Connect with us

Technologies

Apple Is Moving US iPhone Assembly to India Amid Tariff Turmoil

Apple CEO Tim Cook also said Vietnam will manufacture almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods products sold in the US.

Apple will be sourcing almost its entire line of iPhones sold in the US — about 60 million phones a year — from assembly facilities in India, CEO Tim Cook said Thursday. The planned move comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration imposing tariffs against China of up to 145%.

The tech giant is predicting a $900 million impact to Apple’s costs this coming quarter if tariff policies, rates and applications stay as they are right now. 

«For the June quarter, we do expect the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin,» Cook said during Apple’s Q1 earnings call on May 1, «and Vietnam to be the country of origin for almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods products sold in the US.»

It comes as some products such as mobile phones and computers have been exempted from those tariffs for the time being. Apple has long centered its iPhone production in China, making it vulnerable to any trade war between the two countries and spurring speculation that tariffs could mean price increases for the company’s biggest-selling product.

By moving third-party assembly of US iPhones to India, Apple could avoid the most significant cost pressure of a trade war, though India itself faces new tariffs as well.

The company had already begun shipping iPhones made in India, adding to its product reserves, before new tariffs became active.

A global perspective on iPhones and tariffs

While it’s unclear how long the trade war with China will continue, Apple’s shift is part of a larger strategy that may include more US component manufacturing, says Angelo Zino, a senior vice president at CFRA Research.

«Apple must think long term with manufacturing capacity,» Zino said. «We think Apple will look to double its India iPhone capacity in the next two to three years to help mitigate future China-US tensions.»

That said, Zino expects Apple to keep a large China presence, as 15% of its sales will be in that country and global capacity of iPhone manufacturing will still rely on Chinese manufacturing. Cook confirmed that China will «continue to be the country of origin for the vast majority of total product sales outside the US.»

While Apple wouldn’t shift iPhone production entirely to the US, which would be cost-prohibitive, Zino said, it could potentially ramp up modem and internally designed processors with Taiwan Semiconductor in the US. 

«That is clearly where the value of Apple lies for the Trump administration, in our view, rather than assembling its devices,» Zino said. 

Will Apple’s manufacturing shift to India last?

Muzammil Hassan, head of patent portfolio management and monetization in India for Quandary Peak Research, noted that Apple’s shift to more manufacturing in India was already happening before tariffs were enacted.

«I don’t think it’s a temporary move,» Hassan said. «Foxconn has been training thousands of employees in their factories in Tamil Nadu. In fact, there were reports that iPhone 17 might be developed and manufactured exclusively in India.»

While shifting all US iPhone production to India may be bold, Hassan said, Apple is not pioneering with its manufacturing strategy. «I’d say Apple is late to the party. Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and Motorola among others were already manufacturing their phones in India.»

In addition, Google may be migrating production of its Pixel phone to India from Vietnam, he said. 

Technologies

Google’s Nudity Warnings Will Warn You of Incoming Explicit Images in Messages

The process happens entirely on your device, and Google says it doesn’t have access to any images.

Google wants to give you more control over viewing and sharing images that may be explicit when they’re sent to you via Google Messages. The tech giant is currently rolling out sensitive content warnings, a safety feature announced last year that will automatically blur images suspected of containing nudity before they’re viewed.

When a message comes in, you’ll see a «speed bump» notification, where you have to stop and choose an option before opening a message. Those options include learning why explicit images can be harmful, getting the chance to block the number immediately, getting the option to click Back or choosing the ability to view the image. It will also remind you of the potential risks of sharing explicit content and help prevent accidental sends.

Google said this process happens entirely on your phone to maintain privacy and ensure end-to-end encrypted messages remain accessible only to the sender and recipient. The company also clarified that it does not have access to image contents, will not know whether nudity actually has been detected and does not send identifiable data to its servers.

In a post on its website, the company acknowledged that the feature «isn’t perfect,» noting: «It may occasionally detect images that don’t contain nudity or not detect images that contain nudity.»

The feature is opt-in for adults via Android settings and enabled by default (opt-out) for users under 18. It will roll out to Android 9 and above, including Android Go devices, with Google Messages.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Microsoft Raised the Prices of Xbox Consoles, and Some Games Are Next

Some new first-party Xbox games will have their costs raised by $10 this holiday season.

Get ready to pay more for Xbox consoles and some games. Microsoft raised the recommended retail pricing of its Xbox Series S/X consoles, controllers and headsets on Thursday. The company also announced then that it plans to raise the prices new first-party games from $70 to $80 this holiday season, matching the cost of some new Nintendo Switch 2 games.

Microsoft said the cost of games released between now and then won’t increase, so Doom: The Dark Ages won’t see a price hike when it’s released later this month, for instance. «We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,» Microsoft wrote.

Microsoft’s recommended retail pricing (PDF) for consoles and controllers is staggering. The company is suggesting an $80 price hike for the Xbox Series S (512GB), the most affordable Xbox console Microsoft sells. That takes the price of the 5-year-old console from $300 to $380. The Xbox Series X (1TB) is getting a $100 increase, increasing it from $500 to $600. And the Xbox Series X (2TB) Galaxy Black Special Edition now costs $730, which makes the eye-watering $700 price tag of a PlayStation 5 Pro seem reasonable.

Read more: Who’s to Blame for the Rising Cost of Nintendo Switch 2 Games?

The base Xbox wireless controller has a recommended price of $65 (up from $60), and the high-end Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 has a recommended price of $200 (up from $145). Stereo and wireless headsets have recommended prices of $65 (up from $60) and $120 (up from $110), respectively.

These prices aren’t just affecting gamers in the US. Microsoft raised Xbox console and accessory hardware prices in the UK, EU, Australia and the rest of the world. But the cost of headsets is only increasing in the US and Canada. You could see these console and hardware price hikes immediately, but Microsoft isn’t raising the price of Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — the most expensive tier of the gaming service — costs $20 a month but provides you with access to hundreds of games, including new, Day 1 releases. With the price of some major games rising to $80, that means you would have to buy four months of Game Pass Ultimate to match the price of one new game. That makes Game Pass much more appealing, but there is the potential for Microsoft to raise the price of the service in the future.

Microsoft raised Game Pass prices in 2024 alongside the introduction of Game Pass Standard. But since the company raised the price of the service in 2024, and the year prior in 2023, it’s possible Microsoft will increase the cost of the service later this year.

Again, game prices aren’t going up until later this year, so you still have time to buy games at or below $70 apiece, but you could see the updated console, controller and headset pricing now. For more on Xbox, you can check out CNET’s reviews of the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X, as well as what to know about Xbox Game Pass.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: How the Rugged Watches Compare

Apple’s second-generation Ultra gets a few updates over the original.

The $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 debuted in September 2023 and continues to be the company’s leading rugged smartwatch. Since the Ultra 2’s debut, Apple has also unveiled the Apple Watch Series 10 as a more mainstream watch option. And while the Ultra 2 replaced the original Apple Watch Ultra, that model does continue to sell in Apple’s Certified Refurbished store at $589.

While the second-gen Ultra looks similar to the original, there are a number of improvements inside the iPhone-compatible smartwatch that are worth noting. The Ultra 2 has a 3,000-nit screen, which should be noticeably brighter than the original Ultra’s 2,000-nit display. The Ultra 2 also includes the new Double Tap gesture, which lets you activate certain controls by tapping your thumb and index finger together without touching the watch’s screen.

Read more: Best Apple Watch for 2025

Otherwise, this newer Ultra has many of the same features as the first. This includes a new Night mode that will be on a Wayfinder watch face, which uses an ambient light sensor to activate. Both watches also continue to have an estimated 36-hour battery life.

To highlight the differences between the original Apple Watch Ultra and the new Apple Watch Ultra 2, we’ve outlined each watch’s specs in the chart below.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Apple Watch Ultra

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Apple Watch Ultra
Shape Square Square
Watch size 49mm 49mm
Materials, finishes Titanium Titanium
Display size, resolution 1.91-inch, 502×410-pixel OLED 1.91-inch, 502×410-pixel OLED
Dimensions 44x49x14.4 mm 49x44x14.4mm
Weight 61.4g 61.3g
Colors Natural titanium Natural titanium
Always On Yes Yes
Interchangable bands Yes Yes
GPS Yes (L1 and L5) Yes
Automatic workout detection Yes Yes
Compass Yes Yes
Altimeter Yes (operating range: -500m to 9,000m) Yes
Water resistance 10ATM (100 meters) and recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters Yes, up to 100m
Calls Yes Yes
Microphone Yes (3-mic array) Yes
Speaker Yes Yes
Voice assistant Yes (Siri, on-device) Yes (Siri)
Mobile Payments Yes (Apple Pay) Yes (Apple Pay)
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Period tracking Yes Yes
Sensors SPo2 (blood oxygen), ECG, optical heart, ambient light, high dynamic range gyroscope, high-g accelerometer, water temperature, depth gauge + app SPo2 (blood oxygen), ECG, optical heart, ambient light, high dynamic range gyroscope, high-g accelerometer, water temperature, depth gauge + app
Emergency features International emergency calling, Emergency SOS, crash detection International emergency calling, Emergency SOS, crash detection
Compatibility iOS 17 iOS 16
Software WatchOS 10 WatchOS 9
Processor Apple S9 S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor
Connectivity LTE and UMTS, Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.3 LTE and UMTS, Wi-FI
Memory and storage 64GB 64GB
Power USB-C magnetic fast charging USB-C magnetic fast charging
Battery life Up to 36 hours; up to 72 hours (low power mode) 36-hour battery life, 18 hours on LTE
Battery capacity Unavailable Unavailable
Price (USD) $799 $799
Price (GBP) £799 £849
Price (AUD) AU$1,399 AU$1,299

Extend the Utility of Your Old Apple Watch

See all photos

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media