Macbook Air M2 Drops Under Rs. 90,000 During Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale Is a Steal Deal

Apple’s MacBook Air M2 is currently selling at a discounted price on Flipkart, ahead of the upcoming sale event on the e-commerce platform. The 13-inch laptop was launched last year priced at Rs. 1,19,900, and its price was lowered by Rs. 5,000 nearly a year later when Apple unveiled a larger model with a 15-inch display powered by the same M2 chipset. However, as part of the upcoming Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, you can buy the second-generation MacBook under Rs. 90,000.

Ahead of Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale that is set to begin on October 8, Apple’s MacBook Air M2 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is listed at Rs. 94,990 on the e-commerce platform. This is significantly lower than the retail price of the laptop, but customers can also avail of a discount of Rs. 5,000 on Axis Bank credit card or HDFC Bank transactions, bringing the price of the MacBook Air M2 down to Rs. 89,990.

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Flipkart

 

It is worth noting that the price is inclusive of the card offers on Flipkart, but these discounts are likely to change in the run-up to the sale based on the availability of units — this is a common phenomenon during sale events. You can further lower the price of the MacBook Air M2 by up to Rs. 20,000 by exchanging an eligible laptop model.

Apple’s MacBook Air M2 was launched in June 2022 as the successor to the 2020 model that featured the first-generation M1 Apple Silicon chip. When the company revealed its new M2-powered MacBook Air model last year, Apple revealed that the new chip was 18 percent faster in CPU performance and 35 percent faster in GPU performance than the model that debuted in 2020.

The 13-inch laptop sports a Liquid Retina Display with a display notch that results in thinner bezels compared to its predecessor. It can be purchased in various RAM and storage configurations, with up to 24GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. Apple claims the MacBook Air M2 will offer 18 hours of battery backup — on a single charge — while watching videos. You can also purchase an optional 67W charger that can charge the device to 50 percent in 30 minutes.


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Netflix Is Reportedly Planning a Price Hike After the Ongoing Hollywood Actors’ Strike Ends

Netflix is reportedly planning to raise its subscription prices once the ongoing Hollywood actors’ strikes end. As per The Wall Street Journal, the streamer will issue a hike on its ad-free plans a few months before a global spread, starting with the US and Canada. The company hasn’t commented on the said increase, but going by the last instance, which was in January 2022, we can expect it to go up by $1 to $2 (about Rs. 83 to Rs. 166) for a monthly plan. Before that, Netflix also introduced its cheaper ad-supported plan, costing $6.99 (about Rs. 582), which is still unavailable in India.

While other international streaming platforms such as Max and Disney+ raised their prices to curb financial losses, Netflix instead chose to boost its subscription count by cracking down on password sharing among its customers. The method seems to have worked, considering the streamer reported a climb of 6 million new subscribers, as of July, taking the total to 238 million members. The WSJ report suggests that costs of major streaming platforms have shot up by 25 percent, as a means to make a profit and lead more price-conscious customers to their low-cost ad-supported plans. It’s not surprising for the company to try and match the price pools set by its competitors, with the leading one in the US being Disney+ at $13.99 (about Rs. 1,165). Raising the cost of ad-free tiers also makes the cheaper ad-supported plans look more appealing.

It’s unclear exactly when the new prices will be issued, but currently, the ad-free Standard tier costs $15.49 (about Rs. 1,289) per month in the US, while the Premium plan is set at $19.99 (about Rs. 1,664) monthly, allowing you to stream content at up to four screens at the same time.

Last week, the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) finally ended its 148-day strike against major Hollywood studios, in an effort to earn fair paychecks and to fight back against unregulated use of AI in screenwriting. Among those studios were the aforementioned Netflix and other major streaming services, all of which will now be forced to share streaming data with the WGA — specifically, the hours streamed — so writers and actors can assess how well a movie or show performed and collect residuals on them. It’s similar to TV broadcasts, but the advent of online streaming made it so workers weren’t making any additional money beyond the initial payment. Meanwhile, the SAG-AFTRA (actors’ union) is still on strike and trying to negotiate a fair deal with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers).

In April, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claimed that the streamer was ‘better prepared than most‘ studios in the event that a strike went through. Keeping disruptions to the minimum was its large slate of content, thanks to its penchant for planning out releases long before they’re ever revealed to the public. It makes sense for Netflix to wait until the strikes end so they can raise their prices, given there’s not much promise of new content besides the ones they’ve already shown throughout their TUDUM events.

However, as actors and writers return to work, not only can they justify the price hike, but they will finally be able to promote the films and hold interviews like they used to. For the uninitiated, actors under the SAG-AFTRA union aren’t allowed to promote their films or shows nor work on them during the strike period, which has caused several major projects like Dune: Part 2 and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse to get delayed.


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All OnePlus Deals on Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale Listed: From OnePlus 11, 11R and More

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023 Sale will begin on October 7 for Prime members. The annual sale will be live for all users from October 8. A slew of OnePlus smartphones will be available at discounted prices during the sale. The Chinese smartphone brand’s high-end smartphones like the OnePlus 11 5G and OnePlus 11R 5G are teased to see price cuts during the sale. The OnePlus Nord CE 35G, and OnePlus Nord 3 5G are also confirmed to receive discounts. Further, Amazon has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI) to offer an instant discount of up to 10 percent on purchases made through SBI credit cards. There will be Amazon Pay-based offers and coupon discounts.

OnePlus 11R 5G

In the upcoming sale, the OnePlus 11R 5G will be available for Rs. 34,999 (including Rs. 2,000 bank card offers and Rs. 3,000 coupon discounts ). The OnePlus 11R was launched in India in February with a starting price tag of Rs. 39,999. The handset runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G SoC. It sports a 6.74-inch full-HD+ curved AMOLED display and is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 100W SUPERVOOC S flash fast charging.

OnePlus 11 5G

The OnePlus 11 5G can be bought for as low as Rs. 49,999 with bank offers and a coupon discount of Rs. 4,000. The handset has an original launch price of Rs. 56,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and features a 6.7-inch LTPO 3.0 AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The OnePlus 11 5G features a triple-rear camera setup led by 50-megapixel primary camera and packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 100W SuperVOOC fast charging

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G

With bank offers and a Rs. 2,000 coupon discount, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G can be grabbed for just Rs. 22,999 in the upcoming Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023 sale, down from the launch price of Rs. 26,999. The handset runs on an octa-core Snapdragon 782G SoC. It is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC charging.

OnePlus Nord 3 5G

Amazon will offer OnePlus Nord 3 5G for a starting price tag of Rs. 28,999 (including bank and coupon discounts) in the upcoming festival sale. The handset debuted in the country in July with a starting price tag of Rs. 33,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. The handset features an alert slider and runs on MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC charging.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is confirmed to be available in the upcoming sale at a discounted price of Rs. 17,499. This price tag includes select bank deals and exchange offers. The handset powered by Snapdragon 695 SoC was launched in India in April with an initial price tag of Rs. 19,999. It features a 6.72-inch LCD display with 120Hz refresh rate and packs a triple rear camera unit headlined by a 108-megapixel main sensor. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W SuperVOOC fast charging.


OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Oppo Teases Find N3 Flip, India Launch Rumoured to Take Place on October 12

Oppo India seems to be gearing up to launch its next foldable just seven months after its predecessor. The Oppo Find N3 Flip is not a brand-new smartphone but seems like an iterative update to its predecessor, the Oppo Find N2 Flip which was also launched in India earlier this year. Oppo seems to have settled for the vertical folding form factor for now, as OnePlus seems to be gunning for the horizontal foldables market with its upcoming offering called the OnePlus Open, which was officially unboxed after several leaks. While Oppo has yet to announce an official launch date for its Find N3 Flip in India, it has started to put out teasers for the same. Meanwhile, a tipster has also revealed a potential launch date.

After putting up two teaser videos revealing the foldable phone’s design and triple camera setup, Oppo is now running a contest to promote it. Winners can take part in a lucky draw that runs between October 3 and October 24 to win the Oppo Find N3 Flip or some Oppo audio accessories. Indeed, this hints at a launch that is set to happen within this time frame.

A few days prior, tipster Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) also exclusively announced that the Oppo Find N3 Flip will “most likely” be launched on or by October 12. Meanwhile, Oppo’s latest post on X also has the foldable marked as “coming soon”, indicating that its launch is imminent.

The Oppo Find N3 Flip was launched in China on August 23, and it instantly became the first clamshell foldable to feature a triple rear camera setup. The smartphone was launched in three colours – Mirror Night (black), Mist Rose (pink) and Moonlight Muse (gold). Apart from the triple rear camera setup, which now includes a 32-megapixel telephoto camera, Oppo also went with a slightly bigger cover display, which measures 3.26 inches diagonally in the same vertical alignment as before, just that the new display is a bit wider than the one on the outgoing model.

In terms of core hardware, the phone is powered by a Dimensity 9200 SoC (a step up from the Dimensity 9000+), which is paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The device has the usual connectivity options and a side-mounted fingerprint reader, which remains the same as before.

While we expect the core specifications of the global variant to be similar to the Chinese model, a recent leak also shed some light on app support on the cover display. The previous model, just like its then competitor the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 only supported a handful of widgets for native and third-party apps. This is expected to change with the global model, which, according to a [previous leak], is said to support a long list of third-party apps that also includes many from Indian services like Zomato, Swiggy, BookMyShow, mAadhar and more.

While the leaked image only shows a launcher on the cover screen with several apps pinned on it, it isn’t clear if the phone can run all of these apps on the cover screen itself. If it is capable of doing so, it will bring Oppo’s Find N3 Flip on par with Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra, which so far is the only one to successfully pull off the same.


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Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale: Here Are All Samsung Galaxy Phone Deals You Should Know

Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale starts on October 8, the same day that the competing e-commerce platform, Amazon, is beginning its Great Indian Festival. The e-commerce websites are expected to extend a series of lucrative deals and offers on a range of products, including smartphones. Ahead of the sale, Flipkart reveals some of the best deals customers can avail of on Samsung handsets. Most of the deals include additional bank offers other than the sale discount. Following is a list of deals confirmed by the company, spanning across varying price ranges – from budget smartphones to premium ones.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy S22, Galaxy A23, F54, and more available with discounts

One of the smartphones to receive a considerable discount is the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE which was introduced to the Indian market in January 2022 with an in-house 5nm Exynos 2100 SoC and a 4,500mAh battery with 25W Super-Fast wired fast charging, 15W wireless fast charging, and reverse charging support. At launch, the 256GB variant of the handset was listed at Rs. 58,999. During the upcoming Flipkart sale, the phone is confirmed to be available at a price as low as Rs. 29,999, including all offers.

Another popular Samsung handset to receive a lucrative discount at the sale is the base Galaxy S22, which will be available for Rs. 39,999 or at a monthly EMI of Rs. 3,334. The 128GB variant of the phone was priced in India at Rs. 57,999 after the launch of the Galaxy S23 series. It is offered in Bora Purple, Green, Pink Gold, Phantom Black, and Phantom White.

One of the latest flagship handsets, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, will also be offered at a discounted price at the Big Billions Day Sale. Flipkart has yet to reveal this premium model’s deal value, but it will be available soon. The phone comes with a 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a 200-megapixel primary rear camera, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired and 15W wireless fast charging support.

The recently launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Z Flip 5 will also be available to Indian customers at a lowered price in the upcoming Flipkart sale. The phones can be purchased at prices as low as Rs. 1,14,999 and Rs. 62,999, respectively, inclusive of all bank offers and exchange options. The Fold 5, with a 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex primary display, is available in Cream, Icy Blue, and Phantom Black colourways. The Flip 5, on the other hand, with a 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex inner screen and a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED folder-shaped outer panel, is available in Cream, Graphite, Lavender and Mint colours.

Among other Samsung offers at the Big Billions Day Sale 2023 is the Galaxy A23. The phone’s 8GB + 128GB variant was priced at Rs. 24,999 at launch. It is confirmed to be available for a price as low as Rs. 18,999 during the sale. The Galaxy A14, the handset that was released alongside the Galaxy A23 in India, can be bought for Rs. 13,999 on Flipkart right now. At launch, the 4GB + 64GB variant of the Galaxy A14 was listed at Rs. 16,499.

Other mid-range and budget Samsung phones which are listed to receive discounted price offers during the sale this weekend include the Galaxy A34, Galaxy A54, Galaxy F54 and Galaxy F34. The Galaxy A34 will be available for a price of Rs. 25,999, while the Galaxy A54 can be bought for as low as Rs. 33,499. At the upcoming sale, the Galaxy F54 can be purchased for Rs. 22,999 and the Galaxy F34 for Rs. 14,999.

Entry-level Samsung Galaxy F14 and Galaxy F13 models are also listed to be priced during the sale at the lowest prices of Rs. 9,999 and Rs. 9,199, respectively.


Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ and Galaxy Buds FE Launched: Price, Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ were launched on Wednesday as the company’s latest additions to its ‘Fan Edition’ device series. These tablets are equipped with 10.9-inch and 12.4-inch LCD displays (the regular Galaxy Tab S9 series sports Dynamic AMOLED 2X screens) with a 90Hz refresh rate and have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Samsung also announced the launch of its affordable Galaxy Buds FE truly wireless stereo (TWS) headset that offers features such as active noise cancellation (ANC) found on the company’s more expensive products.

The new Fan Edition devices were launched alongside the all-new S23 FE. Notably, all these devices will be making their way to India today, with prices likely to be announced today and sales starting during the Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ and Galaxy Buds FE price

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE pricing starts at EUR 529 for the base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. Pricing for the larger Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage starts at EUR 699. Both tablets are also available in cellular variants that are able to connect to 5G networks. You can buy the tablets in Gray, Lavender, Mint, and Silver colour options.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are priced at EUR 109, and the earphones will be available in Graphite and White colour options.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ specifications

The newly launched Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ run on Android 13-based One UI 5.1. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ sport 10.9-inch and 12.4-inch WQXGA (2,560×1,600 pixels) LCD displays, respectively. Both displays have a 90Hz refresh rate, according to Samsung.

An Exynos 1380 chipset from Samsung powers the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+. While the former is available with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Plus model comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Storage on both models can be expanded (up to 1TB) via a MicroSD card slot.

For photos and videos, both tablets are equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera setup — the Plus model has another 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus, as well as a 12-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, and a USB Type-C port for charging and wired data transfers. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ pack 8,000mAh and 10,000mAh batteries, respectively, with support for 45W charging.

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE TWS headset sports a design that appears somewhat similar to its previous Galaxy Buds Plus model with the wing tips. However, they come with one feature that the older model lacked — ANC support.

The FE-branded Galaxy Buds headset offers support for touch controls and supports Samsung’s feature that allows it to switch between devices automatically. The wireless headset has an IPX2 rating for splash resistance, which means it should survive light splashes of water. 

 According to the company, you get up to six hours of battery life with these earphones when ANC is enabled and a total of 21 hours, including the charging case. The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE supports both SBC and AAC audio codecs, suggesting it would work well with iOS and Android smartphones.


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Vivo to Launch Android 14-Based Funtouch OS 14 on October 7

Vivo has announced the India launch date for Funtouch OS 14. The OS update, based on Android 14, will be rolling out to Vivo and iQoo users in India on October 7, starting 12 pm. The news comes days after Vivo announced the Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14 Preview Program for X90 Pro users. While the company has not revealed the updates and changes that will come along the Funtouch OS 14, it has promised to provider a ‘smoother experience’. Vivo is also yet to announce the smartphones which will be eligible to receive the update. 

In a X (formerly Twitter) post, Vivo has announced to launch Funtouch OS 14 update, based on Android 14, in India on October 7. The OS update will begin rolling out to eligible Vivo and iQoo users starting 12pm IST. However, the company has neither revealed the smartphones which will receive the update, nor has it shared any information about the changes or upgrades.  

Replying to a query regarding the roll out of update on Vivo V27e, the company said that users will receive notification on their smartphones automatically if the update is available for their handset. Further details regarding the update are expected to be revealed on October 7. 

In September, OnePlus also announced Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 Open Beta 2 to supported handsets. The OS update by OnePlus introduces Trinity Engine, which handles situations like multitasking, heavy lifting, and extended usage. For security, it gets the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE)-based Device Security Engine 3.0. 

The OxygenOS 14 update will start rolling out to smartphones in October, while a few handsets will receive it in November. The first model to receive a stable OxygenOS 14 update will be the flagship OnePlus 11 5G.


The Vivo X90 Pro has finally made its debut in India, but is the company’s flagship smartphone for 2023 equipped with enough upgrades over its predecessor? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple MacBook Air M1 Available Under Rs. 70,000 Ahead of Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale 2023

Apple MacBook Air with the M1 chip was released in November 2020 with a 13.3-inch IPS Retina display and up to 18 hours of battery life. Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale will start on October 8 alongside Flipkart’s Big Billions Day Sale, where the e-commerce sites are expected to extend some lucrative discounts and other offers on a wide range of items including electronic products. Ahead of the sale, the MacBook Air laptop with the M1 chip is available in India at a lowered price.

Apple MacBook Air M1 price in India, availability

Down 30 percent from the listed price of Rs. 99,990, the 8GB + 256GB variant of the MacBook Air M1 laptop is currently available on Amazon at Rs. 69,990. Customers can also avail of additional bank offers and even opt for an exchange option to buy the laptop at an even lower price. Neither Apple nor Amazon has confirmed yet if the price tag will remain the same during the upcoming sale. The laptop is offered in Gold, Silver and Space Grey colour options.

Apple MacBook Air M1 specifications

Featuring a 13.3-inch IPS Retina display, the MacBook Air M1 comes with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. It is powered by the Apple M1 chip, which has an 8-core CPU, a 7/8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. It claims to offer a battery life of up to 18 hours. The laptop is pre-installed with MacOS BigSur.

The MacBook Air M1 supports Dolby Atmos-enhanced dual speakers and comes with a three-mic array and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The laptop has a Force Touch trackpad and a backlit Magic Keyboard. It is also equipped with a Touch ID sensor and an HD FaceTime camera. Lastly, it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.

Apple also launched the MacBook Air with M2 chip as a successor to the MacBook Air M1. The newer version is offered in two sizes – 13-inch and 15-inch. The models run MacOS Monterey out-of-the-box.


Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Microsoft CEO Says Google Locking Up Content Needed to Train AI While Tech Giants Compete Hard

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said Monday tech giants were competing for vast troves of content needed to train artificial intelligence, and complained Google was locking up content with expensive and exclusive deals with publishers.

Testifying in a landmark US trial against its rival Google, the first major antitrust case brought by the US since it sued Microsoft in 1998, Nadella testified the tech giants’ efforts to build content libraries to train their large language models “reminds me of the early phases of distribution deals.”

Distribution agreements are at the core of the US Justice Department’s antitrust fight against Google. The government says that Google, with some 90 percent of the search market, illegally pays $10 billion (nearly Rs. 83,200 crore) annually to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&T and others to be the default search engine on their devices. 

The clout in search makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, boosting its profits.

Nadella said building artificial intelligence took computing power, or servers, and data to train the software. On servers, he said, “No problem, we are happy to put in the dollars.”

But without naming Google, he said it was “problematic” if other companies locked up exclusive deals with big content makers. 

“When I am meeting with publishers now, they say Google’s going to write this check and it’s exclusive and you have to match it,” he said.

Rebuffed by Apple

Nadella also testified that Microsoft had sought to make its Bing search engine the default on Apple smartphones but was rebuffed. 

John Schmidtlein, Google’s lead lawyer, pressed Nadella on occasions when Microsoft did win default status on computers and mobile phones but users still bypassed Bing and continued to use Google by a wide margin.

Schmidtlein argued that Microsoft had made a series of strategic errors that led to Bing’s inability to grab a foothold, including a failure to invest in servers or engineers to improve Bing and a failure to see the mobile revolution.

Schmidtlein also said Microsoft’s success in becoming the default — on some Verizon phones in 2008, and BlackBerry and Nokia in 2011 — ended with the same result: users bypassed Bing and did the vast majority of their searches on Google.

On laptops, most of which use Microsoft operating systems, Bing is the default search engine and has a market share below 20 percent, Nadella acknowledged.

“You get up in the morning and you brush your teeth and you search on Google,” he added in a reference to Google’s dominance in search.

Question of quality

Judge Amit Mehta, who will decide the case being tried in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, asked Nadella why Apple would switch to Bing given the Microsoft product’s lower quality.

The question suggests Google’s argument — that it is dominant because of its quality and not because of illegal activity — has caught the judge’s interest.

Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, long after the tech giant faced its own federal antitrust lawsuit. That court fight, which ended in a 2001 settlement, forced Microsoft to end some business practices and opened the door to companies like Google.

As Google, which was founded in 1998, became an industry leading search engine, the two became bitter rivals. Both have browsers, search engines, email services and a host of other overlaps. They became rivals in artificial intelligence more recently, with Microsoft investing heavily in OpenAI and Google building the Bard AI chatbot among other investments.

© Thomson Reuters 2023


Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Nokia-Parent HMD Global Starts Manufacturing 5G Devices in Europe

HMD Global, the licensee of Nokia-branded smartphones, has become the first major smartphone company to manufacture devices in Europe, with its first 5G model made in Hungary — aimed at customers keen on data security — now available for purchase.

“We are thrilled to be manufacturing the Nokia XR21, our signature rugged 5G smartphone, in Europe,” HMD Global co-founder, chairman and CEO Jean-Francois Baril said on Tuesday.

“We are dedicated to investing in security, technology and manufacturing processes that make our devices more secure and longer lasting.”

Before HMD opened its Hungarian operations, Europe had no large-scale smartphone manufacturing as major companies like Apple and Samsung make their phones in Asia to cut costs.

HMD said the first European model was designed for enterprise customers, some of whom had requested additional security in conjunction with their IT security partners.

The company already stores data in the European Union, with consumer and corporate data from all of its smartphones held and processed on servers in Finland since 2019.

The company signed in 2016 an exclusive 10-year licensing agreement with Nokia Oyj, once the world’s largest phone maker, to make Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets.

It said in March it would start manufacturing in the European Union, which has been encouraging companies to set up production in key sectors such as semiconductors.

The Nokia XR21 European edition is priced from EUR 649 (nearly Rs. 56,500), the company said.

A limited edition of 30 units from the European production line in frosted platinum will be available for purchase from the company’s website from EUR 699, it said.

© Thomson Reuters 2023
 


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