PM Modi’s I-Day tech slogan, Apple’s iPhone production update, Pixel 9 series launch and more tech news of the week
‘Design in India, Design for World’: What PM Narendra Modi’s ‘new slogan’ for tech industry on Independence Day means
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a special ‘make in India’ for the Indian IT industry this Independence Day. In an address to the nation from Red Fort on India’s 78th Independence Day, PM Modi coined a new phrase — “Design in India, Design for the world”. Exalting the indigenous design capabilities of the Indian technology industry, PM Modi called upon Indian IT professionals to create products that cater to both domestic as well as international markets.
In his address during the 78th Independence Day celebrations, “India is known for its best quality. Now, we need to focus on design and we need to try to make the Indian standard become the global standard.
“We have talent…in the field of design, we can contribute immensely to the world. We need to move forward with the vision of ‘Design in India, Design for the world’,” he added. Click here to read more
Apple India operations cross over Rs 2 lakh crore, driven by iPhone production growth
Apple’s India operations reached a value of over Rs 2 lakh crore ($23.5 billion) in the fiscal year 2024, according to a report by the Economic Times. This marks a substantial increase from the previous year’s Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The growth is attributed to increased iPhone production and domestic sales of MacBooks, iMacs, iPads, Watches and AirPods.
The report quotes a top official who said that Apple “has likely exhibited the fastest growth in production and exports by any company in the last 50 years in India, making the Cupertino-based tech giant the largest global value chain (GVC) operating domestically.” Read the full story here
Everything announced at Google’s ‘Made by Google’ hardware showcase: Three new Pixel 9 phones, a new Pixel Fold, two Pixel Watches and more
Even though Google was two months early in its usual schedule, it came in with a full bang at its hardware reveal. From Gemini taking centre stage to a slew of new hardware, Google pulled out all the stops at its “Made by Google” showcase. We saw not one, not two, but four new Pixel phones, including a second-gen foldable that has a weird name. And did I mention AI? It’s everywhere, folks. Click here to read more
Realme unveils 320W SuperSonic Charge, promises to charge smartphone in 4 min 30 seconds
Realme has unveiled its 320W SuperSonic Charge technology at the company’s 828 Fan Festival in China. The company claims that 320W is by far the world’s fastest charging technology.
The Chinese smartphone claims that the 320W fast charging technology can completely charge in just 4 minutes and 30 seconds. “In only one minute, the 320W charger can power a device to 26% capacity, and it takes less than two minutes to charge a phone to over 50%,” claims the company.
Along with the world’s first fast charging technology, Realme has also introduced a folded battery, boasting a 4,420 mAh battery. Each cell is under 3mm thick, yet provides a 10% increase in capacity over traditional designs. This marks the world’s first quad-cell smartphone battery. Read the full story here
Lenovo launches Legion Tab gaming tablet with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in India
Lenovo has launched its latest gaming tablet, the Lenovo Legion Tab, in India. The Legion Tab will be available for purchase on Lenovo.com and Flipkart from August 15, priced at Rs 39,999.
The Legion Tab features an 8.8-inch QHD+ Lenovo PureSight gaming display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. The tablet weighs at 350 grams and measures 7.6mm in thickness.
The Legion Tab is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 4nm processor, 12GB of LPDDR5X memory, and 256GB of onboard storage (expandable up to 1TB). The tablet uses Legion ColdFront vapor thermal solution for efficient cooling, and offers three performance modes: Beast, Balanced, and Energy Saving.
The tablet is powered by a 6550mAh battery with 45W fast charging support and features a USB Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 compatibility. Click here to read more
Noise Buds N1 Pro with 60 hours battery life launched in India: Price, specs and more
Domestic wearable brand Noise has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of the Noise Buds N1 Pro TWS earbuds. These new earbuds succeeded the Noise Buds N1, which was one of the highest-selling products for the company. Powered by advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Noise Buds N1 Pro filter out background noise and has a chrome and metallic finish.
Available in four colours – Chrome Black, Chrome Green, Chrome Purple and Chrome Beige, the Noise Buds N1 Pro will be available at the launch price of Rs 1,499. Noise Buds N1 Pro will be available exclusively on Amazon by the end of the month and will also be available on gonoise.com in the coming days. Read the full story here
20,000-plus job cuts at Dell: Employee describes layoffs as ‘a bit of a dumpster fire’
Earlier this month, Dell announced the restructuring effort centred around artificial intelligence (AI) integration, implementing workforce reductions starting this week across different departments, leading to what some employees believe could be the largest round of layoffs in the company’s history.
“Through a reorganisation of our go-to-market teams and an ongoing series of actions, we are becoming a leaner company,” a Dell spokesperson told Business Insider. The layoffs are expected to continue throughout the quarter, affecting multiple divisions within the organisation. Click here to read more
Cisco to lay off 6000 employees, CEO says “we’re now returning …”
Networking giant Cisco Systems recently announced its plans to lay off approximately 7% of its global workforce as the company shifts focus towards high-growth areas like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. This marks Cisco’s second major round of job cuts in 2024.
While Cisco did not specify the exact number of positions to be eliminated, the 7% reduction could possibly affect around 6,000 employees based on its reported workforce of 84,900 as of July 2023. The company previously laid off 4,000 workers in February.
The job cuts come as Cisco reported a 10% year-over-year decline in quarterly revenue to $13.64 billion. However, this still exceeded market expectations of $13.54 billion. Read the full story here
Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone to TRAI: Time to regulate Google, WhatsApp, Telegram and others
Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to make new rules for messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Google’s RCS and Telegram. According to a report by Economic Times, they have asked TRAI to create licenses or permissions for these OTT (over-the-top) communication apps, stating they provide similar services to what mobile phone operators offer. OTT players refers to those apps and services that work over the internet. Click here for more details
Ola Cabs rebranded as Ola Consumer, now includes Ola Credit, Ola Pay and more
Ola Group has rebranded its ride-hailing platforms, Ola Cabs as Ola Consumer. Under the new brand, the company will offer services like fully automated warehousing solutions, Ola Credit, Ola Pay, electric logistics and more.
With Ola Consumer, the company aims to bring AI shopping Co-Pilot – a conversational AI led tool to deliver a personalized and interactive shopping experience. It will help users connect seamlessly with social media and other apps, creating a cohesive and integrated shopping experience across all platforms.
Ola Consumer is also bringing 100% electric logistics. In a press release, the company said that “this would serve as the future of work, a multi-work platform, and a choice of jobs for gig workers leading to reduced costs, with plans to increase jobs by 2.5 lac additional jobs by March 2025 with this platform.” Click here to read more
World’s largest crypto exchange renters Indian market after paying a penalty of Rs 18.82 crore
World’s largest crypto exchange Binance is all set to re-enter the Indian market. The company, in a press release said that it has registered as a reporting entity with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), upholding the country’s ‘highest regulatory standards’.
“The registration with the FIU underscores Binance’s commitment to compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) standards in India as well as any other jurisdiction it operates in. This step is a testament to Binance’s dedication to fostering a secure, transparent, and efficient ecosystem, aligning with the company’s global standards,” the company said in a press release. Read the full story here
Swiggy UPI comes to app: How to set it up as payment method, a step-by-step guide
Swiggy UPI is now integrated in the Swiggy app and users ordering food can use this method to quickly make payments without having to rely on third-party apps, the company has said, adding that this move simplifies and expedites user experience. Last year, Zomato introduced a similar service.
This means users can now complete UPI transactions without leaving the Swiggy app and is powered by Juspay’s HyperUPI Plugin.
Online food delivery platform said that with the integration of the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) digital payments solution, the time for making payments will cut transaction time from over 15 seconds to 5 seconds. Click here to read more
