14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently launched the second-generation Surface tablet but, according to new reports, the tech giant is working on some low-cost devices that would be specifically addressed to the Indian market.
Times of India reports that Microsoft could work with HP and Dell, but the software giant is also considering partnering with local Indian manufacturers such as Karbonn and Lava.
Basically, Microsoft’s plans to release low-cost tablets for the Indian market are fueled by the complete dominance of Android devices, which are cheap and easy to use, not only in India, but basically all over the world.
As the aforementioned source reports, Microsoft is already competing with high-end Android devices using the Surface product family, but both the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2 are considered to be too expensive for the Indian market.
It turns out that Redmond is considering a price tag of around Rs 10,000 ($160 / €116), which would clearly be a very good way to tackle Android tablets and boost the popularity of Windows devices.
“We are reducing our required hardware specification for Windows to bare minimum that is needed for good experience. We want to be price competitive with Android. We want to get the bill of material for Windows tablets down,” Amrish Goyal, director of Windows business group, was quoted as saying by TOI.
“We will probably not sell a tablet for Rs 5,000. But yes, we will sell tablets with a price of around Rs 10,000 by middle of this year,” he added.
Microsoft is also working to expand the Surface product family worldwide, with sources close to the matter indicating that Redmond is preparing not only a smaller device with an 8-inch screen, but also several other models that could help the company gain ground in the tablet industry.
An LTE SKU that would provide on the go Internet connectivity is also believed to be prepared for launch in the coming months, even though Microsoft hasn’t talked publicly about such a project since the debut of the second-generation Surface tablet.
At the same time, word is that Redmond is also working on a smaller Surface tablet that would compete with the iPad mini and Nexus 7, but that would obviously feature Windows 8.1 and provide almost the same functionality as its bigger sibling. The Surface Mini is expected to launch in mid-2014, but information is expected to be provided in the coming months.