Apple may be selling the most tablets for now, but the local market for tablets is set to get very competitive as traditional Indian PC manufacturers launch their brands here. Among the first to do so are HCL and Zenith. HCL Infosystems launched its tablets earlier this year, and these are now available at select retail outlets.  And Zenith is about to launch its range of tablets. But why have Indian manufacturers waited a year to launch?

Said Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman, HCL Infosystems, “If you look at the tablet market in this country, nothing (much has) happened. The tablet category does not exist. Abroad, tablets work for specific reasons. The iPad is application driven. The apps that were originally created for the iPhone were ported to a larger screen device (the iPad). Suddenly they had one million applications available when they launched the iPad. Now how do you make that happen in this country?”

Chowdhry informed us that HCL Infosystems is working with many developers in the country to create domestic applications for its HCL Me Tablets. It launched three models priced between Rs 14,990 and Rs 32,990 in March this year.  

The other issue is poor network connectivity. Wi-Fi access is prevalent in the US but not so in India. And 3G access is perceived as being expensive, so there are few takers.

“We know that in the next six to seven months, when 3G becomes more prevalent all over the country, the tablet category would then become relevant,” added Chowdhry.

Indian tablet makers may want to consider partnering with a telco to offer consumers free 3G wireless access. For instance, Amazon offers free 3G access in India for its Kindle e-book reader. The device works out of the box and one can download books over the air after registering the product online. Kindle users in India do not receive a monthly bill for connectivity charges as Amazon has a revenue sharing arrangement with Vodafone for every e-book downloaded over a 3G network. Amazon calls this wireless network ‘Whispernet’ and it is also available in other countries.

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