The Tech Weekender | Top news from the world of technology this week
This week on weekender we tell you why by 2027, every second iPhone could be made in India, we also tell you about Samsung's new 200-megapixel sensor for phones, share details of Apple's new M2 powered Macs, and the tech giant's push to get a toehold in the smart-home market. Why the Galaxy Z Fold is worth your time and how Google has become the latest tech firm to lay off staff
Luke Lin, an analyst at the research unit of Taiwan’s DigiTimes newspaper, wrote in the South China Morning Post that India can produce one in two of the world’s iPhones by 2027, a big jump from the current percentage with stands at less than 5 percent. The forecast is more aggressive than JPMorgan’s prediction of India assembling 25 percent of Apple iPhones worldwide by 2025.
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Samsung recently unveiled a 200 MP camera sensor for the next generation of flagship smartphones. The ISOCELL HP2 packs 200-million 0.6-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.3” optical format, a sensor size that is widely used in 108 MP main smartphone cameras. When in low-lit environments, the sensor transforms either into a 1.2μm 50 MP or 2.4μm 12.5 MP image sensor by binding four to 16 neighboring pixels.
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Apple recently announced two new powerful custom chips— the M2 Pro and M2 Max. The Cupertino-based tech giant also unveiled new Macs, including the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro models that incorporate the new chips. The new models include the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023), 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023), and the Mac mini desktop computer.
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Apple is eyeing the smart home market and is building new products for a major push into the space, news agency Bloomberg has said. These include new displays, set-top boxes and smart speakers. The line-up will start with a new tablet-class product, which would be like a low-end iPad meant to act as a smart hub for the home to control devices like thermostats, lights or other Internet of Things (IoT) accessories.
We are into the fourth iteration of Samsung’s foldable but it is still the only phone in the Indian market that can transform into a small tablet and also fit in your pocket. Unfolding the Galaxy Z Fold 4 feels like stepping into the future – every time you use it.
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Google parent Alphabet on January 20 announced its plans to cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6 percent of its workforce. CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to employees informing them about the job cuts and said the layoffs would affect globally. Pichai said he took “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here". Teams from across the organisation, including different functions, levels and regions would be impacted by the cuts.
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Instagram recently rolled out a new feature called ‘quiet mode’, currently available in limited regions including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The new feature is aimed at helping people take a break from the app and set boundaries with their friends and followers. Once ‘quiet mode’ is enabled, users won’t receive any notifications. Users’ profile activity status will change to let people know and Instagram will automatically send an autoreply when someone sends a direct message.
![Google parent Alphabet on January 20 announced its plans to cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6 percent of its workforce. CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to employees informing them about the job cuts, and said the layoffs will affect jobs globally. Pichai said he takes “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here". Teams from across the organisation, including different function, levels and regions would be impacted by the job cuts.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2019/12/Google-and-Alphabet-CEO-Sundar-Pichai-Image-Reuters-770x435.jpg "Google parent Alphabet on January 20 announced its plans to cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6 percent of its workforce. CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to employees informing them about the job cuts, and said the layoffs will affect jobs globally. Pichai said he takes “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here". Teams from across the organisation, including different function, levels and regions would be impacted by the job cuts.")
