VENKATESH GANESH
In talks with TN Govt after launch in Karnataka, AP
BANGALORE, JUNE 20:
Soon, students in Tamil Nadu can buy a tablet computer that would come along with study material for two years.
Hyderabad-based AppThoughtz is planning to bring iTopper, a tablet that aims to do the education sector what Amazon’s Kindle did to books.
The company has launched this tablet in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka with course content as defined by the State syllabus and is talking to the Tamil Nadu Government to roll out this tablet in line with its syllabus.
The tablet, which runs on Google’s Android software, comes with a SIM card and without one. It is priced at Rs 11,500 and Rs 10,500, respectively, and is the size of an entry level Kindle. It is in talks with distributors and e-commerce retailers to sell this tablet. For the course content, AppThoughtz has tied up with companies such as Cambridge University Press and others.
While the price points may be attractive, industry watchers are not convinced whether this would find takers, especially after the unsuccessful attempts made by Aakash tablet that was subsidised and sold for around Rs 2,500.
“This tablet comes with the course content, which put together could be anywhere in the region of Rs 9,000 and also comes with voice calls and SMS capabilities, which would make it an attractive buy,” said Naidu Vinnakota, Product Manager, AppThoughtz. The company is also upbeat about the fact that with broadband penetration in tier-II and other places lagging behind metros, gadgets like this will find takers.
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet tracker data, in 2012, the overall tablet market in India has reached approximately 2.66 million units, a nine fold increase over 2011, driven largely by Apple, Samsung and others who had a 47 per cent marketshare.
venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in
(This article was published on June 20, 2013)
Keywords: AppThoughtz, education segment,
