Bangalore Start-Up To Take on iPad, Launches Tablet

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EAFT Technologies, a start-up based in Bangalore, has launched a tablet device-—Magic Tile Marathon.
Weighing in at less than a kilogram, the device which runs on Google’s Android operating system is priced at Rs 29,990 and will compete in a market dominated by Apple’s iPad.
A tablet is a computing device, which though smaller than a laptop, offers most of the features of a computer. The Marathon which is 3G enabled has coming with features such as USB and HDMI ports, 3G, 16 GB storage and high definition (HD) video playback
The tablet wars in India are heating up with a slew of international companies such as Apple, HTC, Research in Motion, Dell, Acer and Lenovo launching devices here. Last year Olive Telecom launched its Olive Pad, which also runs on Android and has 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and is priced at a little over Rs 25,000.
Indian mobile handset makers too are set to enter the fray including Lava, Micromax and Zen who expect to capture market share by launching lower priced products.
International Data Corporation (IDC) stated in a report that it expects Apple’s iPad to maintain 70-80% worldwide market share this year. The product engineering company, EAFT, was founded in 2008 by Jitendhar G S and Giri Prathivadi, who were colleagues at Celstream and Hewlett-Packard. The Marathon has been launched with an initial production run of 10,000 tablets. While the product is available in Bangalore, the company is planning to expand distribution to Delhi and Mumbai soon. EAFT is also planning to launch three variants of the Marathon in the next few months.
Nitin Khanapurkar, Executive Director (Advisory Services), KPMG, says price will be the key differentiator. “Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is at a comparable price range to EAFT’s Marathon,” he adds. Industry watchers say big brands will benefit from bigger marketing budgets compared with start-up manufacturers.
Even the lower-end version of the iPad is available at a little over . 29,000. “The tablet is still a lifestyle product. A person willing to pay this price will shell out more for a brand like iPad,” says Khanapurkar.