Just five months back, the technology followers were gung-ho about the launch of the world’s cheapest computing device, Aakash, unveiled by the Government of India. (See 2011's Top Device Trends , Tablets Get Hotter, Competition Intense and What Went Well in 2011.)
But the recent turn of events suggest that poor planning and commercial motivations might kill the revolutionary tablet device.
If industry reports are to be believed, the Government may roll back
its plans to support DataWind, the Canadian manufacturer of Aakash, in
terms of providing the device at a subsidized price. While Datawind is
alleged to have violated a principal clause in the agreement, the
reported poor performance and the inferior quality of Aakash has also let the Government down. (Read Aakash Loses Government Edge.)
According to several reports, DataWind has violated the contract by
launching the commercial edition of Aakash well before it could supply
the agreed units (100,000) to the Government. While the company was
supposed to supply the first 100,000 units to the Government, it
launched the commercial edition named UbiSlate 7, without fulfilling the
obligation. The company has thus far only provided 30,000 units to the
Government, which is now reportedly seeking a new partner.
More troubles
So far, barring the price, the inaugural edition of Aakash has failed to
charm the customers who have used it. especially in terms of quality
and technology. Moreover, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Rajasthan, which is responsible for procuring the device at a subsidized
price, has identified several loopholes in the first lot.
The IIT has asked DataWind to upgrade the existing version with new
test specifications before supplying the remaining tranche of 70,000
devices. However, it seems this is only adding further problems.
According to DataWind, the new specifications will make the device as
costly as US$2,000 (INR 100,475), thus killing the very purpose of
supplying a cost-effective device.
What's more confusing is the role of a premier institution such as
IIT in this entire affair. If the device was well behind with its
standard specifications, then how come it was cleared by the testing
labs of IIT? Also, if the Government was really keen on the timely
delivery of the devices, then why did it only select a single vendor to
manufacture the device in the first place?
Well, to many observers, this entire episode is going to benefit Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) , which is in the process of launching its 4G services this year. According to a report in India Today,
the idea of Aakash has already been hijacked by RIL and there is a
strong possibility of RIL collaborating with Datawind to launch a
commercial tablet for less than INR 5,000 ($99.50) commercially. (See RIL's LTE Rumor Mill, IndiaWatch: RIL Plans LTE Launch Early Next Year and Rumor: RIL Strikes LTE Rollout Deal.)
While in India it's not unusual to see an ambitious government
project failing, it would be really unfortunate if such a prestigious
project, with millions of hopes associated with it, was shelved due to
poor foresight. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a positive outcome!
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