DataWind, the maker of Aakash tablet has occupied the lead position in the supply of tablet computers in India. According to the Quarterly Tablet Market report for Q1 2013 by Cyber Media Research, DataWind has grabbed 15.3% market share, thereby surpassing Micromax with 12.3% and Apple with 11.7% market shares.
It has to be noted that the supply of 100,000 Aakash 2 tablets to IIT Bombay on May 1, 2013 is not included in the report and it comprises only of commercial sales volume.
Following this report, DataWind CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli said, “The enormous demand for our products helps validate our focus on affordability and connectivity. Unlike many in this industry that are focused on providing media tablets to the elite, our focus is to enable Indians with their first computer at an affordable price.”
He also added that, “Our flagship product, the UbiSlate 7C+, is also the world’s lowest cost phablet for only Rs.4,999 inclusive of all duties and taxes in the Indian market. In addition to WiFi connectivity, the device takes a regular SIM card, allowing the user to make calls or access the internet on its quad-band Edge modem – and with DataWind’s special web acceleration technology it allows a fast and rich internet experience, anytime and anywhere.”
DataWind has not only been recognized in the global market as the maker of low-cost tablets, but also has been awarded for its patented breakthrough web delivery platform, which will deliver a fast, rich and affordable web experience on its devices.
Additionally, Dr. HamadounToure, Secretary General, International Telecommunications Union (ITU) entrusted DataWind with the most Innovative Access Device Award at the NTA ICT World Communication Awards.
So long DataWind was selling its devices mainly through the call-centre, UbiSlate.com and via other e-commerce retailers, but, now, it has been announced that the company is planning to set up retail stores this summer to enable easier purchase.