TMS Ep522: Dholera, smartphone innovation, France-iPhone fiasco and more

Dholera, sometimes hailed as India’s very own Singapore and as India’s Shanghai at other times, seems stuck in a time warp. Announced in 2008, and touted as Narendra Modi’s dream project -- who was then Gujarat’s chief minister -- Dholera Special Investment Region is yet to gain ground. Find out why.

Phones, meanwhile, have come a long way. When Motorola came out with the world’s first portable mobile device DynaTAC 8000X way back in 1984, people affectionately called it the “brick phone”. It weighed almost 1 kilogram with 30 minutes of battery life. And it was priced at $4000. Almost 39 years on, Motorola’s Edge 40 is said to be the lightest and slimmest phone. It weighs just 167grams. A lot has changed indeed. But are you among those who believe that phones have stopped surprising people. And they look almost the same as they were a few years ago. Then you are not alone. So, has innovation in smartphones reached the end of the line? 

Apple stocks have jumped over 40% this year so far. Thanks to its record sales. The Indian equity markets too have been on a record breaking spree. Key indices, including the benchmark Sensex and Nifty, scaled new life-time highs last week. As the focus shifts on the US Fed meeting this week, will the market change tracks post the outcome? 

Moving on, US tech giant Apple was in for a rude shock as French authorities asked it to halt iPhone 12 sales in the country. This comes just a day after the launch of iPhone 15 series. Sanket Koul finds out what the France-iPhone fiasco is really about? Listen to this episode of the podcast for answers.