Why did Apple buy CNC machines worth 1600 Crs.

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Its a Fantastic Thursday ….Lets get to it : -

Apple buys CNC machines worth 1600 Crore’s

Apple ? Yes your iPhone manufacturer whose phone you are probably using right now, why did it buy such advanced CNC machines ? Let’s look into the story in detail….

Image for representation. Cr-Trung Phan

  • This is a Swiss CNC Machine which is used as a very high precision tool for making complex metal parts , its costs unto $2 Million each or 16 crs each.

  • Rolex the luxury watch maker used to be its largest customer but now the title belongs to Apple

  • Why? Apple uses the machines to make slots for swappable wrist straps for the Apple Watch.

  • An average CNC machine can cut metal with a precision of +/- 50 microns ………(for comparison a human hair is 70 microns)

  • The slots in the Apple Watch require cutting precision of +/- 5 microns, which is a very tight tolerance

  • But the multimillion dollar investment has already paid for itself as the accessories business for the iwatch is already a billion dollar(7500 crs) business, and its only getting bigger.

Here’s what the verge has to say about the engineering behind the slot -

"Success in the industrial world lies not only in embracing innovation but also in recognizing that amidst the machinery and technology, the true heartbeat of progress is fueled by the human spirit, dedication, and unwavering determination."

Snippets-

  • Indian navy buys 26 Rafale fighter jets from France for INS Vikrant

  • Adani group is planning to sell Adani Capital its investment arm, to focus on core business

  • TCS earned a net profit of Rs 11074 Crores in the last 90 days.

  • Foxconn and Vedanta withdraw from their joint venture for setting up the semiconductor plant in Gujarat

The Tomato Story

Since the last week prices of tomatoes in India have increased over 1315%, in azadpur market in Delhi the prices have increased from Rs 451 - Rs 6381 per quintal in the wholesale market and are touching Rs 200/kg in the retail market.

Price of tomatoes in India generally increases during this season every year , but due to hight amount of rainfall in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka , who contribute almost 20% of Tomatoes production have been affected with floods, also the leaf curl virus which can cause upto 100% damage has been affecting a large amount of crop decreasing the production.

Earlier this year farmers weren’t getting a fair price for their tomatoes and couldn’t even break-even in some cases, which lead them to remove the crop from their farms and therefore also contributing to the increase in prices.

Here are some interesting bits:-

  • A vegetable seller in Varanasi has kept bodyguards to guard the tomatoes as prices have increased exponentially

  • A vendor from Karnataka sold tomatoes at a loss , bought at Rs 60/kg and sold at Rs 20/kg on the fourth anniversary of his shop.

  • The prices of 1 kg of tomatoes are now more than the price of Petrol.

  • Macdonald’s the famous fast food chain has removed tomatoes from its burger temporarily.

  • People have started using alternatives such as canned tomato puree, tamarind or amchur powder.