India’s Reliance Jio to launch 4G enabled low-cost laptop computer at $184: Report

Reliance Jio will launch a price range laptop computer priced at $184 (15,000 Indian rupees) with an embedded 4G sim card, aiming to copy the success of its low-cost JioCellphone in India’s extremely price-sensitive market, two sources instructed Reuters.

The Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate has partnered with world giants Qualcomm and Microsoft for the JioE-book, with the previous powering its computing chips based mostly on know-how from Arm Ltd, and the Windows OS maker offering assist for some apps.

Jio, India’s largest telecom service with greater than 420 million clients, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The laptop computer might be obtainable to enterprise clients comparable to colleges and authorities institutes from this month, with a shopper launch anticipated throughout the subsequent three months, sources stated. As with the JioCellphone, a 5G-enabled model will comply with.

“This will be as big as JioPhone,” one of many sources with direct information of the matter instructed Reuters.

Since its launch late final 12 months, the handset has been India’s top-selling sub-$100 smartphone, accounting for a fifth of the market during the last three quarters, based on Counterpoint.

The JioE-book might be produced domestically by contract producer Flex with Jio aiming to promote “hundreds of thousands” of
models by March, one of many sources stated.

Overall PC shipments in India stood at 14.8 million models final 12 months, led by HP, Dell and Lenovo, based on analysis agency IDC.

The launch of the JioE-book will lengthen the overall addressable laptop computer market phase by at the least 15%, Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak stated.

The laptop computer will run Jio’s personal JioOS working system and apps might be downloaded from the JioRetailer. Jio can also be pitching the laptop computer as an alternative choice to tablets for out of the workplace company staff.

Jio, which raised round $22 billion from world buyers comparable to KKR & Co Inc and Silver Lake in 2020, is credited with disrupting the world’s no. 2 cellular market when it launched low cost 4G information plans and free voice companies in 2016, and later the 4G smartphone at a price of simply $81.