MacRumors

The Information has published a detailed look into the challenges that Apple has faced in expanding its manufacturing operations in India, including strict labor laws, unsatisfactory health and safety standards, and protectionist trade policies that have resulted in rising tariffs on smartphone components.

An excerpt from the paywalled report:

For example, one Indian supplier Apple approached in 2018 was Superpacks, which operated a packaging factory in Bangalore. Apple sent auditors to assess whether its supplier responsibility practices were up to Apple's standards. The audits revealed dozens of violations. The site had no safety measures for storing chemicals, lacked monitoring for noise and wastewater, and didn't have several environmental and construction permits. It didn't properly test drinking water for workers and the site lacked a fire hydrant system, according to a person close to Apple.

Apple spent months pushing Superpacks to fix the violations. However, the Indian company stopped giving updates and missed deadlines for fixes. Apple ultimately didn't give it a business contract. Superpacks didn't respond to a request for comment.

Apple has reached agreements with some suppliers in India, such as Wistron, which assembles the iPhone 7 in the country. However, the majority of Apple's manufacturing remains in China, with recent issues such as the U.S.-China trade war and the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak emphasizing the need for diversification.

As the report notes, India recently relaxed rules on local sourcing of components, paving the way for Apple to open an online store in India later this year and its first retail store in the country by next year.

Full Article: Inside Apple's Search for an Indian Supply Chain by The Information

Apple's suppliers will kick off production of a new entry-level version of AirPods Pro between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes, suggesting that assembly of the earphones will begin around early to mid April.

A paywalled preview of the report, which should be published in full by tomorrow:

Chip and component suppliers gearing up for new AirPods production
Production of an entry-level version of Apple's AirPods Pro, dubbed tentatively AirPods Pro Lite, is expected to kick off between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter, according to sources at chip and component suppliers engaged in the supply chain for the TWS device.

DigiTimes continues to refer to the earphones as "AirPods Pro Lite," but it is unlikely that Apple will actually use that name.

Details surrounding the alleged entry-level AirPods Pro remain slim. It has been speculated that the earphones could end up being third-generation regular AirPods with the same design and sound quality as AirPods Pro, but without active noise cancelation. Apple announced the second-generation AirPods on March 20, 2019.

The second-generation AirPods start at $159, while AirPods Pro are priced at $249.

There are a few new discounts on Apple's Smart Battery Case line today, including those for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11. Many of the sales include best-ever prices for these cases, and you'll find discounts below from Amazon and Best Buy.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

To start, you can get the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case in White for $69.00 on Amazon, down from $129.00 ($60 off). At nearly half off, this is definitely a solid deal and the best price we've ever tracked on this particular accessory among the major Apple resellers online.

If you own an iPhone XS Max, your best option for a Smart Battery Case is at Best Buy today, which has the accessory for $79.99 in White and Black, down from $129.00 ($49 off).

The iPhone XR Smart Battery Case in White is available for $80.99 on Amazon, down from $129.00 ($48 off). The Black color option is priced at $89.99 at the time of writing, which is still a solid deal on the charging accessory.

Lastly, if you have a newer iPhone you can get the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case in Black for $99.00 on Amazon, down from $129.00 ($30 off). This is the best price on the device that we've tracked, and as of now there aren't any notable discounts on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max versions of the Smart Battery Case.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Apple plans to launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and multiple notebook models with Mini-LED backlit displays by the end of 2020, according to industry sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

This lines up with information shared earlier this week by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said Apple is developing six products with Mini-LED displays for release by the end of 2021, including new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 10.2-inch iPad, 7.9-inch iPad mini, 27-inch iMac Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

Kuo expects the new iMac Pro in particular to launch during the fourth quarter of 2020. Apple has not refreshed the iMac Pro since it was originally released in December 2017, so it is well overdue for an update.

DigiTimes claims that Apple will also adopt Mini-LED backlighting for "a few models of LCD monitors," but it is unclear if that refers to the iMac/iMac Pro or standalone displays. Apple's high-end Pro Display XDR uses 576 LEDs, but it is not a Mini-LED display. By comparison, the first iPad and MacBook models with Mini-LED backlighting are expected to have over 10,000 LEDs.

Kuo has previously said that Mini-LED backlit displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.

Kuo has also said that Taiwan's largest LED manufacturer Epistar will be one of Apple's suppliers for those iPad and MacBook models.

Apple's upcoming low-cost LCD iPhone has reached the final stage of product verification at assembly lines in China, but delayed components mean it could yet be delayed to the second quarter of the year, according to DigiTimes.

In two separate reports today, the hit-and-miss Taiwanese industry publication claims that the so-called "iPhone 9" or "iPhone SE 2" has reached verification at Foxconn and Pegatron plants, but that Apple has deferred PCB orders for the device from the first quarter to the second due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, suggesting a possible launch delay.

Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers in the supply chain of Apple devices will see their shipments for the upcoming entry-level iPhone SE2 deferred from the first quarter to the second, and their second-quarter revenues may buck seasonal trends because of the deferral, according to industry sources.

Up until now, all the rumors have been pointing to a launch for the low-cost device as early as this month. Rumors have suggested the new iPhone could be announced on March 31, with a launch to follow on April 3. However, it's possible that production on the new low-cost iPhone could potentially see some delays due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China, according to multiple sources.

Apple's new low-cost iPhone, which is expected to look more like an iPhone 8 than anything else, will feature a 4.7-inch LCD display, but will come upgraded with the same A13 chip that's in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, according to rumors. It is said to include 3GB RAM, and will continue to offer Touch ID instead of Face ID, with a Home button at the bottom of the device.

The upcoming low-cost iPhone is expected have a $399 price tag, so it should be a popular upgrade option for iPhone users who currently have an iPhone 6 or 6s and are looking for an affordable upgrade that offers the same feature set.

Apple recently warned technical support staff at its retail stores that replacement iPhones are in short supply, reports Bloomberg.

Replacement iPhones for heavily damaged devices are expected to face supply constraints for two to four weeks. Apple Store employees have been informed that they can mail replacement iPhones to customers and provide loaner devices to ease wait times.

Apple did not provide employees with specific details as to the cause of the shortage, but the supply constraints are likely linked to production delays caused by the coronavirus. Retail employees also told Bloomberg that some stores are noticing a shortage of individual components used for device repairs.

Apple suppliers like Foxconn and Pegatron were forced to shut down for two or more weeks in February at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Factories are back up and running at this time, but production has still not ramped up to normal levels due to labor shortages, travel restrictions, and other factors.

Foxconn, Apple's main iPhone assembler, expects its plants in China to resume normal operation by the end of March. The delays are beginning to affect some product lines, with build-to-order Macs, the Mac Pro, and the iPad Pro seeing supply shortages, and it remains to be seen how new devices expected to launch early in the year will fare in terms of available supply.

Apple recently listed a new Writer/Editor job for the Maps app, which appears to suggest that Apple is planning to build an App Store-like location recommendation feature for Maps.

As noted by The Verge, the job listing, which has since been removed, says that Apple is looking for a person to "help build and grow a brand-new content category for the Apple Maps team," with that person responsible for curating content that helps people explore their communities and find places to visit.

[Apple] is looking for someone to help build exciting and engaging editorial content to help Maps users explore their world. Whether that's locally, or when they're planning an amazing vacation.

Qualifications for the job include an "insatiable curiosity for discovering new places and a passion for telling the world in an engaging manner," "knowledge of food, travel, and shopping trends," and "strong editing skills to help craft engaging digital content."

In the App Store, Apple has a "Today" feature that highlights curated app-related content, and it's possible that in the future, Maps could offer something similar.

Such a role could also focus on making the ‌Apple Maps‌ app more independent of third-party services like Yelp and Wikipedia, which Apple uses to provide reviews and information about points of interest.

Google Maps, one of Apple's main competitors in the mapping space, has a Local Guides service in select cities that's designed to help people find places to visit in new locations, plus there are recommendations provided through a For You tab and a built-in option for polling friends for suggestions on places to go.

Apple today informed developers that it has released updated App Store Review Guidelines, with changes that cover reviews, spam, push notifications, Sign in with Apple, data collection and storage, mobile device management, and more.

Apple's new guidelines can be found on its developer website, but we've highlighted a few notable changes below.

• 1.4.4 - Apps used to commit or attempt to commit crimes of any kind by helping users evade law enforcement will be rejected. (This previously was a rule limited to apps about DUI checkpoints).
• 4.3 - Apple has added new content types to its "Spam" list of app categories it considers already saturated. Fortune telling and dating apps join fart, burp, flashlight, and Kama Sutra apps as apps that will be automatically rejected unless they provide a "unique, high-quality experience."
• 4.5.4 - New language around Push Notifications says they should not be used "to send sensitive, personal, or confidential information," nor should they be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive them via consent language displayed in an app's UI. Developers must also provide a method in the app to allow users to opt out of receiving such messages.
• 5.1.1 (ix) - Apps in highly regulated fields like banking and financial services, healthcare, and air travel or that require sensitive user information should be submitted by a legal entity that provides the services and not by an individual developer.
• 5.1.5 - A rule that previously prohibited the use of location-based APIs for emergency services now says that developers can use location-based APIs to provide emergency services "only if you provide notice to your users in your app's UI that such services may not work in all circumstances."
• 5.5 - There is new language related to Mobile Device Management apps that says apps offering configuration profiles cannot use third-party analytics to collect data: "In limited cases, third-party analytics may be permitted provided that the services only collect or transmit data about the performance of the developer's MDM app, and not any data about the user, the user's device, or other apps used on that device. Apps offering configuration profiles must also adhere to these requirements."
• 5.6.1 - There's a new section dedicated to ‌App Store‌ reviews that requires developers treat customers with respect when responding to comments and says custom review prompts are not allowed: "‌App Store‌ customer reviews can be an integral part of the app experience, so you should treat customers with respect when responding to their comments. Keep your responses targeted to the user's comments and do not include personal information, spam, or marketing in your response. Use the provided API to prompt users to review your app; this functionality allows customers to provide an ‌App Store‌ rating and review without the inconvenience of leaving your app, and we will disallow custom review prompts."

Apple also provided new resources and guidelines for Sign in with Apple, which is an iOS 13 feature that's designed as a privacy-focused alternative to Sign in with Facebook and Sign in with Google options.