tested soon.

Long run:

Tooter has an open-source code base, which will probably help it in the long run. On the company website, it says that Tooter is forked from the Mastodon project and is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPL3). An open-source code can be edited by anyone, thus increasing the pace at which features are added to the base application. Many apps that have been launched by trying to clone popular ones have failed miserably. Hopefully, the Indian Tooter will not be one among them, and the Indian digital space continues to make waves. There is still a long way to go for Tooter, and it will take inspiration from the fact that it is David up against a Goliath called – Twitter.

microsoft

Microsoft Teams to roll out free all-day video and voice calling options to take on Zoom

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The global pandemic has increased the demand for video calling apps to several folds within a few months. Since the entire world is getting accustomed to the new normal, from kindergarten kids to business professionals are relying on videoconferencing applications. Among the many video conferencing apps, it was Zoom that started owning the market at the beginning and was extremely successful. But, it was soon followed by zoom bombing and then sharing the market with Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

With that being said, just days after Zoom announced that it will lift the 40 minutes meeting timing for Thanksgiving Day, Microsoft Teams comes with a brand new option of free all-day video and voice calling. The latter is rolling out a bunch of new options to give a hard competition to Zoom and attract Zoom users to its platform. The company confirmed the news through a blog post.

What is new in Microsoft Team?

The new all-day video and voice calling option will not only be hard on Zoom but Google Meet as well. The free 24 hrs calling will allow 300 participants to connect be it a video call or a voice call. Apart from the free all-day calling the platform is also expanding its ability to create a group chat maximum of 250 participants. The user will see up to 49 members simultaneously during virtual conversations. The company hasn’t specified if there is an end date to this free 24-hours calling. This new feature will immensely help existing users and attract new users as well. With Zoom’s compromised security then deciding to enable end-to-end encryption for only paid users followed by rolling it out for everyone has signaled instability of the platform. So, maybe this new feature of MS Teams will make it own the market.

Microsoft
Image Source: dispatch.m.io

Apart from expanding the chat capability, Microsoft is also adding support to upload and share photos and videos from your computer. Users can share these directly in any group chat or video chat. Both the Teams desktop and the web apps are including more options letting professionals add their account to chat with friends and family.

Does everyone need a Microsoft account?

The company has mentioned that like every other video conferencing platform, it is not mandatory to have a Microsoft account to attend a meeting. The user can join a Microsoft Teams meeting without opening an account or installing the Teams app only by clicking on the link that has been sent by the host. Users can simply attend the meeting from the web browser. Moreover, the platform is trying to connect as many people as possible by getting seamless syncing of chats between the phone and the computer. As mentioned earlier, the platform will also show 49 others in the meeting in a gallery view similar to the Zoom app. This is done by using the Together Mode feature in MS Teams.

New features for Teams mobile app

Apart from overall updating the Microsoft Teams platform, the mobile users can communicate with their contacts that do not have Teams on their smartphone. The chosen contact by the user will receive an SMS and the receiver can respond to it via simple text messages. Moreover, the recipient will receive a link to download Microsoft Teams on their phones. The SMS support will be available to the Teams app in preview only for US and Canadian users. An additional feature of adding group events from chat to the device calendar will also be available. Users can also get task and location updates in the activity feed along with adding photos to the personal Safe. The new location feature is made to let your family and loved ones know about your whereabouts so that you are safe. They will receive alerts during your departure and arrival time as well. Microsoft Teams is trying to make the platform as personalized and secure as possible for the users. The company also says that they are expecting the feedbacks are the user input matters a lot.

Last month, the company announced that it surpassed the mark of 115 million daily active users and they want to make it a communication solution for everyone.

Sony

Sony launches Alpha 7C the world’s smallest Full-frame camera in India

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On 18th November 2020, Sony launched the world’s smallest and lightest Full-frame camera system in India. Sony’s Alpha 7C comes with a zoom lens SEL2860 which has a compact design yet uncompromised performance. The company claims that it is not only the world’s smallest full-frame camera but also a high-performing gadget with advanced autofocus mode and high-resolution 4K video qualities. The camera system has a lot of advanced features that will help the photographers and the content creators come up with much better output and explore new possibilities. Mukesh Srivastava, Digital, Imaging Head, Sony India, said that the new Alpha 7C with FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 zoom lens has the most advanced imaging technologies unleashing the power of a Full-frame system in the palm of our hands.

Sony Compact Design yet High Quality

Apart from the advanced autofocus (AF) qualities, the camera also has versatile video shooting modes as compared to its compact design. The 24.2MP camera with a 35mm full-frame-black-illuminated CMOS sensor offers high sensitivity, an impressive resolution, and a 15-stop wide dynamic range. The camera also has a BIONZ X image processing engine and allows high-speed image data processing. Alpha 7C has a measurement of 124.0mm X 71.1mm X 59.7mm and weighs 509g. The camera offers a 5-step stabilization effect that produces a stable image without the use of a tripod. It also has a high capacity battery of NP-FZ100 to comfortably shoot for a long duration.

4K video recording

Sony
Image Source: gsmarena.com

The new Alpha 7C produces excellent high-resolution low noise image quality at all ranges of sensitivity. Apart from photography, the user can also make excellent videos of diversified stuff from shooting nature to portrait. The standard ISO of the camera is up to 51,200 and expandable to ISO 50-204. For more details, you can always check the website of the company. The camera allows 16-bit processing and 14-bit RAW output. Other advanced video qualities supported by Alpha 7C is HDR (HLG) and S-Log/ S-Gamut profiles, Slow and quick motions, full HD-recording at 120 fps3, etc. The camera also captures twice the amount of data required for 4K videos to produce clearer footage.

Advanced Autofocus (AF) mode

Sony Alpha 7C has integrated AI-driven functions to do real-time tracking while the shutter button is half-pressed. When the user presses the AF-ON button both tracking and AF are activated. There is also a “Touch Tracking” option useful for both stills and movies. Alpha 7C also has Real-time Eye AF to accurately focus on both humans and animals. The eye will automatically track and lock the subject with high precision. This camera also has a newly developed shooting unit that allows continuous shooting up to 10 fps.

Dream of any video creator

As mentioned by Mukesh Srivastava this camera is specially designed so that the content creators can explore new possibilities and come up with more engaging videos and photos. As this camera is a very good option for shooting fast objects, this is already on the bucket list of many vloggers and video creators. Moreover, for capturing better selfies and overhead shots, this camera has a side opening vary-angle LCD monitor. This LCD monitor helps immensely to take low ground-level shots as well. The movie button has been shifted to the top of the camera making it easy for the videographers to operate while shooting. Alpha 7C also comes with an amazing audio interface with Multi-Interface (MI) Shoe. This helps make the input audio signals filter and get clearer audio recordings. Headphone and microphone jacks are also provided with Sony Alpha 7C.

A smooth workflow

The LCD monitor provides optimal visibility even in bright lights. The touch panel is of large touch-sensitive 3.0 type with 921 thousand dots approximately. Sony Alpha 7C has been designed exclusively keeping the user in mind. This includes Wi-Fi communication to transfer images and videos to a smartphone for convenience and saving purposes. The camera has been provided with a USB Type-C connector that supports SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps. The connector allows charging from an external source while shooting.

The new Sony Alpha 7C will be soon available in all Sony Centers, Alpha Flagship Stores, and other major electronics stores across the country. The price of Alpha 7C (body only) is Rs 1,67,990 and the price of Alpha 7CL (along with the new Kit Lens SEL2860) is Rs 1,96,990. Both will be available from 18th November 2020.

Apple

Privacy activist Max Schrems’ hits Apple with new complaints of consent breach

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Yesterday, a privacy activist group called Noyb founded and led by Max Schrems filed a complaint against the US tech giant Apple. A specific complaint has been filed with German and Spanish data protection authorities regarding the tracking tool of Apple. According to Max Schrems, Apple’s online tracking tool saves user data on iPhone without their consent. This is strictly against European law and also the first time Apple has been accused of such a major action that questions its privacy rules.

In response to this allegation, Apple has made it clear that the company is very strict and superior in terms of privacy protection. Apple will also tighten the rules further with the launch of iOS 14. Unfortunately, Apple’s plan to launch the new OS has been shifted to sometime earlier next year.

Why complain was launched against Apple?

Noyb brought the complaint against Apple regarding the company’s online tracking tool that automatically generates a tracking code while setting it up. This tracking code is called the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). This code is used by Apple and third-party applications to track the online behavior of the users and consumption preferences. By tracking these data, it will be easier to send the users targeted advertisements that might interest him or her.

Apple

According to Noyb lawyer, Stefano Rossetti, these codes are placed in the iPhones without user consent and it is a clear breach of European Union privacy laws. Stefano further gave a reference to the EU’s e-Privacy Directive according to which a user’s prior consent is required for the installation and use of such information. He also said that the complaint is not launched to make Apple pay higher fines but to establish a clear principle where tracking must not be the rue but an exception. He also demanded that instead of restricting IDFA it should rather be deleted. But, the planned new rules of Apple will not change this as it restricts the third-party apps from accessing such private data but not Apple.

German and Spanish market

Kantar Group in early 2019 revealed that 24.3% smartphone users across five major European market uses Apple’s iPhone. According to Counterpoint Research, currently one out of four smartphones sold in Europe is the iPhone which is very impressive growth. An accusation as big as this is most probably going to affect Apple’s European market. According to Noyb, the claims on behalf of German and Spanish consumers were handed to the Spanish data protection authority. The authorities counterpart in Berlin led by Austrian Schrems has also said it received the complaint against Apple. And, this privacy advocacy group has already won two trials against Facebook. Spain’s privacy protection authorities denied making any comments regarding this.

Apple hits back

In response to the claims by Noyb, Apple said that the claims were factually inaccurate and the company is looking forward to making it clear that the privacy regulators should examine the complaint. Moreover, specifically in response to the comment regarding IDFA, Apple said that “does not access or use the IDFA on a user’s device for any purpose”. Apple said that the company always targets on how to make the privacy of a user more protected and secure. And, iOS 14 gives the users control over whether they want to link the apps with the third party for targeted advertisement. Apple also said that the company’s practices comply with European law. The US tech supports and advances the aim of the GDPR and the e-Privacy Directive which makes sure users have the full power and control over their data. 

More about Max Schrems

Max Schrems is a famous Australian activist who also founded NOYB- European Center for Digital Rights. He studied law at Santa Clara University. He is mostly famous because of the campaigns against Facebook for its privacy violations. Max accused Facebook of violating European privacy laws and allegedly sending personal data to the US National Security Agency (NSA). In 2018, he also filed suit against both Google and Facebook for coercing their users to accept data policies. He didn’t only target these two companies but also every other major tech giants around the world.

Amazon

Amazon accuses Future Group of insider trading in new push to block Reliance deal

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Amazon has made a few arguments and asked India’s market regulators to look into the Future Retail deal with Reliance Industries. The company has accused Future Retail of insider trading, a letter confirmed by Reuters as it seeks to stop its business partner from becoming a part of the rival’s dynasty. In response to this accusation, Future Group has asked the court for a restraining order so that Amazon cannot approach the regulators which might put the deal with Reliance in jeopardy.

Amazon has been putting pressure on the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to review the deal of Reliance that took place in August. The August deal between Reliance and the Future Group announced the acquisition of the retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehousing business of the latter for Rs 24,713 crore via Reliance Retail Ventures.

Why Amazon is making accusations?

Amazon has made it clear that it had an agreement with the Future Group in 2019 that prevented the Indian group’s retail assets from selling to some specific parties. Reliance is one of those parties that Future Group is barred from selling the assets. Amazon now accuses the Future Group that it has disclosed price-sensitive details of an injunction granted by a Singapore arbitrator to Reliance in order to block its deal with the same. In response to these allegations, the Future Group has included in its statement that Amazon needs a “tutorial on the law on insider trading”.

The deal along with accusations and the judgment will be an example of how the Indian firms and the judiciary system values the arbitration decision made following overseas arbitration rules. This may come as another backlash for Amazon which will degrade its reputation more as it is already facing antitrust challenges.

Amazon
Image Source: gadgets.ndtv.com

The injunction Amazon speaks of was granted on 25th October while the company welcomed the decision. On the same day, Reliance informed that it has informed of the arbitration order and the company will enforce its rights to complete the deal with Future Group as early as possible. But, now Amazon in its 20-page letter to the SEBI accused that Reliance was secretive about the price details of the injunction.

What if the Reliance deal fails?

Amidst the accusations that Amazon has made to scupper the deal, Future Retail will go into liquidation if the deal with Reliance Industries is not successful. The 130-page order by the arbitrator shows the level of concern in the Future Retail of this deal breaks. More than 1,500 outlets of Future Retail will have to pack up creating havoc for thousands of employees and the workers in the vendor firms. Future Retail has taken the decision to go for liquidation which means the earning of more than 29,000 employees will stop at once.

Future Retail said that after the pandemic has struck the world, the retail sector has been hit hard. And, this deal with Reliance was supposed to protect the interest of the stakeholders by the acquisition of the liabilities and huge funding. Amazon, after filing accusations has made its relationship sore with both Future Retail and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance.

Future Group defends itself

While Amazon is putting allegations on the Future Retail and Reliance, a spokesperson for Future has made a statement to Reuters that Amazon has made wrongful allegations. The news of the injunction was made public on Sunday. Neither Reliance nor SEBI has made any comments to Reuters after this and Amazon has also declined to comment regarding the content of the letter.

Future Retail has further told that the agreement Amazon is talking about regarding preventing from selling the assets to Reliance was with a separate Future Group unit. It has also mentioned that on 26th October Future Retail said that they were examining the arbitration order and the same should be tested by Indian law.

Now, we can do nothing but wait and observe the decision of the Indian court. It is important for the regulators as well to choose the right side between Amazon and Future Retail. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, losing a job for thousands of employees will make the economy worse.