Microsoft Bets Big On Tablets In India With New Budget Offerings


Talking about the segments that Microsoft is targeting, Durani said a lot of growth for Windows platform (on tablets) will come from educational institutions and SMEs.

He added that with prices falling to as low as 8,000 by year-end, the market will continue to expand.

According to industry body MAIT, tablet PC witnessed a muted growth of 76 percent in 2013-14 compared to triple digit growth in the last two years as fewer entry-level models were introduced.

The sales for 2013-14 stood at 3.35 million units as against 1.9 million units in 2012-13.

MAIT expects the segment to grow only by about 27 percent in FY 2014-15 as consumers opt for higher screen sized smart phones.

However, players like Microsoft and chip maker Intel are confident of a revival in demand and sales of tablets, driven by new form factors like 2-in-1s.

Besides homegrown players, many multinational firms like Samsung, Lenovo and Asus have launched tablets in the last few months to cash in on the opportunity.

According to CyberMedia Research, over 7.46 lakh tablets were sold in the January-March 2014 quarter by as many as 30 domestic and international vendors. Samsung, Apple and Datawind were the top three players.

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Source: PTI