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| Welcome to today's Inside Tech! Here are the top headlines: - Intel abandons $5.4B Tower Semiconductor takeover after China fails to approve the deal.
- Foxconn begins iPhone 15 production In India.
- Apple switches iPhone 'end call' button back to center in latest iOS beta.
- YouTube enhances NFL Sunday Ticket with live chat and other features.
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Intel has mutually terminated its $5.4B acquisition of Israeli chipmaker Tower Semiconductor, reportedly due to a lack of regulatory approval from China. Intel will now pay a $353M termination fee to Tower Semiconductor, a contract chipmaker that manufactures semiconductors for other companies. More: - In a news release, Intel said it was unable to "obtain in a timely manner the regulatory approvals required under the merger agreement."
- Bloomberg reported that Chinese regulators failed to approve the deal before its Aug. 15 deadline.
- The termination highlights wider tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly affecting corporate deals in the semiconductor sector.
Zoom out: - Intel's CEO, Pat Gelsinger, tried to gain Chinese regulatory approval for the Tower deal and even visited China at least twice this year.
- Gelsinger stressed that Intel was still investing in its foundry business, referring to companies that manufacture semiconductors.
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| 2 | | Major Apple supplier Foxconn has started producing the iPhone 15 in India, part of Apple's efforts to diversify manufacturing away from China. It marks the first time that a new iPhone has been made in India before it has been announced by Apple. 
What the numbers say: Apple is planning to make 86.3 million units of the iPhone 15 series by the end of the year. Foxconn is the leading supplier, covering around 58% of all orders. Details: Produced at Foxconn's plant in India's Sriperumbudur, the iPhone 15 models will be delivered shortly after their China counterparts, closing the India-China manufacturing gap. Before the iPhone 14 launch, Indian-made iPhones trailed Chinese production by six to nine months. Apple is expected to unveil the new lineup of iPhones at its annual September event. The bigger picture: Amid U.S.-China tensions, Apple has been seeking to diversify its supply chain. After meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi in June, CEO Tim Cook said India represents a "huge opportunity." Apple has already ramped up iPhone production in India, with 7% of iPhones being manufactured in India as of April. Meanwhile, other Apple suppliers in India — Pegatron and Wistron — will soon begin assembling the iPhone 15 in the country. Q: Are you planning to purchase an iPhone 15 this year? Why or why not? Let us know here. | | | |
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| 3 | | In the latest iOS 17 developer version, Apple has moved the "end call" button back to the screen's center, reversing a prior change that placed it in the lower right corner. Apple users were concerned about accidentally tapping other buttons while trying to end calls due to muscle memory. More: - Earlier iOS 17 beta versions relocated the red "end call" button to the lower right corner.
- Due to the negative feedback, Apple has decided to restore the button to the middle of the screen.
- The "end call" button is now vertically centered among three buttons near the screen's bottom.
Zoom out: - The change also creates space for iOS 17's "contact posters," a feature allowing users to personalize their contact card's appearance when making calls.
- The new iPhone update is expected to launch to the public in September, following Apple's yearly iPhone event.
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| 4 | | YouTube announced new features, such as live chats and monthly payments, for NFL Sunday Ticket as it gears up for its inaugural year as the streaming hub for the football package. Google's YouTube previously secured the hosting rights for Sunday Ticket, winning over competitors like Apple, Amazon, and Disney. More: - Google will pay an estimated ~$2B per season over the seven-year deal, breaking the exclusive hold that DirecTV had on the NFL Sunday Ticket since 1994.
- The service on YouTube and YouTube TV will offer live coverage of all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games from Fox and CBS.
- This year's rotation begins on Sept. 10.
New features: - To encourage more sign-ups, YouTube is now offering a monthly payment choice of $99.75 over four months ($399 total), expanding from a single-payment plan.
- In addition, it's adding live chat and polls on mobile and TV devices for viewers to interact during games.
- A "key plays" highlights game snippets on YouTube. Real-time NFL game highlights on YouTube Shorts will include a "Live" indicator to direct subscribers to live game coverage.
- Subscribers can also use multiview to watch multiple channels at once.
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| 5 | Twitter, now X, has turned TweetDeck into a paid service behind a paywall. TweetDeck, now "X Pro," is favored among professionals like journalists and marketers to view and manage different accounts and custom feeds. More: - Previously free, TweetDeck now requires a subscription to X Premium, the "blue check" verification service formerly known as Twitter Blue.
- X announced last month that users will have to be "verified" to access TweetDeck.
- TweetDeck was a highly popular third-party app for Twitter access until the latter acquired it in 2011.
Zoom out: - The move is part of Elon Musk's effort to monetize the app through Blue subscriptions.
- Blue offers benefits like the blue check, higher reply and search rankings, longer posts, and fewer ads.
- As of April, there were about 640,000 Blue subscribers
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| 6 | | Michael Brackett, the founder of tech startup Centricity, has been indicted for allegedly falsifying financial records to deceive investors. Brackett, arrested by federal authorities on Tuesday, has been charged with securities fraud and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that he falsified bank statements and revenue numbers to create a false appearance of success. More: - In 2019, Brackett secured $2.5M from angel investors for Centricity, a data analytics startup claiming to use AI technology to forecast consumer demand.
- Although Centricity claimed 13 major clients and $3.7M in annual revenue, prosecutors say only two were actual customers.
- Based on the false information, Brackett allegedly convinced an unidentified victim to transfer $500,000 to Centricity.
- The victim detected the scam shortly after and tried to reclaim the funds without success.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is the curator and writer of the AI and Tech newsletters at Inside. With a career in journalism and editing that began in 2007, she has written for publications including USA Today, The Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and more. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by NO ACCOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EDITOR | |
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