Reliance Jio to launch 4G enabled low-cost laptop computer at Rs 15,000

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

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

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

The laptop computer might be out there to enterprise clients resembling faculties and authorities institutes from this month, with a client launch anticipated throughout the subsequent three months, sources stated. As with the JioPhone, a 5G-enabled model will comply with.

“This might be as large as JioPhone,” one of many sources with direct information of the matter informed Reuters.

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

The JioBook might be produced domestically by contract producer Flex with Jio aiming to promote “a whole lot of hundreds” of items by March, one of many sources stated.

Total PC shipments in India stood at 14.8 million items final yr, led by HP, Dell and Lenovo, in accordance with analysis agency IDC.

The launch of the JioBook will prolong the overall addressable laptop computer market phase by not less than 15%, Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak stated.

The laptop computer will run Jio’s personal JioOS working system and apps might be downloaded from the JioStore. Jio can also be pitching the laptop computer as a substitute for tablets for out of the workplace company workers.

Jio, which raised round $22 billion from world buyers resembling KKR & Co Inc and Silver Lake in 2020, is credited with disrupting the world’s no. 2 cell 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.