14 DAY TRIAL // The $35 Aakash Tablet that was developed for Indian students is getting criticized for apparently being too weak and using outdated technology.
This is an outcome that could easily be interpreted as anything from justified criticism to belated, unnecessary remarks.
Basically, the Aakash tablet that Datawind developed is feeling the brunt of ICA's discontent.
Indian Cellular Association (ICA) believes that the slate, though certainly cheap, is too outdated and has specifications that are far too low.
ICA actually sent an official letter to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development, saying that larger or global companies should have been, and should be, commissioned for the project.
Needless to say, Datawind was not particularly enthused by this. In fact, it was quite blunt in its reply.
“The cheapest tablets made by ICA members are not less than Rs 15,000. Why did they not compete in the tender floated by IIT Rajasthan?” asked Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind.
“They are most welcome to participate in the forthcoming tenders. Their tablet products don’t serve 97 per cent of the Indian mass market. Ten months after the project was signed, they are now finding fault.”
For those who don't know the Aakash very well, it is a 7-inch slate with resistive touch support, 256 MB of RAM, a 366 MHz processor and up to 32GB internal storage, plus Wi-Fi (for student version).
One would think that the $25/27 Euro price would get it better reception, but this does not seem to be the case.
"We have produced according to the specifications of the tender. We have also given a road map for upgraded products. So, what is the criticism about?" the Datawind CEO went on.
At least there is already a successor in the works, set for the slightly higher price of $57/43.61 Euro. One can only wonder what the ICA will have to say about it when it arrives.