300 - After losing the top spot in India's smartphone market, Samsung gets robbed in the tablet category too - BETA News

After losing the top spot in India's smartphone market, Samsung gets robbed in the tablet category too

• By Manish Singh

It’s not only the smartphone market in which Samsung has lost the pole position, but tablets as well. The South Korean media conglomerate is no longer the largest tablet vendor in India, the emerging market for digital devices where the tablet share grew by 3.6 percent quarter-on-quarter, reports IDC.

As per the stats provided by the marketing research firm IDC, Indian OEM iBall captured the maximum market share (15.6 percent) in the country last quarter. Samsung managed 12.9 percent share, and was followed by Datawind with 9.6 percent share, Lenovo with 9.4 percent share, and HP with 8.7 percent market share.

As for the traction of tablets in India -- the country which had witnessed a strong growth in the festive third quarter -- posted shipments of 0.96 million units in Q4 2014. It’s a 3.6 percent growth over the last quarter.

“The market saw a correction post the introduction of BIS regulation in July 2013. Unbranded tablets were wiped off from the market thereby contracting the bubble of growth witnessed in 1H 2013 and hence resulting in year-on-year decline in growth”, says Tanvi Mann, market analyst, client devices, IDC India.

The figure also pinpoints the type of tablets that are faring well among Indians. A vast majority of users are preferring the sub-$150 units. The 3G connectivity was also a big driving factor, prominently featured in more than 60 percent of the total shipments.

Indian OEM iBall has been growing left and right. In within a year -- thanks to a number of tablets the company launched in the period -- it grew from 4.5 percent grab of the market to 15.6 percent.  Galaxy Tab maker Samsung, on the other hand, went from a 17.9 market share to 12.9 percent.

"iBall rapidly climbed its way to the number one spot in this quarter. From a 4.5 percent share in Q4 2013, the brand has more than tripled its share in Q4 2014. Its growth is backed by low cost products targeted at consumers looking to own entry level form factors. The brand is actively engaged in expanding its retail presence as well as geographical reach," says IDC.

Tablets have yet to mature in India. Despite the improving figure, only 0.96 million units were sold in the country last quarter. As per the data provided by IDC, about 76.1 million tablets were shipped worldwide in the same time frame. 

Datawind, which now holds the third largest share in the country, is playing a significant role in making tablets a household commodity. The company has a partnership with the Indian government to produce the Aakash tablet, a dirt cheap Android-powered device for Indian students.

299 - Soon you can buy Smartphone with free Internet for Rs 2000 -

Soon you can buy Smartphone with free Internet for Rs 2000

S.AADEETYA1FEB 9, 2015, 07.28 PM

Low-cost smartphone has been the dream of many, but offering quality phones at low cost value is hard to deliver. Add to that, if you really want to tap into the vast consumer base of India, you need to add more value by complimenting your offering with freebies. The sum total of all this will be a device that is almost impossible to put down. Guess, these issues will soon be things of past as Datawind, more popularly known for the manufacturer of Aakash tablet, is all set to turn this dream into reality.

The devices manufacturer is finally set to unleash its ultra-affordable smartphone in the country with the add-on attraction of free Internet (for 12 months). The phone will be launched under the branding of Pocket Surfer, says Suneet Singh Tuli, founder and CEO at Datawind. "It has been our endeavor to break the price barrier with respect to technology and after building Ubislate (or Aakash) tablets, we'll be doing the same with Pocket Surfer for smartphone.

Asked about the ploy behind offering free Internet access for first 12 months, Tuli reiterated his committement to ' bring down the cost of hardware (devices) and internet', so that everyone can access services of all forms without worrying about high cost.

So, how soon can we expect the Datawind Pocket Surfer in India, we asked Tuli and obliging back, he said, "We are in the process of announcing major deal with a national operator (telecom) and expect to close out the agreement in few weeks time. And from there on, we'll be rolling out the product for end consumer before end of this month i.e. February."

The prospect of free Internet sounds attractive, but the company would end up losing on the monetary front. And for that, they will make sure value-added-services come in handy. "During the free Internet period, users can check mail, surf the web i.e. Facebook, WhatsApp etc. without any added cost. However, for using audio or video services, you will have to pay extra and this is where Datawind is looking to make things even, " Tuli states.

Tuli might be starting off with 12-month free internet offer, but ultimately he wants to give lifetime free Internet plans that let everyone access world-wide-web (www) at zero cost. The company is slated to hold special briefing for its product later this month in the country and we'll be there to give you the latest happening.

298 - We can get 5 lakh jobs if duty structure on mobile phones changes: Aakash tablet maker Datawind CEO - Financial Express

We can get 5 lakh jobs if duty structure on mobile phones changes: Aakash tablet maker Datawind CEO

By: Nandagopal Rajan | February 9, 2015 9:28 am

Datawind CEO Suneet Tuli says the government needs to take some tough decisions for Make in India to be fruitful.

Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Datawind, which gave India the affordable Aakash tablet, was the first to set up a touchscreen manufacturing unit in India a few years back. Now, when the country is talking about Make in India, he has made a presentation to the government suggesting some tough decisions need to be taken for the idea to work.

“We told them that India is going to import 26 crore mobile phones in the coming year. The number of people directly and indirectly employed in creating those phones is five lakh. If we change our duty structure we can get those five lakh jobs,” he said in an interaction.

Tuli is of the opinion that Mexico and Brazil have the best duty regimes. “Mexico created huge barriers for those importing and forced everybody to assemble there. So the duties for parts in Mexico are very low while the duties for finished goods are through the roof,” he said.

India took a different approach, of not penalising the consumer and focusing on industries we want to protect, the DataWind CEO revealed. “They looked at industries like smartphones and tablets in India and since no one made them in India they kept the duties reasonably low. But when they looked at the components, the harmonisation codes they fall under like plastics, glass etc and other industries in India, though not the same. So the duties on those components are high,” he said, giving the example of batteries. “Batteries are charged at 28%, but a mobile phone consisting one is at 6%. “The discretionary decision on this is now with the Customs and that is a messy scenario.”

“The government feels that if they change this regime they will lose revenue. But there is no one doing it locally and the loss in revenue can be offset by the new jobs that are going to be created. The incentive for the government now is not to Make in India, but to balance the budget,” he reasoned. “My proposal was to keep the duty on parts high, but make the rate of manufactured good also high so that there is still an incentive. We have made this proposal publicly, let’s see if the government addresses it or not.”

But isn’t a ecosystem necessary for manufacturing to thrive? Tuli is sure that ultimately parts will also be made in India. “The moment so many phones start being made in India the component suppliers too will come in to offer just in time delivery. This happened in the case of the Nokia plant in Chennai with Chinese suppliers setting up shop nearby. We want the components suppliers to come in first, after which we will think of what to do with manufacturing. That is not going to happen,” he said.

According to Tuli, the present government is in a good spot and not under pressure to get manufacturing work. “My big belief is that at least for the next few months, thanks to the drop in oil prices, the Indian government does not need to worry about what the world market thinks about us. We need to get our manufacturing infrastructure in place. I am a big believer that manufacturing must happen in India, but there are barriers and the government must take tough decisions to remove these barriers,” he explained.

The whole focus on Make in India, he said, is because there is a fear that we have not trained our people to be a service economy. “But that is a short term approach. Education and skills training is very important in the long run and technology has a big role to play in this. We must allow the cost of the devices to come down. Today, I can sell a product cheaper in the US. My product price here is 25% lower there. This is where we are losing out.”

As far as digital India goes, Tuli said that there are four pieces in the puzzle—low-cost devices, free Internet, relevant content and training. “But despite our best efforts, our scale is just a drop in the ocean. The policies have to drive more manufacturers to come into India and create low cost devices.”

297 - A year on, 'Aakash' project still on ground - DNA

A year on, 'Aakash' project still on ground

Monday, 2 February 2015 - 8:05am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | From the print edition

Praveena Sharma

Aakash, conceptualised by the HRD ministry during the UPA regime, is a low-cost tablet with a 7-inch touch screen, ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM on Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports. For applications, the Aakash has access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android market.

It was supposed to change the education system in the country by digitising the course content and promoting e-learning but the low-cost tablet Aakash, which was visualised by HRD ministry in the previous UPA government, is yet to see the light of the day, even after a year since its tender was floated.

A senior government official, who did not want to be named, said the project has been inordinately delayed because of government's inaction in awarding contracts to vendors for production. "The device (Aakash IV) has been designed as per the government's requirement. It is, however, stuck at the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), through which every government rate contracts go," said the official.

He said order could not be awarded as none of the 13 vendors, including Intel, Dell, Acer, HP, HCL, Microsoft, Mircomax and Datawind, could meet 100% specification laid out by the government. 

According to him, there are many successful tablets in the market which operate on similar specs quoted by some of the vendors who responded to the Aakash IV tender.

"One of the requirement was that the device should have both Android and Linux operating system so that it allows programming tasks by students. This was not met by some. The government was looking at a tablet only as netbook would have been a costlier affair," he said.

Aakash, conceptualised by the HRD ministry during the UPA regime, is a low-cost tablet with a 7-inch touch screen, ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM on Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports. For applications, the Aakash has access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android market.

This ambitious programme, which is an initiative to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities through e-learning, has been hit by many launch and quality snags.

The first version of the tablet, which was officially launched in October, 2011, faced quality issues compelling the government to work on an upgraded version that was renamed Aakash IV. 

For this, the government formed a committee for R&D and its timely delivery in December 2011, but despite the completion of its design and the tender process the device is yet to reach its end-customers – students of 25,000 colleges and 400 universities it will link.