EkaLore has written about possible strategies Dynamic India could pursue to attain global excellence in key global technology markets. The Smartphone market space is of particular interest because of India's unique cultural and linguistic environment. This release looks at the background and the strategic choices facing Dynamic India in these markets.
Reliance is positioning disruptive products and services based on their investor's interests for the Indian market space. Google and Microsoft have different objectives. Coincidentally each has senior leadership with Indian heritage. In each product area, Reliance has chosen to offer Made in India products (JioPhone Next in Tiraputi, Andhra Pradesh; JioBook at a Flextronics plant in India).
An example is the Reliance JIO Jiobook which is a very low cost laptop for the Indian domestic market. Reliance made a choice to use a specific Android (and distribution for JioOS via Appstore methods). Flextronics did the hardware development and manufacturing. The "always on" (much like a Chromebook) usage model features Microsoft Office365 access thru the JioStore app ecosystem.
By comparison, the Reliance JioPhone, Next (about 18 months older), uses a "highly optimized" version of Android GO (used for smartphones with fewer hardware resources). The version of Android is called Pragati OS and was developed by Google as part of their investment in Reliance JIO. Pragati OS has specific Reliance JIO unique applications, including the ability to use a speech-oriented user interface. The JioPhone next uses a different Qualcomm chipset that is lower performance than used in the JioBook. A big difference is the JioPhone Next uses the Android/Google Play ecosystem. The JioPhone Next is only about 30% of the price of the JioBook.
The Reliance offerings are to suit different market space use cases and price points. The multi-language features and intense smartphone focus of the JioPhone Next is intended by Reliance and Google to compete in the highly competitive telecommunications, entertainment, and multi-language markets of India. The JioPhone Next is sold on the Reliance JIO website, along with other consumer services and devices. The JioPhone Next has been well-accepted in the marketspace and has been the leading seller in low-cost smartphones for multiple quarters. The JioBook is a very low cost laptop where the launch ordering process was on the Government of India's eMarketplace (GeM) before being available now on the Reliance Digital e-commerce website. The JioBook is launching into a PC laptop marketspace with only 14.8M new units in 2021 (HP/Dell/Lenovo) compared to a subscribing smartphone population of hundreds of millions (4G/5G).
You can find other posts about unique advantages and circumstances in the Indian economy, go here – www.ekalore.com/india-business
Comments