Arvind's Newsletter

1.Apple made $14 billion worth of iPhones in India as it shifts away from China

Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, reports that about 14% of the Cupertino, California-based company’s iPhones are now made in India. That comes out to about 1 in 7 of Apple’s most popular products made across the 2024 fiscal year, which ended in March.

The accelerated production boom in India comes as Apple moves to wane itself off its reliance on China amid rising geopolitical tensions. Apple lost an estimated $1 billion per week after a violent workers’ revolt at its largest iPhone factory in China in 2022. Since then, Apple has been encouraging suppliers to move toward India-made batteries for its smartphones and move some production to India.

The majority — about 67% — of the iPhones made in India were assembled by Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that also makes iPhones in China, Bloomberg reports. Pegatron, another Taiwanese company, made about 16% of the iPhones in India.

2.Narendra Modi strives for election breakthrough in India’s wealthy south, reports Financial Times

For all his dominance of Indian politics over the past decade, there is one part of India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far been unable to crack: the country’s prosperous south.

In elections beginning next week, he senses his best chance yet. Southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana are among India’s most economically successful and ethnically diverse, home to strong regional leaders that have long resisted Modi’s northern, Hindi-speaking Bharatiya Janata party.

But the BJP is now doubling down on the south  sending campaigners, including Modi as it seeks to tap frustration with the venality of local political dynasties and tries to capitalise on his image as a strong leader in what analysts say amounts to its best chance for gains.

Modi this week toured Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai and cities such as Vellore on an open-topped bus to drum up support for the party, declaring that Tamil Nadu was set to support the [BJP and its allies] in a big way. Analysts say winning seats in the south is the only way the party can meet Modi’s target of winning the two-thirds majority that the BJP wants to cement its grip on power.Voting begins on April 19 and runs in phases until votes are tallied on June 4.

3.Airbus just confirmed it will leave Boeing in the dust this year

French aircraft giant Airbus has delivered 142 planes to customers this years, nearly twice as may as its American rival Boeing, which is struggling with production amid heightened scrutiny after a door plug fell off one of its planes mid-flight in January. And at an investor meeting Wednesday, Airbus confirmed that it will keep up that dominance for the rest of the year.

Right now, Airbus says it will be able to deliver 800 commercial jetliners through the end of the year. At its current delivery rate, Boeing won’t be able to break 350 by December.

4.Singapore is losing some of its allure as a Southeast Asian multinational hub as rents and costs rise. 

At least 31% of Japanese companies with regional headquarters in Singapore relocated some operations to another country or were considering doing so, a jump from 7.4% in 2019. Thailand is the top choice for many firms, while Malaysia is another favourite due to its “global service hub” tax incentives for companies establishing their regional headquarters.

Unlike Hong Kong, however, which has seen an exodus of companies after pro-democracy protests and a new stringent security law, Singapore will not be dethroned as a prime business hub owing to its “location, language, proficiency and financial services,” Nikkei reported.

5.Waymo began paid robotaxi services in Los Angeles. 

The Google self-driving car spinoff already operates in some other U.S. cities, including San Francisco, and has been offering free “tour” rides in L.A. Despite pushback from unions and the city’s transportation department, California approved its paid service last month. Waymo said more than 50,000 people are on a waiting list to use it. Robotaxis are “getting more buzz as the technology advances in fits and starts,” NBC News reported.

Cruise, the General Motors subsidiary, is to resume its robotaxi service after an accident last year, and Elon Musk signaled that Tesla would launch a robotaxi in August. China-based startups are also testing self-driving cars on U.S. roads.

6.Da Vinci’s Been Dead for 500 Years. Who Gets to Profit from His Work?

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” — one of his most famous drawings — has been reproduced on cheap notebooks,coffee mugs, T-shirts, aprons and even puzzles. It’s become so lucrative that it’s the subject of a legal battle.

The Italian government and a German puzzle maker are battling over a 1,000-piece puzzle, raising questions about who has right to profit from old work.

7.Is robotics about to have its own ChatGPT moment? Report from MIT Technology Review

Henry and Jane Evans are used to awkward houseguests. For more than a decade, the couple, who live in Los Altos Hills, California, have hosted a slew of robots in their home.

In 2002, at age 40, Henry had a massive stroke, which left him with quadriplegia and an inability to speak. While they’ve experimented with many advanced robotic prototypes in a bid to give Henry more autonomy, it’s one recent model that works in tandem with AI models that has made the biggest changes—helping to brush his hair, and opening up his relationship with his granddaughter.

A new generation of scientists and inventors believes that the previously missing ingredient of AI can give robots the ability to learn new skills and adapt to new environments faster than ever before. This new approach, just maybe, can finally bring robots out of the factory and into our homes. Read the full story.