AllYouCanTech

Apple Broadens Activities in India: Foxconn to Start Producing iPhone Enclosures Locally

**Foxconn’s Growth in India: A New Era in iPhone Production**

Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturing leader, is making notable advancements in its collaboration with Apple by broadening its production capabilities in India. Historically focused on assembling iPhones, Foxconn is now prepared to locally produce iPhone casings for the first time, a step that could influence both the firm and Apple’s wider manufacturing approach in the area.

### New Production Facility in Tamil Nadu

As reported by *The Economic Times*, Foxconn is setting up a new site at the ESR Industrial Park in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, aimed at manufacturing metal casings for iPhones. This progress signifies an important transition as, until now, iPhone enclosures in India have mostly been manufactured by Tata Electronics, which has recently garnered attention as Apple’s authorized partner for iPhone and MacBook repairs in the nation.

### Strategic Significance of Domestic Production

This initiative marks Foxconn’s inaugural entry into the iPhone supply chain concerning casing production within India. Previously, Foxconn’s activities in the country were centered around iPhone assembly at its site in Sriperumbudur, along with newer ventures such as AirPods assembly in Hyderabad and an impending iPhone assembly facility near Bengaluru.

The local production of iPhone casings will lead to a modest rise in the percentage of iPhone production value generated within India. However, it is crucial to highlight that iPhone enclosures usually represent only 2–3% of the overall bill of materials for the device. Thus, even with this new capability, Foxconn’s total value addition in India is predicted to remain under 10%, as stated by Neil Shah, an industry analyst and co-founder of Counterpoint Research.

### Global Supply Chain Landscape

Apple presently procures enclosures from a variety of suppliers globally, including Foxconn in other areas. Extending this capability to India is a reasonable advancement for the company, as it aims to diversify its supply chain and lessen reliance on any single territory.

Construction of the new facility is already in progress and is being developed alongside another Foxconn plant that will concentrate on display module assembly for iPhones. This expansion demonstrates Foxconn’s dedication to strengthening its manufacturing presence in India and facilitating Apple’s growth in the region.

### Geopolitical Factors

The growth of Foxconn’s operations in India unfolds against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and trade negotiations. Recently, former President Donald Trump made a statement urging Apple to manufacture iPhones in the United States rather than in India or elsewhere, threatening a possible 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the U.S. if his demands go unfulfilled. This political environment introduces complexity to Apple’s manufacturing strategy as it manages global supply chain hurdles.

### Conclusion

In spite of the geopolitical difficulties, Foxconn’s expansion in India indicates a strengthening partnership between the company and Apple. With new facilities dedicated to the production of iPhone enclosures and display modules, Foxconn is reinforcing its position within Apple’s manufacturing strategy in India. As the company continues to invest in local production capabilities, it is set to play an essential role in shaping the future of iPhone manufacturing in the region, irrespective of external challenges.

WhatsApp Delays Advertising Rollout in the EU Because of Privacy Concerns

Meta has recently launched in-app advertising for WhatsApp users worldwide, representing a notable change in the platform’s monetization approach. However, users in the European Union will not experience this rollout until at least 2026, as confirmed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC).

The DPC indicated that WhatsApp has informed them that the new advertising model will not be introduced in the EU until next year at the earliest. Des Hogan, Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, stressed the necessity for additional conversations with WhatsApp regarding the new advertising functionalities.

This postponement follows Meta’s declaration that ads would be featured in the WhatsApp “Updates” tab, notably within Status posts and the Channels list. The new advertising system aims to prioritize user privacy, depending on personal data such as location, language, and user interactions. For users associated with the Meta Accounts Center, ad preferences from Instagram and Facebook will also affect the ads shown.

The aspect of cross-platform data-sharing has sparked considerable worries among European privacy advocates and regulatory bodies. The DPC intends to collaborate with WhatsApp and other EU data protection authorities to evaluate the advertising model ahead of its possible introduction in the region.

This news emerges at a pivotal moment for Meta, which is facing an antitrust lawsuit in the United States that might influence its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The company’s choice to launch an integrated advertising feature may reflect its assurance in the ongoing legal cases. Meta asserts that regulatory measures impacting its advertising operations could harm small businesses relying on its platforms for marketing, yet this integration could also be interpreted as a rationale for dismantling the company.

As the situation progresses, the DPC will persist in monitoring and evaluating the ramifications of WhatsApp’s advertising strategy within the EU framework.

Adobe Unveils New iPhone Camera Application with Extensive Manual Controls

**Adobe’s Project Indigo: A New Chapter in Mobile Photography**

For avid photographers, the prosumer camera application market has experienced an influx of groundbreaking choices, with well-known favorites such as Halide at the forefront. Recently, Adobe has made its entrance into this competitive realm with Project Indigo, a complimentary experimental app crafted by the team responsible for the original Google Pixel camera.

**Reduced “Smartphone Aesthetic”**

Project Indigo seeks to tackle prevalent grievances regarding smartphone photography, including excessively bright images, insufficient contrast, and high color saturation. The application is structured to deliver a more organic, SLR-like appearance, appealing to both casual photographers and advanced users in pursuit of superior quality images. Adobe envisions a unified mobile camera and editing interface that capitalizes on the most recent developments in computational photography and AI.

**Computational Photography Focused on Imagery**

One of the notable attributes of Project Indigo is its method of multi-frame image capture. The application can amalgamate up to 32 underexposed frames to produce a singular shot, effectively diminishing noise and retaining highlight details. Although this method resembles HDR or Night mode found in standard smartphone cameras, Project Indigo affords enhanced control and employs more frames, yielding clearer shadows and an improved dynamic range. Importantly, this multi-frame processing is applicable even when shooting RAW/DNG files, a rarity in smartphone camera applications.

**Comprehensive Manual Controls and Beyond**

Project Indigo offers comprehensive manual controls, enabling users to modify focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and exposure compensation. Furthermore, it grants control over the number of frames taken in a burst, allowing photographers to balance capture time against noise levels. The application also includes a Long Exposure mode, ideal for producing creative motion blur effects.

**Digital Zoom Without Sacrifice**

The application enhances digital zoom quality through multi-frame super-resolution. When zooming past 2x, Project Indigo captures several slightly displaced frames, utilizing natural hand movements to improve image sharpness. This approach circumvents the drawbacks of AI-enhanced super-resolution, which may at times create artificial details, ensuring a more genuine outcome.

**Designed for Lightroom Users**

As an Adobe creation, Project Indigo easily integrates with Lightroom Mobile. Users can conveniently transfer images for editing, whether in JPEG or DNG format. The app features profile and metadata support, enabling Lightroom to distinguish between Project Indigo’s SDR and HDR styles during the editing phase.

**Experimental Features Included**

Project Indigo serves as a platform for testing potential features that may be incorporated into Adobe’s wider ecosystem. One noteworthy initial feature is an AI-driven “Remove Reflections” mode, aimed at enhancing photos captured through glass or windows.

**Availability and Recommendations**

Project Indigo is compatible with all iPhone Pro and Pro Max models beginning with the iPhone 12, as well as non-Pro iPhones from the iPhone 14 onward. The app is free and does not necessitate an Adobe account. However, given the app’s demanding image processing needs, Adobe advises using it on newer iPhone models for optimal performance.

For those eager to delve into Project Indigo, it can be downloaded from the App Store, and users are encouraged to view sample images on the Project Indigo website to appreciate its features.

Apple Wins Grand Prix Award at Cannes for ‘Shot on iPhone’ Campaign

Apple’s renowned “Shot on iPhone” advertising series has just received one of the pinnacle accolades in the advertising world: the Grand Prix in the Creative Effectiveness Lions category at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Quite impressive for a campaign that originated ten years ago.

The Creative Effectiveness Lions are particularly aimed at recognizing campaigns that demonstrate long-term business success through creativity. This year saw the fourth consecutive increase in submissions for this category, rising by 6.5% compared to 2024.

Nevertheless, out of over 300 entries received, only 17 were honored: three Gold, six Silver, seven Bronze, and the sole Grand Prix, which was awarded to Apple and its agency TBWAMedia Arts Lab.

### Apple’s most enduring campaign receives Cannes’ highest accolade

“Shot on iPhone,” which launched ten years ago, has evolved into one of Apple’s most recognized marketing initiatives, capitalizing on one of the iPhone’s essential selling features. As highlighted in Cannes’ official press release featuring the winners, Counterpoint Research data from 2025 reinforces the camera’s significance in propelling the iPhone to its status as the world’s best-selling smartphone.

Andrea Diquez, Global CEO of GUT and this year’s Jury President for the category, commended the campaign’s ability to merge art with everyday experiences:

> “‘Shot on iPhone’ was granted the Grand Prix for its revolutionary capacity to democratize creativity, transforming ordinary moments into artistic expressions. The campaign distinguished itself as a masterclass in enhancing user-generated content to establish a long-term platform with remarkable execution. When a client dedicates themselves to a long-term initiative rooted in highly creative work that resonates both globally and locally, it becomes magic – this exceptional combination makes it truly worthy of the industry’s highest accolade.”

For Apple, this recognition marks the culmination of a decade of innovative efforts inviting everyday users to demonstrate the potential of the iPhone camera, transforming simple snapshots into a worldwide advertising platform.

Spotify Unveils In-App Mentions of ’24-bit’ and FLAC, Signaling Advancement Towards Lossless Streaming

After years of waiting, the highly anticipated lossless audio feature from Spotify is reportedly close to being launched. Recent updates to the desktop application have uncovered several mentions of “Lossless” streaming, suggesting that higher-quality audio may soon be accessible to users.

### Lossless Options in Streaming Settings

Screenshots from the X account @spicetifyapp, which focuses on Spotify customization, highlight the introduction of “Lossless” in different areas of the Spotify interface. A new audio quality option named “Lossless” is now present in the settings, positioned next to current choices such as High and Very High. This addition is noted as “Up to 1 GB/hour,” allowing playback at 24-bit/44.1 kHz in FLAC format.

Moreover, the Spotify Connect sidebar now shows indications of lossless streaming for connections to compatible devices.

### Enhance Your Headphones Feature

Alongside lossless streaming, Spotify seems to be trialing a feature named “Enhance your headphones.” This feature appears to aim at optimizing playback specifically for certain compatible headphones. Although information is limited, an onboarding card hints that Spotify will implement advanced technology to improve headphone performance, including an option to verify compatibility.

This feature, known internally as “puffin,” is anticipated to be limited to Premium subscribers.

As Spotify approaches the launch of these features, users are left to consider the impact of lossless audio and whether they can perceive the difference between lossless and compressed formats.