Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

Apple releases iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 with Distraction Controls for Safari

Apple’s confusing airport departure board full of different iOS and iPadOS software Betas gets a little more complicated today as the company pushed out the fifth Developer Beta of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Don’t confuse these newly released Betas with the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta that came with the Apple Intelligence Beta that was just released on July 29th.

Available only in the U.S. right now for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Apple Intelligence Beta comes with some of the AI features that iPhone users have been waiting for since hearing about them at WWDC. Such features include the ability to summarize emails and websites, have AI change the tone of an email or text being written, and record a phone call and have it transcribed in the Notes app.

Some features, such as the following, won’t be ready until next year. For example, Siri will eventually be able to access data on your iPhone so that the digital assistant can answer a query such as, “What time do I need to pick up my mom at the airport?” Siri will also be able to remove certain distractions from photographs similar to Google’s Magic Eraser. Apple Intelligence will allow rough sketches to be turned into images and custom emoji, known as Genmoji, can be created. Don’t forget that ChatGPT will also become available to compatible iPhone users in 2025.

So right now, the Apple Intelligence features available in the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta won’t be ready for those not interested in joining the Beta program until October when the stable version of iOS 18.1 is released.

The build number for iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 and iPadOS 18 Developer Beta 5 is 22A5326f. Apple today also released the watchOS 11 Developer Beta 5 with the build number of 22R5328e, the fifth Developer Beta of tvOS with a build number of 22J5335d, and the fifth Developer Beta of macOS 15 Sequoia with the build number of 24A5309e. The visionOS 2.0 fifth Developer Beta for the Vision Pro was dropped by Apple today with the build number of 22N5297g.

Distraction Controls is a new feature available in the just released iOS 18 Developer Beta 5. Developed for Safari, it allows iPhone users to have certain distracting features removed from websites. These features include cookie preference popups, sign-in windows, banners to subscribe to a newsletter, and more. Each website will require you to choose the items you wish to have removed. Keep in mind that this is not an ad blocker and ads will reappear when a site is refreshed.

To use Distraction Control, go to the page menu in Safari and tap on Hide Distracting Items. You then tap on the features you want removed which disappear from a webpage using a cool-looking animation. You can restore the hidden items by tapping on the Show Hidden Items option. The Betas also get rid of the carousel in the Photos app which was done due to user request.

To update your iPhone or iPad to the fifth Developer Beta of iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 respectively, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Follow the directions to install the Beta.
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August 6, 2024

Vivo smartphone damaged ID card chip, users complain

Some Vivo smartphone users have complained that the device damaged the chip on their ID cards after making near-field communications contact, an allegation the Chinese company is verifying.

A Vivo-focused social media group with 33,000 members has been getting dozens of posts about users’ ID card being damaged digitally after making NFC contact with their phones. The complaints mostly involve high-end Vivo phones such as the X100 Pro, X100 Ultra and X100S Pro, which are not sold in Vietnam and are bought overseas.

However, there are also some complaints about the X80 Pro, a model Vivo sells in the country.

Vu Duy Tan of HCMC said after using a Vivo phone to connect with his ID card, the latter no longer connected with other smartphones.

He got it replaced but found the same thing happening again.

Dang Tien Dung of Can Tho City also discovered a similar problem with his Vivo X100 Pro.

His ID card used to connect normally with an Oppo phone but stopped doing so after he once used the Vivo phone.

After finding the card could not connect with any other phone, he suspected its chip was damaged.

A Vivo Vietnam spokesperson said some users have reported the issue to the company. Vivo is now investigating the issue.

NFC is a technology found in phones, cards and payment machines. Tech analyst Le Cong Minh Khoi said a card chip could be damaged if a smartphone’s NFC signals are too strong.

A similar thing happens when people put their smartphones next to NFC cards such as hotel door keys for a long time, he added.

July 12, 2024

Samsung promises ‘strong investment’ in Vietnam in next 3 years

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has planned “strong investment” in Vietnam in the next three years to make the country its biggest display module producer globally, its chairman Lee Jae Yong has said.

“Vietnam’s success is Samsung’s success”, he told Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Seoul on Tuesday, adding that Samsung commits to journey with Vietnam in the long run.

In May the chairman told PM Chinh that Samsung would invest around $1 billion in Vietnam each year.

Chinh praised Samsung’s success in Vietnam and asked the company to diversify its supply chain in the country and make the country its strategic location for manufacturing and research.

He added that Vietnam’s is making policy changes to attract investors in the high-tech, semiconductor and AI sectors.

Vietnam is also making negotiations for new free trade agreements to expand its exports to the Middle East, South America and Africa, which will help distribute Samsung products to these markets.

The PM urged Samsung to increase the localization of manufacturing and allow Vietnamese firms to participate deeper in its supply chain.

He wants Samsung to provide high quality training of Vietnamese staff.

Lee said that 310 Vietnamese companies are now Samsung suppliers, and the number has surged 12 times from 2014.

Around 2,500 engineers and researchers are working at its research and development center in Hanoi, where Samsung is researching AI and 5G equipment.

Chinh added that in the near future he hopes to see a Vietnamese executive in Samsung Vietnam’s board.

Samsung is the biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam with four factories in the country with a total investment of $2 billion to date.

Over 50% of its smartphones sold globally are made in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife are on an official visit to South Korea from June 30 to July 3 at the invitation of South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and his spouse.

July 3, 2024

Apple gets blasted for its decision regarding AI in the EU

A little over a week ago we told you that Apple planned on keeping its new Apple Intelligence AI technologies out of iPhone units being sold in the European Union (EU). Apple is concerned that some of the AI features coming to certain iPhone models with the iOS 18 update could violate privacy regulations written into the EC’s Digital Market Act (DMA). Considering that such a violation could lead to a fine of as much as 10% of Apple’s $383 billion in global revenue for fiscal 2023, the tech giant would prefer to play it safe.

Apple’s decision has angered Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, who said in a response to a question poised in a Q&A session, “So Apple have (sic) said that they will not launch their new enabled features in the IRS environment, and they say that they will not do that because of the obligations that they have in Europe. And the obligations that they have in Europe, it is to be open for competition, that is sort of the short version of the DMA. And I find that very interesting, that they say we will now deploy AI where we’re not obliged to enable competition. I think that is the most sort of stunning, open declaration that they know 100% that this is another way of disabling competition, where they have a stronghold already.”

In other words, Vestager is accusing Apple of holding back its AI features in the EU because the company knows that Apple Intelligence wouldn’t be considered competitive by the EC. Apple realizes that if it never brings Apple Intelligence to the EU, its AI features cannot be accused of violating the DMA. Right now, Apple faces a huge fine after the EC announced last week that it made a preliminary ruling against Apple that says the company has violated the DMA due to the App Store.

The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that its App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), as they prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content. In addition, the Commission opened a new non-compliance procedure against Apple over concerns that its new contractual requirements for third-party app developers and app stores, including Apple’s new Core Technology Fee (CTF), fall short of ensuring effective compliance with Apple’s obligations under the DMA-European Commission

Holding Apple Intelligence off the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 series in the EU is certain to hurt iPhone sales in the region. However, non-AI changes to iOS 18, such as the ability to customize home screen app icons, will still be available to iPhone users in the EU. The hope is that Apple will eventually be able to add its new AI features to iPhone units in the market although that might require some compromise on the part of the EC and Apple.

July 1, 2024

Microsoft brings its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to Amazon Fire TV

he best deals in the gaming industry, Xbox Game Pass, will soon be available on Amazon Fire TV. Microsoft has just announced it has teamed up with Amazon to bring its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to over 25 countries where Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available.

This will allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via cloud gaming. Obviously, you’ll need an exceptional internet connection, but you won’t have to pay for a console or download anything on your Fire TV device.

Basically, you’ll only need a Fire TV Stick, a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to gain access to hundreds of high-quality games, including Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

Microsoft announced that the Xbox app will be released on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) and Fire TV Stick 4K very soon. Here is what you’ll have to do to start playing games:

Install and launch the Xbox app from your Fire TV device.
Sign in with your Microsoft account to play.
If you haven’t already, you can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one low monthly price.
Connect a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller (i.e Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualSense, DualShock 4)
Start playing!

It’s worth mentioning that even if you don’t have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, you’ll still be able to play some games that are free such as Fortnite.

For those who just want to see how smooth the cloud gaming experience is and if it’s worth paying for it, can pay $1 for 14 days. Subscription continues automatically if not canceled during the 14-day trial. The cost of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $16.99 per month, but it covers all platforms (PC, console, and cloud gaming).

June 28, 2024

Motorola launches new “moto tag” tracking tag for Android

Motorola has officially announced the launch of its new Bluetooth tracking tag called “moto tag” that will help users keep track of their valuable items. The tag leverages the power of the Google Find My Device network and UWB technology to pinpoint the exact location of tagged items from almost anywhere in the world.

The moto tag is designed to work seamlessly with most Android smartphones and integrates with Motorola’s device ecosystem. It can be attached to keys, wallets, luggage, or any other valuable item, giving users peace of mind knowing they can easily locate their belongings if they are lost or misplaced.

One of the key features of the moto tag is its enhanced privacy and security. It works with Google’s Find My Device network, which is secure by default and private by design. User location data is end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that only the tag owner or someone they have shared the tag with can view its location. The moto tag is also compatible with automatic unknown tracker alerts across Android and iOS, helping protect users from unwanted tracking.

The moto tag also features a dedicated multifunctional button that can ring a misplaced smartphone, capture photos on a Motorola phone, or perform other customizable actions. Below are some of its most notable features and specs:

Leverages Google Find My Device network and UWB technology
Compatible with most Android smartphones
Enhanced privacy and security with end-to-end encryption
Dedicated multifunctional button for various actions
Sleek design compatible with third-party accessories
IP67 water and dust resistance
CR2032 battery with one-year lifespan

Motorola has partnered with Google to ensure a seamless user experience. Due to this, setting up the moto tag is easy with Google Fast Pair, and users can customize various options within the moto tag app. Erik Kay, Vice President of Engineering at Google, expressed pride in working with partners like Motorola to make finding belongings simple and seamless on Android.

Find My Device is a truly unique experience for Android users thanks to our open ecosystem that gives people the freedom of choice and a crowdsourced network of over a billion devices to help find your lost or misplaced items and devices no matter where they are. We are proud to work with partners to help make finding your belongings simple and seamless on Android.

Erin Kay, Vice President of Engineering at Google

Motorola has not yet announced specific pricing or release dates for the moto tag. However, it’s been reported that the Bluetooth tag will go on sale on August 2nd for $29 or for $99 if you desire a four-pack. It’s looking like Chipolo and Pebblebee will be getting some competition.

June 26, 2024

iPhone sales on TikTok quadruples to $3.3M

iPhone sales on TikTok Shop in Vietnam quadrupled between April and May to VND84.8 billion (US$3.33 million) before Apple shut down the distribution channel without explanation.

According to YouNet ECI, a Ho Chi Minh City-based e-commerce data provider, FPT Shop had led in sales on TikTok until the shutdown, followed by Viettel Store and Di Dong Viet.

The three accounted for nearly 87% of all iPhone sales on the platform. FPT, Viettel and Di Dong Viet sold 1,922, 576 and 453.

YouNet ECI head of market research analysis Nguyen Phuong Lam said many iPhones were sold through livestreaming, which has proven to be an effective sales method on TikTok.

According to data provider Metric, revenues from Apple products on TikTok Shop reached VND203 billion in the first five months, up 955% year over year.

But on May 31 many authorized Apple retailers in Vietnam removed their products from it.

A Di Dong Viet spokesperson told VnExpress that Apple requested the retailers to go off TikTok without any explanation.

Lam conjectured that Apple was concerned that sales on TikTok Shop could cause conflict with offline distribution channels.

Metric analysts said the fact that iPhone was sold together with many other products and used to attract buyers has caused severe damage to the brand.

On many livestream sessions iPhones were sold along with clothes, diapers and other products, many of unknown origin.

June 12, 2024

Samsung factories in Vietnam back in the black after losing quarter

Samsung’s four factories in Vietnam made a combined profit of US$1.2 billion last quarter after losing $181 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Samsung Thai Nguyen (SEVT), the Korean conglomerate’s best-performing plant in Vietnam, accounted for $707 million.

The two plants in Bac Ninh Province, Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV) and Samsung Display Vietnam (SDV), contributed $300 million and $123 million. Samsung Electronics HCMC CE Complex (SEHC) was $40.7 million in the black.

They accounted for 23% of their parent’s quarterly profit. Their revenues totaled $16.25 billion, up nearly $2 billion from the previous quarter.

In the final quarter of 2023 SEV, SEVT and SEHC reported combined losses of nearly $221 million, with SDV being the only profitable operation.

Last quarter Samsung achieved global revenues of 71.92 trillion won ($54 billion), up 13% year-on-year.

It said revenues increased thanks to the sales of the Galaxy S24 smartphone series and higher semiconductor prices.

The depreciation of the won against major currencies had a positive impact on profits, it said.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last month, the company’s CFO, Park Hark Kyu, said it plans to invest a further $1 billion annually in Vietnam to add to its existing $22 billion.

It also plans to increase its number of local suppliers and enhance training for its workforce, he said. Since 2014 the number of Vietnamese businesses involved in Samsung’s supply chain has increased 12-fold to 309 now. It is the largest foreign direct investor in Vietnam, where it currently produces over 50% of all its mobile phones.

June 10, 2024

Oppo details AI pivot that brings innovative features to all phones

Oppo will be democratizing the access to the most suitable device to take advantage of the AI era – the phone – by bringing its productivity and creativity features downmarket to virtually all of its handsets.

The company behind the excellent Find X7 Ultra and foldable Find N3 phones used the festivities around its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League and its Bouissia Dortmund – Real Madrid final to present its vision for artificial intelligence that it simply calls the AI Phone.

However, the abovementioned flagships won’t be the only ones getting Oppo’s AI Summary, real-time Translation, or the popular AI Eraser function, which removes unwanted objects and areas in your photo with the flick of a finger.

In fact, Oppo plans to release a coordinated set of AI features created in a partnership with juggernauts like Google, Microsoft, or MediaTek, by year’s end. These, however, won’t be reserved only for Oppo’s flagship Find- and N-series, but will trickle down to the Reno midrangers and even to the budget A- and F-series.

According to Billy Zhang, Oppo’s President of Overseas Marketing, Sales and Services during the dedicated presentation at London’s beautiful Renaissance St. Pancras:

OPPO is bringing generative AI to all product lines for the first time in the industry. By the end of this year, we expect to bring generative AI features to about 50 million users. That is 50 million people that may get their first glimpse of an AI-induced function or feature on their Oppo phone, no matter its price range, and the best that the industry can offer at that, like chatbots, large language models, and productivity or entertainment suites.

Alongside its own innovation, OPPO is working closely with other industry leaders to bring better AI phone experiences based on an on-device and cloud Hybrid AI Architecture. In partnership with Google, OPPO’s Reno12 series and the next-generation Find X Flagship will feature the Google Gemini family LLMs, bringing OPPO users even more innovative and convenient AI features such as AI Toolbox including AI Writer and AI Recording Summary features. In collaboration with MediaTek, both parties are tuning chips to enhance chip storage and computational efficiency on future OPPO flagship models. And through its partnership with Microsoft, the next-generation OPPO phones will be equipped with Microsoft capabilities to bring a more efficient, accurate, and natural voice and text conversion experience and improved connectivity between desktop AI and phones.

June 6, 2024

Apple accelerates Southeast Asia expansion with Malaysia debut

Apple will open its first store in Malaysia next month as part of its expansion plans in Southeast Asia.

Trevor Hill, the mall’s GM, confirmed on LinkedIn that the store will be located at the Exchange TRX shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur and will open its doors to customers on June 22 at 10 a.m.

This will be Apple’s sixth store in the region, after three in Singapore and two in Thailand.

According to the New Straits Times, the store will be much bigger than the existing Apple Premium Resellers in the country, such as Machines and Switch. It will also feature activities such as free learning sessions and sections like the Genius Bar, where users can get expert service and support for their products.

Apple has been accelerating its Asian expansion outside of China, where it has faced rising competition from local players. The company opened its first stores in India last year.

May 30, 2024

Apple reveals Beats Solo Buds’ launch date

Apple introduced the Beats Solo Buds back in April but failed to provide fans with an actual launch date. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case, as the Cupertino-based giant revealed this week that the Beats Solo Buds will hit shelves on June 20.

In fact, customers can order the Beats Solo Buds starting on June 18 for $79.99, but the earbuds won’t ship until two days later. It’s also worth mentioning that the earbuds will be available in four colors: Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple and Transparent Red. Remember that if you want the Arctic Purple version, you’ll only find those at Apple and Target.

The Beats Solo Buds have a custom Beats chip inside that makes it much easier to pair them across iOS and Android with just one touch. The earbuds also feature both Apple and Google “find my device” functionality.

Both buds have a button that allows users to control playback, answer calls and enable Siri, but it can be customized to offer other uses too. The Beats Solo Buds promise to “minimize micro-distortions across the frequency curve” thanks to the dual-layer transducers design.

As far as battery life goes, Apple says the Beats Solo Buds should provide up to 18 hours of playback, which is hard to believe considering that similar earbuds offer around 6-8 hours of battery life.

On the downside, the Beats Solo Buds doesn’t come with a charging case. The one that comes with the earbuds doesn’t feature a battery, so you’ll have to charge these the traditional way by plugging a USB-C cable into the case after you place the earbuds inside.

May 30, 2024

Phone users will be able to customize the color of each app icon in iOS 18

We are getting closer to the June 10th Keynote at WWDC 2024 during which Apple will preview its AI initiative. Today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed some more details about what we should expect from Apple in his latest Power On newsletter. Gurman says that Apple is calling part of its new AI strategy Project Greymatter which encompasses AI tools that will be added to core system apps such as Notes, Photos, and Safari and also includes enhanced notifications.

As previously discussed, Apple would prefer to have AI features run on-device for speedier results and to protect users’ privacy. More complex tasks will run through the cloud and get worked on by data center servers powered by the M2 Ultra chip. The goal here is to create AI features that will make life a little easier for iPhone users. One new feature in the works will allow a user’s iPhone to create custom emoji based on what the user is texting. This will allow the iPhone user to have a custom emoji ready at his fingertips for any situation in addition to the regular lineup of emojis.

If that doesn’t excite you, perhaps this will. Apple will allow iPhone users to not only change the color of app icons but also (better be sitting down) put them wherever they want on the screen. You’ll be able to quickly find all your social media apps if you make them a certain color, find all of your health-related apps, which you can make another color, etc.

Another cool AI feature, one that I’m looking forward to seeing, adds AI-created summaries of notifications, messages, websites, news articles, and more. Additionally, users will be able to have more natural-sounding conversations with Siri as the virtual digital assistant receives a long-needed upgrade. The version of Siri that lives on the Apple Watch will also be very much improved to handle tasks and queries while on the go.

The soon-to-be-formed partnership between OpenAI and Apple, which will bring the ChatGPT generative AI chatbot to iOS 18, will also be acknowledged at WWDC as Apple doesn’t want to appear that it is out of the loop during the year of AI. Apple’s own in-house chatbot is said to fall short of ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini which is why the company has been meeting with OpenAI and Google. Even though the latest word is that Apple and OpenAI are close to a deal, Apple still plans on inking one with Google as well just in case OpenAI’s controversial CEO Sam Altman does something, well, controversial.

Back in January, Gurman said that the iOS 18 update will be one of the biggest updates in iOS history. Now, we are approximately two weeks away from what could be quite an exciting day for iPhone users.

May 27, 2024

For complex iPhone AI tasks, Apple will use cloud-based servers running M-series chips

Apple is planning on having more complex AI tasks for iPhones, iPads, and Macs get sent through the cloud to data centers using servers powered by Apple’s powerful in-house chips. Less complicated AI tasks will be handled directly on-device which will make them faster and more secure. According to a report in Bloomberg written by the news agency’s chief Apple correspondent Mark Gurman, the first chips to be used to power the servers in the data centers will be the M2 Ultra. That chip is currently used to run the Mac Pro and Mac Studio.

The scuttlebutt calls for Apple to eventually develop an M4 Ultra chip to power the servers in the data centers. Apparently Apple had come up with a plan to use its own chips and cloud-based servers to run complex AI tasks three years ago but decided to accelerate the timeline once OpenAI kicked off the latest AI craze with the ChatGPT chatbot. In December 2022, when ChatGPT first started to become known to the public, Gmail developer Paul Buchheit said that AI will do to internet search what Google did to the Yellow Pages. Namely, make the older technology obsolete.

Apple will reportedly use the M2 Ultra chip to power the first servers used in the data centers

On June 10th Apple will kick off WWDC 2024 and the keynote held on that day will preview the AI changes that Apple is planning for iOS 18 and Siri. It is being billed as the largest iOS update ever and we could see things like text summarization, AI-based search options, and document analysis on Safari, Siri, Messages, Mail, and Spotlight Search.

If you’re like me, you can’t wait to see how Siri is affected by Apple’s AI initiative. The virtual digital assistant, originally launched with the iPhone 4s in 2011, soon found itself not as useful as Google Assistant with too many responses consisting of excepts from three websites. Hopefully the use of AI will help Siri deliver more precise responses to queries.

May 10, 2024

Samsung plans to add $1B to Vietnam investment annually

Samsung plans to add about US$1 billion to its investment in Vietnam annually, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Samsung Electronics Park Hark-kyu said as he met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi Thursday.

PM Chinh applauded Samsung’s efforts and determination while doing business in Vietnam, calling on the firm to view Vietnam as a strategic manufacturing and export base.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese government always attaches importance to improving the investment climate and pledges to create favourable conditions for long-term operations of foreign enterprises.

It will continue providing optimal conditions for the projects of Samsung to operate fruitfully and develop sustainably in Vietnam in the spirit of harmonising interests and sharing risks, he said.

Park noted Samsung has invested $22.4 billion in Vietnam so far and plans to add about $1 billion to its investment in the Southeast Asian country annually.

Aside from research, development, manufacturing, and export of electronic and high-technology products, the group has also been investing in supporting industries and manpower training for Vietnamese companies, and helping local firms to engage in its production and supply chain, he said.

Samsung hopes to continue developing to contribute to Vietnam’s foreign trade and economic growth, the CFO added.

He spoke highly of Vietnam’s investment and business climate as well as the PM’s readiness to listen to and assist enterprises, adding Samsung will continue standing side by side with the country on the development path.

Appreciating Samsung’s building of an R&D center and participation in manpower training in Vietnam, Chinh asked the group to coordinate closely to effectively run the training centers based at the National Innovation Centre (NIC), step up cooperation to turn digital technology enterprises of Vietnam into partners in its ecosystem, increase investment in and expand the R&D center, and boost assistance for startup, innovation, and manpower training in the country.

He also welcomed Samsung’s production and business plan, calling on it to continue helping Vietnam further improve domestic companies’ capacity so that they can join in Samsung’s supply chain more effectively.

Samsung should continue seeing Vietnam as a strategic base for manufacturing and exporting its key products to international markets, particularly when the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) already took effect, Chinh suggested.

May 10, 2024

Apple’s iPhone production shift leaves ghost town in China

Apple supplier Foxconn’s industrial park in Nanning, Guangxi, has been deserted, heavily impacting the local economy, as production of the iPhone is being moved away from China.

The facility, once the centerpiece of Nanning’s economy, now stands empty, while its surrounding streets and residential buildings remain largely vacant, as depicted in a video shared by news channel China Observer last Friday.

Although some nearby apartments are available for occupancy, they have struggled to attract buyers despite offering discounts, as the area has lost its appeal now that most of the facility’s employees having left.

During its heyday a few years ago, the complex boasted a workforce of 50,000 and consumed vast resources to sustain them.

However, with Apple’s strategic decision to shift production away from China, the Nanning complex was among the first to face downsizing as it was deemed under-utilized by Foxconn.

Foxconn, Apple’s primary supplier, has been shifting its production lines to other Asian nations in recent years amid tensions between the U.S. and China.

One of these destinations is India, whose iPhone production has doubled from 2022 to $14 billion last year, accounting for 14% of the Apple’s total iPhone output.

Meanwhile, iPhone production in Zhengzhou, Henan, where the largest iPhone factory is located, plummeted by 60.1% year-on-year to 6.65 million units in the first quarter, citing data from Zhengzhou’s local customs authority.

May 6, 2024