by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
For instance, the 128 GB version of the base iPhone 15 model has a discount of 1,400 yuan, according to Reuters’ checks on Monday. Photo: Bloomberg
2 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 5:47 PM IST
Apple has launched an aggressive discounting campaign on its official Tmall site in China, offering discounts of up to 2,300 yuan ($318) on select iPhone models.
The discounting comes as the U.S. tech giant seeks to defend its position in the high-end smartphone market, where it faces increasing competition from local rivals such as Huawei .
Running from May 20 to May 28, it is more substantial than the one Apple offered in February.
While the highest discount in the February campaign was 1,150 yuan, this time discounts are up to 2,300 yuan. The steepest discount applies to the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max model, while other models also see significant price cuts.
For instance, the 128 GB version of the base iPhone 15 model has a discount of 1,400 yuan, according to Reuters’ checks on Monday.
The increased competitive pressure on Apple comes after Huawei last month introduced its new series of high-end smartphones, the Pura 70, following the launch of the Mate 60 last August.
Apple’s previous discounting effort in February appears to have helped the company mitigate a sales slowdown in China.
Apple’s shipments in China increased by 12% in March, according to Reuters’ calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
This marks a significant improvement from the first two months of 2024, when the company experienced a 37% slump in sales.
First Published: May 20 2024 | 5:47 PM IST
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by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
Finland’s wind power capacity has increased so rapidly in recent years, by 75% to 5,677 megawatts in 2022 alone, that on windy days prices have plummeted to negative, industry statistics showed. (Photo: Reuters)
2 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 5:06 PM IST
Alphabet-owned Google will invest a further 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) into the expansion of its data centre campus in Finland to drive its artificial intelligence (AI) business growth in Europe, it said in a statement on Monday.
In recent years, many data centres have been located in the Nordic countries because of the region’s cooler climate, tax breaks and abundant availability of renewable power.
Finland’s Nordic neighbours Sweden and Norway have recently grown increasingly critical of hosting them, with some industry experts arguing the Nordic countries should use their renewable power for products such as green steel that could leave higher surplus value in the countries.
But Finland’s wind power capacity has increased so rapidly in recent years, by 75% to 5,677 megawatts in 2022 alone, that on windy days prices have plummeted to negative, industry statistics showed.
Therefore there is still renewable capacity available for data centres such as Google’s, which acquires wind power in Finland under long term contracts.
Analysts believe data centres’ power consumption is set to massively increase due to the rapid growth in AI usage, which Google, too, cited for one of the reasons behind its investment decision, alongside its Hamina data centre in Finland already operating with 97% carbon-free energy.
“Heat coming out of our Finnish data center will be re-routed to the district heating network in nearby Hamina, covering local households, schools and public service buildings,” Google said in the statement. It added that it aimed to achieve net zero emissions across all of its operations and value chain by 2030.
In addition to its Finnish investment, the search and cloud giant announced last month it would build new data centres in the Netherlands and Belgium.
First Published: May 20 2024 | 5:06 PM IST
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by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
iPhone 15 Pro- Titanium Blue colour
3 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 4:16 PM IST
Apple would make some changes to the colour options with the iPhone 16 Pro series. The US-based technology giant could replace the blue variant with rose colour in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. According to Apple’s analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is likely to offer the higher end iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models in Black, White/Silver, Natural Titanium, and a new Rose colour.
For the baseline models, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, Kuo said that Apple is expected to offer the smartphones in Black, White, Green, Pink and Blue colour options. He said that Apple may rename these colours and there might be instances where the name of the colour is same but the colour may appear different.
Earlier, Kuo in a post on Medium stated that Apple might change the design and construction of some of the internal components of the upcoming iPhone 16, including the battery case. According to the analyst, Apple will use stainless steel for the first time to make battery enclosure for the iPhone 16. While stainless steel is less effective in dissipating heat than aluminium, it offers more rigidity to the overall construction of the smartphone and also provides more protection to the battery.
Kuo said that Apple will not only change the material used for the enclosure but will also redesign the component. The new battery enclosure will make it easier to remove the battery making the new iPhone comply with the new rules in the European Union regarding repair-ability of smartphones.
The iPhone 16 lineup is anticipated to launch in September 2024, featuring slightly larger displays, improved camera systems and more efficient microphones. Apple is also reportedly planning to transition the action button to a solid-state button on the iPhone 16 series. Alongside the Action button, Apple would likely introduce a new “Capture Button” as well, which will allow users to control camera actions using a physical button.
Perhaps the most anticipated upgrade expected from the iPhone 16 series is artificial intelligence (AI) integration with the operating system. Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 on June 10 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The next-generation platform for iPhones is expected to bring AI features, which would be either processed on-device or on cloud. The on-device AI capability will offer faster responses and more privacy to users. Apple has reportedly partnered with the Microsoft backed OpenAI to bring more AI features to the upcoming iOS version.
First Published: May 20 2024 | 4:16 PM IST
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by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
2 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 3:27 PM IST
China’s health-and-fitness wearable maker
Amazfit on May 20 launched the BIP 5 Unity smartwatch in India. The smartwatch boosts a health-centric operating system, called Zepp OS 3.0, which accompanies an AI-powered personal wellness assistant Zepp Aura.
Amazfit said the AI-powered assistant can provide health reports, soundscapes, and insights into sleeping patterns. Moreover, the company stated, the watch comes with a smart recognition feature with over 120 sports modes and 24-hour heart rate, SpO2, and stress monitoring capabilities.
The Amazfit BIP 5 Unity has a 1.91-inch display, encased in a stainless steel frame. The watch is offered in Grey, Charcoal and Pink colours and comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. As for the sensors, there is accelerometer, heart rate, and 3-axis motion sensors.
Other features include calendar reminders, sedentary reminders, call notifications, and smartphone apps notification. Amazfit rated the watch for up to 12 days’ battery life. The watch supports fast charging, said the company.
The smartwatch is available for purchase on Amazon India and Amazfit India’s official website.
For context, the Zepp OS 3.0 on the BIP 5 Unity smartwatch is not the company’s latest. It is the Zepp OS 3.5, which is available only on Balance and Active smartwatches from Amazfit. The Zepp OS 3.5 brings enhanced sports modes, offline maps, and an expanded mini app ecosystem. Some of these features, however, are available with Zepp OS 3.0.
Amazfit has not confirmed if the Zepp OS 3.5 will be available for the BIP 5 Unity smartwatch. It has confirmed the Zepp OS 3.5 update for the Amazfit Cheetah series, Amazfit Falcon, and Amazfit T-Rex Ultra.
First Published: May 20 2024 | 3:26 PM IST
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by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
Samsung Back to Campus campaign
2 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 3:05 PM IST
South Korean electronics maker
Samsung’s India unit has announced a “Back to Campus” campaign in which it is offering discounts, 24-month no-interest equated monthly instalment option, and bank cashbacks to students. Moreover, the company is offering an additional 10 per cent discount on select products through the Samsung Student Plus program. Below are the details:
Samsung Back to Campus campaign offers
In the campaign, Samsung is offering up to Rs 12,000 bank cashback on select Galaxy Book, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy smartphones, and an additional 10 per cent discount through the Samsung Student Plus program. Students can avail of these offers on Samsung online store, select retail stores, and other online platforms.
Samsung Galaxy Book
Eligible laptops from Samsung in the campaign include the Galaxy Book 4 series, Galaxy Book 3 series, and Galaxy Book 2 series. During the campaign period, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360, which was launched in February at Rs 163,990 onwards, is available starting at Rs 153,990, including bank offers and exchange bonus.
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The campaign offers are applicable on the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Tab A9 series. During the campaign period, the Galaxy Tab S9 with 128GB on-board storage and Wi-Fi connectivity is available at Rs 60,999, which is Rs 12,000 less than its launch price of Rs 72,999.
Samsung Galaxy smartphones
Samsung’s Back to Campus campaign offers are also applicable on select Galaxy S-series and Galaxy A-series smartphones. In the sale, the Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone is available at Rs 61,999 onwards, including a Rs 5,000 bank cashback and Rs 8,000 exchange bonus. The smartphone was launched at Rs 79,999 onwards in January.
First Published: May 20 2024 | 3:05 PM IST
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by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2024 | Technology
2 min read Last Updated : May 20 2024 | 1:53 PM IST
Vivo is set to launch the X Fold 3 Pro in India on June 6. The Chinese smartphone maker has published a landing page on its official India website, highlighting the launch date and key details of its upcoming foldable smartphone. Vivo’s maiden foldable smartphone in India is set to disrupt the segment with a flagship-inspired camera system featuring Zeiss optics and AI features powered by Google Gemini.
Vivo X Fold3 Pro: What to expect
The Vivo X Fold3 Pro would feature a camera system inspired from its flagship smartphones in the X-series line – the X100 Pro. According to the information on the listing page, the camera system will boast Zeiss optics. Vivo on its website stated that the X Fold3 Pro would be India’s slimmest and lightweight foldable smartphone – measuring 11.2mm when folded while weighing 236g.
When unfolded, according to Vivo, the smartphone would present a main screen of 8.03-inch of a peak brightness level of 4500 nits. Vivo stated that the hinge on the X Fold3 Pro has been certified by TUV Rheinland for up to 5,00,000 foldings.
The most notable feature of the device, however, would be Google’s Gemini AI-powered features, which would comprise “AI Note Assist” for text summarisation, “AI Transcript Assist” for voice notes transcriptions, and “AI Screen Translation” for translating the text on the display to another preferred language.
Vivo X Fold3 Pro: Specification
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Main display: 8.03-inch AMOLED (4:3.55 aspect ratio), 2480 × 2200 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 4500 nits peak brightness
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Cover display: 6.53-inch AMOLED (21.1:9 aspect ratio), 2748 × 1172 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
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Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
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RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
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Storage: 512GB UFS4.0
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Rear camera: 50MP primary + 64MP telephoto + 50MP ultra-wide-angle
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Front camera: 32MP
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Battery: 5700mAh (dual 2850mAh)
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Charging: 100W wired, 50W wireless
First Published: May 20 2024 | 1:53 PM IST
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