MacRumors

Over two years after the first iPhone SE devices were assembled in India, Apple is now exporting some India-made iPhones to European markets. The news comes from three people aware of Apple's plans, who stated that iPhone assembler Wistron recently began exporting some ‌iPhone‌ 6s and ‌iPhone‌ 7 models from India to Europe (via The Economic Times).

The iPhones are first being built in Wistron's facility in Bangalore, and about 100,000 units per month are being exported. Apple first began this process a few months ago, in a move that should further cement India as one of the company's assembly and manufacturing hubs outside of China.

The other two people, who are senior executives in the industry said that the export volumes were about 70-80% of the total capacity at the facility. Wistron has been making iPhone 6 since the year before and iPhone 7 since the beginning of this year.

According to industry watchers, Apple is said to be treating India "more as a production hub than a significant market" for device sales. The company will start manufacturing higher-end iPhone models locally in India through Foxconn, and as much as 70 to 80 percent of the output of those devices might be exported elsewhere.

Apple has been re-focusing efforts in India in hopes of expanding production outside of China in the wake of the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. Last summer, Apple detailed a new India strategy with official retail stores, overhauled relationships with independent retailers, more frequent sales, and improved apps and services.

Some of these plans have started to come to fruition, as Apple has now finalized a list of locations for its first retail store in India.

Update - Jul 11: Octopus Cards Limited has now confirmed that customers will be able to use their Octopus cards on their iPhone or Apple Watch for transit and retail payment with Apple Pay later this year. Original story below.

Tech blog Ata Distance spotted the code snippet in Apple's online JSON-based ‌Apple Pay‌ pass identifier (link now removed), which shows references to Octopus in iOS 13.

The discovery also tallies with specific references to Octopus on ‌Apple Pay‌ in the iOS 13 beta, according to the Japan-focused site.

Octopus is based on the same FeliCa NFC standard used for the Japanese Suica card, and is used by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents for making transit payments and retail transactions.

Originally launched in 1997 as a physical contactless card, the FeliCa-based version made the transition to electronic payment solution when the company unveiled Smart Octopus for Samsung Pay in December 2017.

The exclusive deal with Samsung left ‌Apple Pay‌ users without a way to take advantage Smart Octopus, despite it being technically compatible with ‌iPhone‌ 7 and later models, so today's find should make for good news for those hoping to digitize the popular transit and retail payment card, which should also support Apple's Express Transit mode.

iOS 13 for ‌iPhone‌ is expected to be released in the fall.

Google has killed its Nest app for Apple Watch, meaning Nest smart thermostat owners can no longer control the device's target temperature and operating mode directly from their wrist.

The deprecation of the wearable apps for both Apple Watch and Wear OS coincides with version 5.37 of the Nest mobile app, which was released on Tuesday.

Any mention of the Apple Watch app has since been removed from the Nest App Store listing, while Wear OS device users who try to launch the app from their watch are now met with the message "Nest is no longer supported for Wear OS" and are advised to uninstall the app.

Google's reason for the watch app's demise is simple. According to the company (via 9to5Google), "only a small number of people" used the watch apps, therefore Nest will focus on developing its full mobile app and Wear OS-only Google Assistant functions going forward.

We took a look at Nest app users on smart watches and found that only a small number of people were using it. Moving forward our team will spend more time focusing on delivering high quality experiences through mobile apps and voice interactions.

Google advises Nest owners that they can no longer adjust their thermostat or change the Home/Away mode from their Apple Watch, but these actions can still be controlled remotely via the Nest mobile app, which can also still deliver notifications to their watch.

The Nest app joins a long line of high-profile Apple Watch apps that have met their demise over the last two years. Beginning in 2017, Twitter, Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay all quietly removed their Apple Watch apps from the App Store, after seemingly concluding their continued development was no longer worth the effort because not enough people were using them.

In a bid to rekindle interest in developing Apple Watch apps, Apple has added an ‌App Store‌ in its upcoming watchOS 6 that can be accessed right on your wrist, allowing apps to be downloaded on the Apple Watch independent of an iPhone.

This means developers won't need to create Apple Watch client extensions as part of their ‌iPhone‌ apps, and can instead create truly standalone versions for Apple Watch, or even create watch apps that don't have ‌iPhone‌ versions at all. Still currently in beta testing, watchOS 6 is due to be released in the fall.

Amazon today is discounting the latest iPad Air to a new all-time-low price. Specifically, the 256GB cellular model is available for $649, down from $779 and the lowest price we've ever seen this model among the major Apple resellers online.

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

There are a few other iPad Airs discounted today, including some Wi-Fi models. None match the extent of the discount on the 256GB cellular model, although all listed below represent new low prices.

2019 iPad Air Sale

• Wi-Fi, 64 GB - $469.00, down from $499.00 ($30 off, lowest ever)
• Wi-Fi, 256 GB - $614.00, down from $649.00 ($35 off, lowest ever)
• Cellular, 256 GB - $649.00, down from $779.00 ($130 off, lowest ever)

Apple updated these iPad Air models in March of this year, with a new 10.5-inch display, Touch ID Home button, headphone jack, A12 Bionic processor, support for the Apple Pencil 1, and compatibility with the Smart Keyboard. This device sits between the lower-end 9.7-inch iPad and the 11-inch iPad Pro.

For more sales and bargains, head to our full Deals Roundup.

B&H Photo and Amazon are discounting the 2018 MacBook Air and a few models of the 2018 iPad Pro this week. Additionally, we've listed Anker's latest deals below, as well as a reminder about our exclusive Eve Room discount ending soon.

2018 MacBook Air

With the surprise launch of an updated MacBook Air yesterday, B&H Photo and Amazon have debuted discounts for last year's models.

• 128 GB SSD - $999.00, down from $1,199.00 ($200 off) [Amazon / B&H]
• 256 GB SSD - $1,199.00, down from $1,399.00 ($200 off) [Amazon / B&H]

2018 iPad Pro

Amazon has up to $250 off the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro from late 2018, with many discounts representing lowest-ever prices for these models.

11-Inch

• Cellular, 64 GB - $799.99, down from $949.00 ($150 off)

• Cellular, 256 GB - $949.00, down from $1,099.00 ($150 off)

• Cellular, 512 GB - $1,099.99, down from $1,299.99 ($200 off, lowest ever)

• Cellular, 1 TB - $1,449.99, down from $1,699.99 ($250 off, lowest ever)

12.9-Inch

• Wi-Fi, 64 GB - $849.00, down from $999.00 ($150 off)

• Wi-Fi, 512 GB - $1,149.00, down from $1,349.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)

• Wi-Fi, 1 TB - $1,499.00, down from $1,749.00 ($250 off)

• Cellular, 64 GB - $949.00, down from $1,149.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)

• Cellular, 512 GB - $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)

Anker's New Discounts

This summer, Anker is discounting everything from USB hubs to Bluetooth speakers and Lightning cables. We've rounded up these discount codes below, all of which expire sometime in July.

• Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub - $5.99 with code ANKERUSB3 and on-page coupon, down from $10.99 (exp. 7/12)

• PowerPort Atom III Slim - $27.99 with code ANKER141, down from $34.99 (exp. 7/14)

• SoundCore 24-Hour Bluetooth Speaker - $20.99 with code SDCSPK3102 and on-page coupon, down from $27.99 (exp. 7/14)

• PowerLine+ II USB-C to USB-A [3ft] - $7.99 with code ANKE8462, down from $11.99 (exp. 7/16)

• PowerPort III 30W Foldable USB-C Charger - $22.49 with code ANKER861, down from $29.99 (exp. 7/25)

• PowerDrive 36W 2-Port USB-C Car Charger - $18.39 with code ANKER427, down from $22.99 (exp. 7/25)

• PowerLine Lightning [1ft] - $7.49 with code ANKER1FT, down from $9.49 (exp. 7/30)

• Powerline+ II USB-C to Lightning (6ft) - $19.19 with code ANKERCTL6, down from $23.99 (exp. 7/31)

Eve Room Exclusive Sale

We're entering the last day of our exclusive Eve Room sale, which discounts the Eve Room to $79.96, down from $99.95. To see this deal, head to Evehome.com, add the Eve Room to your cart, click on the "Have a promo code?" prompt at the top of the checkout screen, and enter the code MacRumors20 to take 20 percent off the device. The code expires tomorrow, Thursday, July 11.

The promo code only applies to a single Eve Room and will not apply to the retailer's double pack of Eve Room units that you can buy for $179.90. Head to Evehome.com to browse and purchase the Eve Room before the sale ends.

The Eve Room is a small, palm-sized device that can track the temperature, humidity, and air quality within your home, and connects to Apple's HomeKit platform so you can ask Siri about the air quality. When it detects harmful in-home pollutants, Eve Room can give you a heads up about opening a window or turning on an air purifier, ensuring that your home's air is as clean as possible.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on all of the latest sales and discounts happening this week.

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

Apple has announced that its HomePod speaker will be available to order in Japan and Taiwan later this summer.

The speaker has had a slow worldwide rollout since launching in February 2018, with availability currently limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, China, and Hong Kong.

In April, Apple lowered the price of the HomePod from $349 to $299 in the United States. As of the fourth quarter of 2018, the speaker had an estimated worldwide market share of just four percent, according to Strategy Analytics.

Pricing will be ¥32,800 in Japan and NT$9,900 in Taiwan.

From this week, users of Alexa devices in the United Kingdom will be able to get expert health advice from the voice-activated smart speakers, thanks to a partnership between Amazon and the National Health Service.

When health-related queries such as "Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?" or "what are the symptoms of flu?" are put to the devices, Amazon's algorithm will use information from the NHS website to provide answers.

Britain's NHS says the technology will help patients the elderly, blind and those who cannot access the internet through traditional means, to get professional NHS-verified health information in seconds, potentially reducing the pressure on the NHS and GPs, specifically when it comes to providing information for common illnesses.

Currently, Alexa gets its answers to health-related questions from a number of sources, including the Mayo Clinic and WebMD. As a point of contrast, Apple's Siri currently retrieves answers to health-related queries from Wolfram Alpha and Wikipedia.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock offered the following comments on the new Amazon-NHS partnership:

We want to empower every patient to take better control of their healthcare and technology like this is a great example of how people can access reliable, world-leading NHS advice from the comfort of their home, reducing the pressure on our hardworking GPs and pharmacists.

Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we want to embrace the advances in technology to build a health and care system that is fit for the future and NHSX will drive this revolution to bring the benefits to every patient, clinician and carer.

In addition, Hancock told Sky News there are "privacy rules" in place to prevent peoples' information being sold on, and that the government was "up for doing this sort of collaboration with other tech companies".

The Royal College of GPs welcomed the move, but warned that independent research will be needed to ensure the advice given out is safe.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the RCGP, told Sky News:

"This idea is certainly interesting and it has the potential to help some patients work out what kind of care they need before considering whether to seek face-to-face medical help, especially for minor ailments that rarely need a GP appointment, such as coughs and colds that can be safely treated at home.

"However, it is vital that independent research is done to ensure that the advice given is safe, otherwise it could prevent people seeking proper medical help and create even more pressure on our overstretched GP service."

NHS experts believe half of all health-related searches will be made through voice-assisted technology by 2020. The U.K. government has set up a unit called NHSX to boost the use of digital technologies in the health service over the next few years. Measures already being pursued include an expansion of electronic prescribing and the use of artificial intelligence to analyze scans.

A CNBC report on Tuesday brought attention to a slew of recent hires away from Apple's Health team to health insurer Anthem, which is trying to improve the user-friendliness of its consumer technology.

According to the report, Anthem has hired half a dozen current or former Apple employees over the last few months, including veteran Apple staff as well as relative newcomers to the company.

Among the new hires are senior machine learning researcher Stefanos Giampanis, and Apple Health's Toni Trujillo Vian, an Apple veteran of 24 years.

The health insurer also hired Ted Goldstein, a former Apple vice president from 2002 to 2007, to run its AI and health data efforts, about six months ago, and some lower-level folks like Berick Bacani, a former Apple operations specialist, as a UX designer on the digital team.

CNBC notes that the health insurer's Apple pedigree actually dates back a few years: Anthem's vice president of commercial, Aneesh Kumar, started his career in the 1990s as a product manager at Apple.

In addition to the Apple staff migration, the insurer has gained another high-profile recruit from the tech world: Udi Manber, who headed Google's search team, is now a technical advisor at Anthem.

Apple's staff departures are particularly notable given that the company is supposed to be redoubling efforts to improve its health-related tech. For example, Apple in 2018 acquired Tueo Health, a startup working on an app to help parents monitor asthma symptoms in sleeping children.

At WWDC 2019, Apple also announced that new health and fitness capabilities are coming to the Apple Watch in watchOS 6, due to be released in the fall. New features include Activity Trends, a new Noise app uses the Apple Watch microphone to monitor environmental noise, and a Cycle Tracking app for tracking menstrual cycles.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously said that health is a major focus of Apple, and that health may actually end up being "Apple's greatest contribution to mankind."