India is one of the largest markets for WhatsApp with more than 400 million users.The biggest tech news for this week was the official rollout of WhatsApp payments service in India. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) gave its approval to Facebook to begin rolling out of UPI-powered payments service in the world’s second-most populous country, which is also home to over 400 million WhatsApp users.
Earlier this week, Apple started taking preorders for the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max in major territories, including India. The iPhone 12 Mini is Apple’s smallest iPhone in years, whereas the iPhone 12 Max its biggest iPhone with a 6.7-inch display. Both new iPhones will go on sale on November 13. This week, Apple also confirmed a virtual event on November 10, titled “One More Thing,” where is it expected to announce the first ARM-based Macs.
Here is our weekly roundup of tech news this week.
WhatsApp rolls out payments in India
After a long delay, Facebook finally got permission to roll out WhatsApp payments service in India. The service allows users to send money through the app. The Facebook-owned WhatsApp began testing its payments service in India way back in 2018. For Facebook, WhatsApp payment service is critical for its growth in the world’s second-largest internet market – after all, India is one of the largest markets for WhatsApp with more than 400 million users. WhatsApp said it is working with five major banks in India: ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, State Bank of India and Jio Payments Bank. The payments feature is available in 10 regional languages. Currently, Google Pay and Walmart’s PhonePe dominate India’s mobile payments market
iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will go on sale on Nov 13
Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max began on November 6. Both iPhones are now available for pre-order, and those who pre-order will get their devices on November 13. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max are two of the four new iPhones Apple launched this year. The iPhone 12 Mini starts at Rs 69,900 with 64GB storage. The “Pro” model starts at Rs 129,900 for 128GB storage. The other two models, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, are already available for purchase in India. You read our review of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro here.
Apple will hold its third product launch event of the fall on Tuesday, November 10. (Image credit: Apple)
Apple to hold ‘One More Thing’ event on Nov 10
Apple earlier this week confirmed it will hold its a special event November 10. According to reports, the company will announce its first Mac to feature Apple’s own ARM-powered chips, something chief executive Tim Cook already confirmed back in June. The transition to “Apple Silicon” from Intel CPUs will bring increased performance and better battery life to its Mac computers. The event will also see the public release of macOS Big Sir, the latest version of Apple’s desktop computer system. Although not confirmed, Apple could also announce AirTags and its first-branded over-the ear Studio-quality wireless headphones on November 10.