Top US retailers in toxic ‘Hall of Shame’ ahead of holidays
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or ingredients for a delicious holiday meal, one health group is warning that you might want to be careful where you shop. The nonprofit Toxic-Free Future, which specializes in environmental health research and advocacy, released it latest Retailer Report Card on the use of toxic chemicals and some of the most popular names are featured in its “Hall of Shame.”
For the report, Toxic-Free Future looked at the top 50 retailers in the United States and Canada and graded them on a scale of A to F, like a school report card.
The retailers that ranked lowest on the list were ones that owned restaurants and dollar store chains like Five Below, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. The retailers that received A grades were Apple, Sephora, Target and Walmart.
Target and Walmart, which also owns popular bulk chain Sam’s Club, were the only grocery retailers to get such a high grade.
Publix and Trader Joe’s received an F, Aldi got a D+, Costco and Kroger both received a C-, and Whole Foods scored a B.
Trump 1.0’s China tariffs didn’t result in high inflation. Why 2.0 is different.
Annual consumer price inflation in October heated up a hair at 2.6%, bringing concern disinflation may have stagnated too far away from the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. In September, consumer prices rose 2.4% on an annual basis.
Bank of America economists said ahead of Wednesday’s report, “Inflation is moving sideways after a period of substantial disinflation.”
“I think people are worried that we’re not just sideways, we’re plateauing, and that we’re going to go back up,” said Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
While the price of goods has gone down over the past year, services inflation is driving overall consumer prices higher. That said, both categories could see inflationary pressures in 2025.
Tariffs would certainly be No. 1 on my list for what’s going to be inflationary.
Mary Lovely, senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
“A lot of President-elect Trump’s program is, in fact, expansionary. [That’s] one reason why we’re worried about inflation,” Lovely said. “If the economy is growing well, people’s incomes are rising; firms may feel more comfortable passing those [costs] along, even preemptively.”
Lovely said Trump’s deportation policy would affect the size of the labor market and wages, putting inflationary pressures on places where undocumented workers typically fill jobs. But another policy takes the top spot.
“Tariffs would certainly be No. 1 on my list for what’s going to be inflationary,” Lovely said.
Trump’s campaign has argued many things related to his tariff policies that go against this statement. He and the campaign point to his first term and China tariffs that they say didn’t contribute to inflation. He has also long argued that foreign countries, not Americans, bear the cost of tariffs.
President Trump can come in and have a pretty clear runway to put tariffs on China. The 10% across the board is a much harder thing.
Mary Lovely, senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
In Trump 2.0, the president-elect has proposed 60% tariffs on China and 10%-20% across-the-board tariffs on other trade partners.
For a closer look at the impact of these proposals and why a second trade war may play out differently than Trump’s first term, Straight Arrow News interviewed Lovely, an expert on U.S.-China trade relations.
The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Watch the interview in the video above.
Mary Lovely: My research focuses on U.S.-China trade flows and trade relations and also on the Chinese economy. Obviously, with this being an election year, I’ve done a lot of work on tariffs and what they might mean for consumer prices, for who pays the tax burden, especially as President-elect Trump has talked about replacing some of the income tax with tariff revenue.
Simone Del Rosario: And Trump has proposed a lot of tax cuts. Several things on his proposal list are, in nature, inflationary. Tax cuts, increased spending in the private sector, and then, of course, tariffs,
Mary Lovely: Yes, of course. Tariffs would certainly be No. 1 on my list for what’s going to be inflationary. He’s promising them at high rates, so on China, 60%, and we can talk about which goods and services is that really going to affect. And he’s promised them quickly, so we may see them as early as Q2 of next year. People know that’s coming, and that will be built into expectations for prices and rates.
Simone Del Rosario: Would you expect companies to be raising prices ahead of President-elect Trump even going into office?
Mary Lovely: I think that companies want to raise prices when they feel consumers are able to accept them. So it may be when they’re bringing out a new model, or when they’re just refreshing their price list for customers, if they’re dealing with industrial customers or if they think the economy is moving ahead really well. And we may see the economy growing a little bit faster – it’s already doing really well – but a lot of President-elect Trump’s program is, in fact, expansionary; one reason why we’re worried about inflation. And so if the economy is growing well, people’s incomes are rising, firms may feel more comfortable passing those along, even preemptively.
Simone Del Rosario: We know that President-elect Trump is promising big tariffs. This has been a cornerstone of his economic policy. I’ve talked to a lot of economists on all sides of the aisle, and some people are saying, ‘Well, I think he’ll end up doing something more targeted.’ Based on what he’s told us, he wants across-the-board tariffs, and he wants really high tariffs on China and perhaps Mexico as well. That said, what are you expecting the tariff landscape to be like? Do you expect it to be as high as his campaign promises? Do you expect there to be a little bit of moderation in what happens? What are you expecting?
Mary Lovely: This is a great question, Simone, and I think we’re all trying to look into the crystal ball and make some guesses here, right? Because there’s a lot of factors that will go into what he actually does. A lot of people also say he’s a dealmaker, so we may see him threatening these tariffs but not actually carrying them out. Given the people that he’s beginning to appoint and reports [of Trump wanting Robert Lighthizer to be his trade czar], who was his trade representative in the first term, we expect tariffs will be right at the top of the menu.
Regarding the tariffs on China, where former President Trump, as candidate Trump, promised a flat 60, I expect we’ll see action quite quickly, and that is because he’ll tack these on to the original Section 301 case against China. That was the legal authority that gave him the power to put those tariffs on starting back in 2018. Some folks may remember a couple of months ago, President Biden put 100% tariffs on Chinese EV imports, and that was done under the same authority, even though EVs had nothing to do with the original 301 case.
So President Trump can come in and have a pretty clear runway to put tariffs on China. The 10% across the board is a much harder thing. He is likely to have control of both houses in Congress. Congress ultimately has the power to tax. He may have to get authority from Congress to do that. It is quite unusual for us to start raising tariffs across the board on allies like Great Britain, Japan and South Korea. It’s a whole different kettle of fish.
Simone Del Rosario: Let’s focus on the China aspect for a little bit. We’ve heard from Trump’s campaign that these tariffs are not going to raise inflation. They point to his first term and say, ‘Look, we already did this. We already put tariffs on China. You all said it was going to raise inflation and it didn’t.’ So should we believe that?
Mary Lovely: No. That was an easy question.
Simone Del Rosario: And why is this different?
Mary Lovely: Basically what we do is we look at the prices of things when they come across the border, and we say, ‘Are these higher? Are they higher by the amount of the tariff?’ And the answer is, the price that we paid the foreign exporter, i.e. the Chinese manufacturer, didn’t change, and then we paid the tax. So the answer is, every study found that the importer paid 100% of the new tax.
Now was all of that passed through to the final consumer? Well, that’s a long road, because a lot of these products that we get from China are inputs, things that manufacturers use, so something like a small electric motor that’s then used in a a metal fishing boat, for example, little boat you might take out with your dad or your granddad to fish. That boat has content in it that comes from China, and we all know that, and those prices go up, and then it gets reflected in the alternate price. So we have to track it through that complicated route. Even goods that come across the border seem simple. They’re going to go on the shelf in Target or WalMart, but then we get retailing costs on top.
Some of that was passed through right away to consumers, and some wasn’t. Companies have to decide, ‘Do I take a little bit of profit, don’t turn away my customers, make sure they keep coming to my store, or do I pass it all through now because I really don’t have the ability to bear it myself?’ And what we saw was it was partial pass through to consumers, but that whole process was really shortcut by the pandemic.
So what will happen in the long run is – we don’t have good information from the Trump One tariffs, butwe do know that those costs were paid by Americans somewhere along the value chain. So I think that saying that it’s foreigners who pay it is just simply not supported by any evidence. It’s sort of wishful thinking.
There’s another part to this, which I think may be less well appreciated by folks, which is that not only is most of what we get from China used by U.S. manufacturers, and the higher costs hurt them, and we have documented evidence that it led to layoffs in companies that used a lot or a decrease in employment in a lot of places that used a lot of these inputs, but a lot of the bundle is electronics and things like laptops, cellphones, game systems, your Apple Watch, and these were not taxed at all. So if he’s talking about a flat 60%, it’s going to go on these consumer electronics. And it’s going to be huge. Some things are already taxed at 25, you’re going to see it’s an incremental tax. It’s going to be a huge tax. And so that makes me think that maybe he might back off a bit, or do it in stages.
Simone Del Rosario: We are already hearing companies look to this new reality and see how to move forward. AutoZone’s CEO told analysts they’d raise the prices ahead of tariffs. Other companies are saying, ‘We’ll wait for the policy, but yes, then we’re still going to have to raise prices.’ Steve Madden said that they were going to cut the amount of goods they were importing from China and rely more heavily on different partners. Part of tariff policy is adjusting trade relationships. So do you think that these Trump tariffs will, in turn, bring manufacturing back to the United States or take it away from China?
Mary Lovely: Well, I think it will take it away from China. We did see a decrease in the U.S. purchases of goods that were taxed. That makes sense, right? You put a tax on one store, you go to another store, but we saw most of that stuff move to other countries and we had to pay higher prices for it, because they’re just not as good at making it or they had to create a factory out of nothing. So it went to Vietnam. It went to Thailand. Very little of it came back to the United States. And that’s because you think about the products that are being made: Do you think that you can make a table cloth, T-shirts, in the U.S. and pay a living us wage and still compete with something from Bangladesh or Vietnam? The answer is no, you can’t.
So we are going to see higher prices, we’re not going to see a lot of jobs. Now, if he goes to 60%, some companies will come back, absolutely, or we’ll get foreign investment in the United States. And that’s another reason why we might see higher inflation, because we’re going to see some foreign investment in the United States.
People will say that’s the tariffs creating jobs, yes, but it’s going to be at much higher prices, which means that you won’t be able to buy something else. That’s the part that I think is more difficult to grasp, the idea that if I have to spend a lot more buying apparel, buying clothes for my kids, well then I can’t spend it at the grocery store. I can’t spend it on local services like eating out. And we’ve traced through that and on net, the tariffs are job losers. There’s just no way around the evidence.
Now people are okay with that, because, as you mentioned, part of the idea is to move supply chains away and reduce our dependence on China. It’s true, it’s an important goal, but it’s going to be costly, and we shouldn’t pretend that it’s all sunshine, it’s going to be lower prices and more jobs, because it just doesn’t make sense economically, that that’s how it will happen.
Simone Del Rosario: And would China retaliate? What would that look like and how would that affect us?
Mary Lovely: Well, if China retaliates, obviously it’s going to make it harder for U.S. companies to sell abroad, and the U.S. is the second largest manufactured good exporter in the world. We haven’t talked a lot in this election about how we are actually an export superpower, so that will make it harder for U.S. companies. How China retaliates is really hard to guess. Last time they did a bit of tit for tat, and we may see that. I think if President Trump goes ahead with tariffs, broad based, 10%, 20%, on our friends and allies included, we will see swifter retaliation.
Everyone has been calling President Trump, polishing up their golf games, trying to make nice, hoping that this doesn’t come. And I think we’ll see an awful lot of diplomatic activity before that. But in the end, if we do go through and actually levy those tariffs, I think we will see retaliation. We’ll have to, because these countries can’t let the U.S. do this without making it clear that they protest.
Simone Del Rosario: Given everything you’ve laid out, I’m hearing very clearly that prices are going to be going up. Should the Fed be moving accordingly and stop cutting its rate in anticipation that there are going to be inflationary pressures coming? Because multiple parts of his policies suggest that.
Mary Lovely: Even if they do cut, we’re likely to see rate increases in 2025. Lots of the Trump program, the tax cuts, as I mentioned, more foreign investment into the United States, the deportations, which will hurt on the supply side, all point in one direction, which is higher inflation.
Oura CEO Tom Hale believes Apple won’t be entering the smart ring game. He told CNBC Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, that Apple will look to grow in the wearable tech market by focusing on its watch lineup.
“I think they are unconvinced about the value of having a ring and a watch together and they’re not interested in undercutting the Apple Watch as a business,” Hale said.
“I think they’re probably keeping a close eye on Samsung and a close eye on us, but it’s hard to do this product category right,” Hale continued.
Oura and Samsung are the two big players when it comes to smart rings. Oura, which has been developing its smart rings since 2013, recently launched its latest version, Oura Ring 4.
In an interview with CNBC last month, Hale said Oura is distinguishing itself from other tech brands because it sees itself as more of a health company.
“A smart ring is a great wearable because it’s comfortable, it’s small, you can wear it at night and not feel it. You barely notice you have it on. Plus, it looks like jewelry, so it fits into whatever wardrobe you have on,” Hale said. “But it’s more than just a sleep tracker, it’s a full complete solution for preventive health and across whether it’s sleep, heart health, women’s health, stress, resilience, all these factors, the device is tracking your health and giving you the feedback to make healthy choices along the way.”
Oura received some major competition earlier this year when Samsung debuted its Galaxy Ring. While anyone can wear one, reviewers say it’d be “smart” to have other Samsung products to accompany your Galaxy Ring.
The Verge recently reviewed the ring.
“There’s no point in beating around the bush,” The Verge said in its review. “The Galaxy Ring is made with Samsung users in mind…its full potential requires other Samsung products. You’ll have an easier, more accurate health tracking experience when you use it with a Galaxy Watch…In other words, it’s less of a Galaxy Watch alternative, it’s an accessory for it.”
One other big component to compare between the two is the price. The Galaxy Ring costs $399, while the Oura Ring 4 starts at $349. Both brands are top names in a growing tech segment. Global Market Insights said smart rings brought in $210 million in 2023.
As for Apple, some contradicting reports came to light in October 2024. First, Bloomberg’s Matt Gurman said Apple isn’t actively developing a smart ring and has no plans to launch one. But a post on a Korean blogging site picked up by multiple websites alerted that Apple is working on one.
Adding to that speculation, market researcher CCS Insight, in its annual predictions report, said Apple could launch a smart ring by 2026.
Straight Arrow News has reached out to Apple for comment.
Steve Madden to slash China sourcing to avoid Trump tariffs
At least one company is already making major changes to its business relationship with China following president-elect Donald Trump’s victory. The multi-billion dollar shoe business Steve Madden said it plans to cut in half the amount of goods it sources from China.
The company’s CEO Edward Rosenfeld said about two-thirds of its business relies on goods imported to the United States. About 70% of those imports come from China.
The move is likely in response to Trump’s tough tariff talk. On the campaign trail, he threatened 60% tariffs on goods coming from China.
Trump has said hefty tariffs will bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and level the playing field.
He also said tariffs will increase revenues.
But while Steve Madden is planning to do what it can to minimize the business impact of China tariffs, the company has no plans to bring that production to the U.S.
“We have been planning for a potential scenario in which we would have to move goods out of China more quickly,” Rosenfeld told analysts. “We’ve worked hard over a multiyear period to develop our factory base and our sourcing capability in alternative countries, like Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, etc.”
Economists have criticized Trump’s heavy-handed tariff plans, disputing the President-elect’s claims that countries like China will pay the price.
According to a study from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the cost of Trump’s tariffs will be passed onto American consumers and could cost the typical middle-income household more than $2,600 a year.
Everything from clothing to cars to your iPhone could be more expensive.
In recent years the company has expanded manufacturing into India, but a former advisor to Apple in China told Straight Arrow News switching off China altogether would take multiple decades.
Tesla is another company that heavily relies on China for manufacturing.
It’s unclear whether CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk will try to influence Trump’s tariff policy in his favor.
The first time Trump was president, Tesla and thousands of other companies sued the administration over his China tariff policy.
What Apple’s big iPhone surge in China tells us about China relations
Apple is expected to see its biggest revenue jump in two years when it releases quarterly earnings on Thursday, Oct. 31. While there will be a lot of talk about the state of Apple Intelligence, its iPhone sales are currently boosting the bottom line.
In the three weeks following the iPhone 16’s release, sales in China were 20% higher than sales for the iPhone 15 the prior year, according to Counterpoint. Customers are increasingly trading up to the more expensive models.
In China, the increase in sales could have less to do with the quality of the phone and more to do with the company’s current standing in the nation.
“Apple works with 1,600 factories in China, and they’re very much deeply embedded, not just to get access to the excellent production that the Chinese factories do, but also in terms of really embedding what we call tacit knowledge into those Chinese factories,” Doug Guthrie, executive director and professor of global management at Arizona State University said.
“It’s very clear that Tim Cook and the executive team really continue to be committed to the idea that Apple’s married to China,” Guthrie said.
Last year, Chinese government agencies banned workers from bringing iPhones to work, instructing employees to carry local brands. The move quickly damaged Apple’s stock and sales of the iPhone dipped to third in the country.
“In China, people buy what products are promoted by the government,” he added. “And so my guess is that this is a signal that Apple’s doing things right and in good space with the government right now.”
The recent uptick in sales has now pushed the iPhone into second place in smartphone sales in the Chinese market, according to IDC.
Overall, Apple’s revenue is expected to grow 5.7% in the fiscal fourth quarter, according to data from LSEG.
While Apple is getting a boost from sales in China, the company is reportedly attempting to reduce its reliance on the nation for manufacturing of the devices.
The company exported $6 billion worth of Indian-made iPhones between March and September, according to Bloomberg. The increase marks a 33% jump from the same period last year.
“India is a country that is equal in size in terms of its population and has equal size of migrant labor population and poor people,” Guthrie said. “So India is a real interesting threat. When Foxconn built a plant in Chennai and suddenly iPhones could be assembled in Chennai, I think it was a signal to the market, ‘Yes, we’re married to China, but we have other options now.’”
Still, Guthrie points to those 1,600 suppliers Apple relies on in China. He said it would take India three decades to build supply chain infrastructure to mirror what exists in China.
Replacing China’s place in the manufacturing chain would be a lengthy and lofty goal. At the same time, Guthrie says the resolution of a border dispute between China and India at the BRICS Summit is a signal that the two nations could be working in tandem into the future.
“Maybe this is a moment where there’s a big pivot away from the West. And Xi Jinping and [Narendra] Modi and others are thinking, ‘Okay, you guys can do your G7 thing over there, and we can be at the kids’ table at the G20, but we’re BRICS and it’s bigger than you thought,’” Guthrie said. “And so I think it’s a really interesting time to watch this because my guess is what we’re going to see is more collaboration and coordination between China and India.”
Presidential campaigns react to comedian’s controversial remarks
With exactly one week until Election Day, we’re hearing more of the fallout from a comedian’s controversial comments amid the big push by both presidential campaigns in key battleground states. And details on what happened during a U.N. Security Council meeting requested by Iran after Israeli air strikes over the weekend. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.
Presidential campaigns react to comedian’s controversial remarks
The fallout from a comedian’s controversial comments about Puerto Rico at former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally continued Monday, Oct. 28. Despite a Trump campaign spokesperson distancing the former president from Tony Hinchcliffe, Vice President Kamala Harris and her allies centered their messages around the comedian’s remarks about Puerto Rico and their connection to Trump.
“So, the man holds this big rally at Madison Square Garden and the warm-up speakers were saying the most, were trotting out and pedaling the most racist, sexist, bigoted stereotypes,” Obama said. “One guy called Puerto Rico quote ‘an island of garbage.’ These are fellow citizens he’s talking about.”
He added, “Here’s a good rule: if somebody does not respect you, if somebody does not see you as fellow citizens with equal claims to opportunity, to the pursuit of happiness, to the American dream, you should not vote for them.”
“It is just more of the same and maybe more vivid than usual,” she told reporters. “Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division, and that’s why people are exhausted with him. That’s why people who formerly have supported Donald Trump, have voted for him, are supporting me, voting for me. People are literally ready to turn the page. They’re tired of it.”
“I think a lot of Americans are sick of the distractions and sick of the BS. They want our candidates to talk about how they’re going to solve the people’s problems and that’s what we ought to do,” Vance said. “I haven’t seen the joke, maybe it’s a stupid, racist joke as you said, maybe it’s not, I haven’t seen it. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the joke, but I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. I’m so over it.”
At a rally in Atlanta Monday, former President Trump fired back at Democrats, including Harris — who has described Trump as a fascist — and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — who made comparisons between Trump’s MSG event and a Nazi rally held in the same arena in 1939.
“I’m running a campaign of solutions to save our country. Kamala is running a campaign of demonization and hate,” he said.
Trump went on, “Years ago, my father, I had a great father who’s a tough guy, he used to always say ‘never use the word Nazi, never use that word.’ He’d say ‘never use the word Hitler, don’t use that word. It’s like I didn’t even know why, ‘don’t use that word,’ and then I understood it and yet they use that word freely both words they use it, ‘he’s Hitler” and then they say, ‘he’s a Nazi.’ I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi.”
Former President Trump will deliver remarks to the press at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida Tuesday morning, Oct. 29, before heading for a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Last week, the key battleground state’s supreme court ruled election officials must count provisional ballots cast by voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected for being turned in without a secrecy envelope.
NEW: The RNC filed a petition at the Supreme Court seeking to undo a ruling by Pennsylvania's top court that allowed voters to cast provisional ballots in the event that they made errors on their mail-in ballots that would have precluded them from being counted. pic.twitter.com/P6My1I9fs7
Also on Tuesday, Virginia officials asked the Supreme Court to move forward with removing around 1,600 alleged non-citizens from its voter rolls.
A lower court blocked Virginia from continuing its systematic voter removal program that was launched in August, exactly 90 days before the election. A provision of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to complete purging ineligible voters from registration lists by 90 days before federal elections.
Jeff Bezos responds to backlash over Washington Post’s endorsement move
Now, the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, has spoken out over backlash on that decision. In an article published Monday by the Post, the Amazon founder wrote, “Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election.”
He continued, “What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one.”
The billionaire owner said he wished the decision was made earlier, adding neither campaign nor candidate were consulted or informed at any level.
Israel and Iran exchange threats at emergency U.N. Security Council meeting
Tensions continued to boil over between Israel and Iran as the countries exchanged threats during an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting Monday. The meeting had been called with the goal of easing hostilities between the countries.
The latest exchange of attacks between Israel & Iran risks plunging the entire Middle East region into an all-out war, top @UNDPPA official warns the Security Council, stressing the need to return to the path of dialogue & diplomacy.https://t.co/KZTXDAwe3Jpic.twitter.com/QLzHWcsAfA
While Iran is not expected to act immediately, the country’s president has said it will respond “appropriately.”
During the Security Council meeting, the United States warned Iran of “severe consequences” if it makes any more aggressive moves toward Israel or U.S. personnel in the Middle East.
New iPhone update comes with Apple Intelligence capabilities
Apple users are getting their first taste of the company’s new Apple Intelligence software after iOS 18 launched Monday. The free upgrade comes more than a month after the company unveiled the iPhone 16, equipped with a specialized computer chip needed to power the AI features.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can also use the AI technology once the software update is installed, as can recent versions of the iPad and Mac computers.
However, this is only in the United States. Other countries won’t be getting the AI software for their iPhones until sometime next year.
Target serving up discount Thanksgiving meals
We might not have handed out Halloween candy yet, but it’s already time to talk to turkey. Target is joining the list of big-box stores looking to help you save on your Thanksgiving holiday meal.
The four-person meal includes brand-name turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans and mushroom soup — everything you need to gobble up the perfect meal. You’ll also be able to get side dishes and desserts, like mac and cheese and pies, for under $5.
Walmart and Aldi announced similar lower-cost Thanksgiving meals last week.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 new update can offer users hearing aid capabilities
Starting on Monday, Oct. 28, some Apple AirPods wireless headphones can function as a hearing aid with the download of a new update. The new AirPods update is available with the AirPods Pro 2 model only, and individuals will need an iPhone or iPad to set up the new function, which begins with built-in tests.
Ruth Reisman-Aguilar, an audiologist, said, “So, it allows you to actually go through the steps of checking or screening your hearing.”
If the device finds the person has hearing loss, they’ll be prompted to set personalized amplification settings.
Around 30 million Americans report having hearing loss in both ears, but data reveals millions of these people have never tried hearing aids or said they have tried them but cannot afford them or do not like the way they fit or look. However, some believe the software update from Apple could be a game changer for Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association for America Barbara Kelley says, “You know, we’re all wearing these types of earbuds anyway, so now, the FDA has authorized them to have the software to become an over-the-counter hearing aid. So, it’s just mainstream, and anybody who is concerned about a little stigma and they just want to look like everybody else, you will, because we all have a set of these in our pockets.”
Audiologists also say that it alleviates some of the concern regarding cost, while a decent pair of over-the-counter hearing aids will run a person anywhere from $400 to $500, a pair of Apple headphones costs just $249.
However, audiologists do note that there are some drawbacks to using AirPods as a hearing aid. For instance, unlike hearing aids designed to last the whole day, AirPods are not capable of doing that because of a limited battery life.
Doctors also say that severe hearing loss is likely to require more than an over-the-counter device.
Reisman-Aguilar said, “Over-the-counter hearing aids will only meet the needs of those with mild to moderate hearing loss. So, with those complex hearing losses, severe hearing losses, hearing losses that have some form of medical concerns attached to it, prescription hearing aids is really the way to go.”
The new technology comes two years after the federal government allowed hearing aids to be sold over-the-counter.
Apple scales back Vision Pro production, cheaper model may be coming
Apple has scaled back production of its Vision Pro headset, according to a new report from The Information. Sources said the company slowed production in recent months to shift its focus to a cheaper version of the headset. The new version could arrive as soon as next year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the high price point of the Vision Pro in a recent Wall Street Journal interview. Cook admitted that at $3,500, the device wasn’t designed for the mass market.
The decision to scale back production aligns with earlier reports indicating Apple planned to shift its strategy toward a more affordable headset.
According to The Information, Apple has informed Luxshare, the company responsible for assembling the Vision Pro, that production could wind down as early as November.
However, sources noted that production could increase again if demand rises, and future models might use some of the same components but with upgraded processors.
In April, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would lower its Vision Pro shipment estimates for 2024 to between 400,000 and 450,000 units. Despite this, The Information reported that Luxshare has already produced between 500,000 and 600,000 headsets since production began last year.
This suggests Apple may have enough stockpiled to meet initial demand.
Cook described the Vision Pro as an “early-adopter” product, aimed at consumers who are eager to experience the latest technology.
However, many potential buyers may be waiting for a more affordable version to be released.
Apple’s secret partnership with Chinese automaker BYD revealed
A previously undisclosed partnership between Apple and Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has come to light, as reported by Bloomberg. The tech giant enlisted BYD to develop a custom battery for its ultimately failed self-driving car initiative, known as “Project Titan.”
The decade-long endeavor, which aimed to produce an autonomous Apple Car, reportedly burned through around $10 billion before being abandoned, with employees working on the project either getting laid off or reassigned.
Apple’s interest in BYD was sparked in 2017 when the automaker introduced its Blade Battery, a lithium iron phosphate battery praised for its enhanced safety, durability, and lifespan, making it well-suited for EVs. The two companies reportedly entered into an initial agreement that year and collaborated for several years before the partnership dissolved.
While the specific reasons for the breakup were not disclosed, speculation points to trade tensions between the U.S. and China, as well as increased federal scrutiny over the sourcing of EV components, as possible factors that complicated the collaboration.
Chinese authorities detain Taiwanese iPhone factory workers
Chinese authorities have detained four Taiwanese workers at Foxconn’s massive iPhone assembly plant in Zhengzhou, commonly known as “iPhone City.” This plant is one of Apple’s largest manufacturing hubs, employing hundreds of thousands of workers.
The detentions come amid an ongoing crackdown by Beijing on foreign companies, raising concerns about the stability and security of international business operations in China.
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Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, has faced increasing scrutiny from Chinese regulators since its founder, Terry Gou, entered Taiwan’s presidential race. The situation highlights a broader trend in recent years, where foreign firms in China have encountered rising regulatory barriers.
High-profile detentions of employees from major tech and consulting companies have become more frequent, amplifying the challenges faced by international businesses operating within China.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, Taiwan’s President William Lai delivered his strongest statement yet against Beijing’s actions, declaring that China has no right to represent Taiwan.
In a forceful speech, Lai vowed to “resist annexation or encroachment,” reiterating Taiwan’s position as a sovereign state. Lai, who took office in May, has consistently rejected any claims by China, reinforcing his administration’s stance on protecting Taiwan’s autonomy.
Meanwhile, Foxconn and Apple have been collaborating to shift some of their production operations away from China and into India. This move is seen as a strategic effort to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing in light of the growing political tensions and regulatory concerns.
