All stories by Surajeet Das Gupta
Wistron Deal: Tata Gets Global Reach, Apple Gets to Hedge Geopolitical Bets
Rediff.com14 Nov 2023The government's target of hitting $52 billion to $58 billion in mobile phone exports in FY26 has been faltering; an Indian corporate group with financial muscle will help.
Will Made In India Google Pixel Phones Sell Better?
Rediff.com30 Oct 2023Making the Pixel 8 in India will not necessarily bring the price down -- witness iPhones made in India that are more expensive than those in the US and Dubai.
North trails South in electric scooter sales
Rediff.com26 Oct 2023The state is also the biggest market for TVS, another incumbent player, and together with Bajaj Auto, they accounted for 88 per cent of Maharashtra's total electric scooter sales last month. As many as 8,417 units were sold in Maharashtra in September. Bajaj Auto's contribution was 4,048 vehicles and that of TVS was 3,389, according to model- and state-wise data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).
Alternatives to China: Vietnam, India slug it out for semiconductor investments
Rediff.com16 Oct 2023India and Vietnam are vying with each other to woo semiconductor companies to their country. With the tension between the US and China escalating, and Taiwan getting vulnerable both countries are trying to present themselves as alternative destinations for global players. Vietnam, which started the effort as early as 2010, has got a leg-up after US President Joe Biden's visit last month.
How Zetwerk is shaking up India's smart TV market
Rediff.com11 Oct 2023Zetwerk is not exactly a household name, but this unicorn, boasting revenues of Rs 11,450 crore as of last year, is among the top four electronics manufacturers in India. The startup is capitalising on a notable trend in smart TV sales - fall in collective shipments from top brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and an uptick in the market share of smaller, regional, and online brands. Emerging as a key Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) player, Zetwerk operates a plant in Haryana that caters to 10 per cent of the country's overall smart TV production capacity.
Made In India iPhones Are...
Rediff.com10 Oct 2023...far more expensive than those available in the US or in Dubai though Apple won't pass on the higher cost of assembling the iPhone 15 and iPhone Plus to Indian customers.
E-motorcycles: Bhavish Aggarwal Riding High
Rediff.com6 Oct 2023Can Bhavish Aggarwal upend the electric two-wheeler market, which is now overwhelmingly in favour of scooters?
Two-wheeler Majors TVS, Bajaj Auto Close the Gap With Startups in EV Game
Rediff.com6 Oct 2023Bajaj Auto has virtually closed the gap with Ather Energy in September, notching up 6423 EV registrations compared to 6466 registrations by Ather.
Reliance Retail aims at 2025 IPO after valuation jump
Rediff.com5 Oct 2023Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) is discussing a three-pronged plan that includes an additional divestment of $250-300 million this year, apart from what it has diluted in favour of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and US-based private equity fund KKR recently.
What's Micron's Role In India's Chip Race?
Rediff.com28 Sep 2023The first leg of Micron's semiconductor play in Sanand is crucial for the company to sprint towards India's goal of joining the chip race.
Pegatron factory may start ops soon, no impact on supply of iPhone15 series
Rediff.com27 Sep 2023Even as top Pegatron executives went to the factory near Chennai on Tuesday to make an assessment of the fire damage to decide on a possible date for resuming operations, sources said the impact of the closure will be minimal for Apple's iPhone production. Late in the evening sources said that the factory might be operational soon-but said they are waiting for a final update. It will also not impact the availability of the newly-launched iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, they said.
No plan on OTTs sharing revenue with telcos: Govt
Rediff.com25 Sep 2023There is no plan to direct over the top (OTT) communications players who generate large amounts of traffic to give a 'fair and proportionate' share of their revenues to telecom network operators, the communications ministry has said. A senior official allayed any such apprehension by saying: "We have no proposal of this kind or anything like this which we are working on. "There is no fresh reference on this matter to the regulator (Trai)," he said. The ministry's view is significant as telecom network operators have been escalating this issue since July when Trai issued a consultation paper called 'Regulatory Mechanism Over OTT Communication Services and Selective Banning of OTT Services'.
How much does iPhone 15 cost? Rs 79,900 to Rs 199,900
Rediff.com14 Sep 2023Apple Inc has announced the India prices of the new variants of its bestselling smartphones - launched on Tuesday - as it assembles the device in the country. The new iPhone 15 range starts at Rs 79,900 for the 128 GB variant (the same price as the iPhone 14 when it was launched last year) and goes up to Rs 199,900 for the top-end Pro Max with a 6.7 inch screen and 1 TB (terabyte) storage. The world's most valuable company also launched three new upgraded Apple watches, starting with the SE at Rs 29,900 and going up to Ultra 2 at Rs 89,900.
Focus shifts from exports to import substitution
Rediff.com8 Sep 2023It started out as a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to make India an export hub. But after many a twist and turns, the latest 2.0 PLI for IT hardware, for which the 40 eligible candidates have applied till its deadline, is now focused on 'import substitution'. The scheme will help in reducing India's over-dependence on imports (80 per cent of laptops are imported), especially from China which include laptops, tablets and servers.
EVs: Why LFP Is The Next Big Thing
Rediff.com7 Sep 2023From the customer point of view too, LFP batteries are safer and offer a longer life.
Bikanervala to go for IPO in next three years
Rediff.com31 Aug 2023Indian sweet, snack, and restaurant chain group Bikanervala, with revenues of over Rs 3,000 crore, is working towards an initial public offering (IPO) for its food company in the next three years. Before that, it could also bring in private equity (PE) investors. The low-profile Aggarwal family-owned group company, Bikanervala Foods (which also sells under the brand name Bikano), operates in the snack business.
India Needs Foxconn And Vice Versa
Rediff.com22 Aug 2023Clearly, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu and his team are looking to raise their game in India.
How Ather Energy is taking on its rivals
Rediff.com21 Aug 2023'Our expectations are that we will be able to double our market share from 14-15 per cent currently to around 30 per cent by the end of the financial year.'
Maruti's Goal: Hybrid, Not EV, Cars
Rediff.com16 Aug 2023'We are going to have hybrid cars, which, as far as I know, none of our competition is working on, and this includes ethanol.'
Samsung remains the largest exporter of smartphones
Rediff.com14 Aug 2023In FY22-23, Samsung exported $4.09 billion smartphones from India -- an increase of 42 per cent over 2021, when it was $2.8 billion -- accounting for 35 per cent of all smartphone exports.