US-based visual display products company, ViewSonic Technologies, is planning to launch a new range of tablets, which run on both Android and Windows operating systems (OS) and can switch between the two at the tap of an icon. These will be launched in India by the end of this financial year.
“We are lining up 7-inch and 10-inch tablets, of which Viewpad and ViewpadPro are powered by dual OS. We are targeting people who focus on communication (email, messaging and conferencing), on managing information (databases, documents and note-making) and people who focus on entertainment (games, videos and music),” said Ajay Sharma, country manager (India).
Sharma, who was in Hyderabad recently, told Business Standard that the primary customer targets for the new range of tablets were professionals, mostly corporate managers, who need one portable device to coordinate their busy schedules and communicate with colleagues, friends and family.
“We will be opening exclusive outlets in key markets to drive our tablet sales growth. We are currently working on the RoI (return on investment),” he said, while declining to comment on the pricing of the new tablet range or the investments lined up for the proposed exclusive retail outlets.
Sharma said the size of the net book market was around 10-12 per cent of the total IT market in India. There are many factors which are fuelling the demand growth of tablets, especially 3G services and low tariff rates, change in lifestyle of a user, compatibility with social networks, and the MRP (maximum retail price) of a 7-inch tablet at the affordable bracket of high-end smart phones, he added.