Tablets Get Hotter, Competition Intense

With the launch of Aakash (meaning Sky), the Government of India has finally fulfilled its promise of making available affordable computing to everyone. Launched under the HRD Ministry's National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT), Aakash would be made available to students for US$35 (INR 1,750).

The tablet, featuring a 7" screen, Android 2.2, Wi-Fi, HD video-processor, datacard connectivity for 3G/GPRS networks and weighing around 350 grams, has been jointly developed by IIT Jodhpur and Datawind, a Canada based firm.

Already being touted as the 'Nano of Computers', Aakash is expected to serve as a change agent transforming the educational standards in India, which rely on the traditional model of textbook-based teaching. It has been designed in order for the students to easily access e-books and consume online media and research.

On first impressions, the device seems to score well on its appearance, screen resolution and browsing capabilities. However, it will be interesting to see how it fares on the score-card of quality and ease-of-use.

Creating a new market?

While the device will be subsidized for higher-secondary students, it will also be commercially available by the name UbiSlate by late November. UbiSlate will pack additional features like SIM card slots and a link to the Android marketplace and would cost upto INR 2,999 ($61). However, it remains to be seen if this commercially available avatar of Aakash would be able make a splash in an already-crowded Indian tablet market. (See ZTE to Launch LTE Tablet in 2012 and Nokia: The Missing Hero.)

According to several experts, considering the hardware features of the product -- 256 MB RAM, 366Mhz processor and a resistive touch screen -- it might not compel other vendors to reduce the prices of their tablets significantly, but will certainly create a new niche market much like the low-cost mobiles at the bottom of the pyramid. At present, one of the cheapest tablets available in the market with decent specifications is retailing for around INR 10,000 ($204). (See Beetel's Hope of a Magiq Spell and War Amongst the Locals?.)

While the price point is very attractive, the specs are not compelling enough. Nevertheless, the device presents a good proposition as an entry-level tablet," opines Deepak Kumar, Research Director - Telecommunication Research, IDC.

Hence, success of Aakash in the long-term would depend on its actual usability and performance and is unlikely to start a "price-war", as desired by the CEO of Datawind Suneet Singh Tuli.

Vendors are expected to adopt a wait-and-watch approach before they come out with any pricing revisions, adds Kumar.

Jatinder Singh, Principal Correspondent, Light Reading India