India’s showpiece Aakash tablet Chinese made?

[BanglaBhoot]

From R. Vasudevan—Reporting from New Delhi
New Delhi, 25 November (Asian tribune.com):

Doubts have arisen whether India’s tech-showpiece Aakash 2, the world's cheapest tablet, was actually made in China?

Union Minister Kapil Sibal had tom-tommed the achievement which was meant to help students who cannot afford expensivePCs or Laptops.

Documents reviewed by the Hindustan Times show DataWind founders and NRI brothers Suneet and Raja Singh Tuli may have procured these devices off-the-shelf from manufacturers in China for $42 ( Rs. 2,263 then), exactly the price at which they sold these to the Indian government.

DataWind bought more than 10,000 or more "A 13" made-in-China tablets from at least four manufacturers in Shenzhen and Hong Kong between October 26 and November 7.

These were shipped to India duty-free as they were meant for school students under an HRD ministry programme. Last year, Canada-based DataWind won a bid to supply 100,000 low-cost computing devices to students. Aakash 2, which is meant to be India-made, is part of that agreement.

DataWind had no role either in the design or manufacturing of Aakash 2 tablets, a source said.

Documents with HT show that DataWind bought the tablets from at least four manufacturers, Dasen International Electronics, Shenzhen Shitong Zhaoli Technology, Kalong Technology and Trend Grace Ltd.

DataWind's manufacturing partner in Hyderabad --- VMC Systems---had not built any device over the last couple of months, said a source. Its manufacturing partners and facilities in Delhi and Amritsar, respectively, too, had not produced even a single tablet over the last couple of months, the source said.

“Instead of manufacturing these low-cost tablets themselves… DataWind has simply purchased these 'off-the-shelf' from China and supplied it to the Indian government,” the source told HT.

It now appears that Datawind handed over the China-made tablets to Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT), Bombay for testing. IIT-B's role is limited to testing and installing apps. These, it emerges, were subsequently unveiled as Aakash 2 on November 11.

India

 

[W.11]

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Here is another source:

Conned: Aakash 2 made in China? - Hindustan Times

 

[Icewolf]

hahahahaha....

 

[nafsiati]

Oops hehehe! breaking news after the successful launch of worlds cheapest car by india, they are also started making cheapest tablets in the world but that tablet was made in india by china! buhahaha The rising democracy

 

[Icewolf]

These so called DataWind should be ashamed trying to help poor Indians get a cheap tablet... These DataWind companies only think of one thing: money

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

These so called DataWind should be ashamed trying to help poor Indians get a cheap tablet... These DataWind companies only think of one thing: money

Suneet and Raja Singh Tuli are the founders and head executives of Datawind.

 

[minki]

Suneet and Raja Singh Tuli are the founders and head executives of Datawind.

they are canadians.
by the way.. even iphone s made in china

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

they are canadians.
by the way.. even iphone s made in china

They are Indian-born Canadian citizens.

by the way.. even iphone s made in china

Yeah, but they don't lie about where it was made, and then boast about it.

That's the difference here.

 

[AADHAAR]

These so called DataWind should be ashamed trying to help poor Indians get a cheap tablet... These DataWind companies only think of one thing: money

Making money ... and that is a problem.. haha.

It's actually good that they are making money... that's the only way the supply of these tablets will keep going.

And the market decided which product sells... with price and quality being important contituents.

 

[my2cents]

I want my money back please!!

 

[AADHAAR]

They are Indian-born Canadian citizens.



Yeah, but they don't lie about where it was made, and then boast about it.

That's the difference here.

The costliest part of the tablet (the screen) is made in montreal.

Datawind is also making money, even after selling it for Rs. 2263.

If the chinese is also managing to make money.. given the current USDINR rate of 55... good for them.

If not, it's vain pride for the forummers here and exploitation of the poor chinese. And we don't get the blame for any labour exploitations in china; or repackaging china mineral wealth and transporting it out of china as "finished goods".

And further in the process, unlike USA (which pays in domestic currency), we don't pay in rupees so foreigners can't own rupee denominated debt (or with that assets in India). We pay in dollars and china will need to claim the "dollar's worth" from uncle sam, not from us. So, this effectively gets absorbed in balance of payments.... and we need to manage that in gross level; not at individual country level.

It's good that India doesn't restrict any imports from china (unlike china itself does from India ). It ensures that we won't be the loser when the bamboo curtain lifts off.

It at all, our strategy should be kick the but.t of the suppliers and make them supply at Rs. 1800 or lesser.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Making money ... and that is a problem.. haha.

It's actually good that they are making money... that's the only way the supply of these tablets will keep going.

And the market decided which product sells... with price and quality being important contituents.

They are making money? How?

Documents reviewed by the Hindustan Times show DataWind founders and NRI brothers Suneet and Raja Singh Tuli may have procured these devices off-the-shelf from manufacturers in China for $42 ( Rs. 2,263 then), exactly the price at which they sold these to the Indian government.

They bought them from China at $42 per unit, and sold them to the Indian Government for $42 per unit.

Zero profit.

And how will they pay for their overhead costs, employee salaries, fixed costs, variable costs, etc? If they bought it for $42 and sold it for $42 then how will they pay for their other costs during this process?

 

[AADHAAR]

They are making money? How?



They bought them from China at $42 per unit, and sold them to the Indian Government for $42 per unit.

Zero profit.

And how will they pay for their overhead costs, employee salaries, fixed costs, variable costs, etc? If they bought it for $42 and sold it for $42 then how will they pay for their other costs during this process?

It's upto china if can find money in those $42 .... which is actually going to be decided by Datawind that how much chinese supplier get paid and how much goes to montreal and what they keep with themselves.

But the baseline is that they have to beat competition (included that from a possible local manufacture in India ... which off course could be costlier than a cheaper country like china, vietnam etc.)

 

[A.Rafay]

why change its name if it was chinese made?? Akash SAM Syndrome!!