History
The aspiration to create a "Made in India" computer was first reflected in a prototype "Simputer" that was produced in small numbers. Bangalore based CPSU, Bharat Electronics Ltd manufactured around 5,000 Simputers for Indian customers from 2002–07. In 2011, Kapil Sibal announced an anticipated low-cost computing device to compete with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative, though intended for urban college students rather than the OLPC's rural, underprivileged students.
A year later, the MHRD announced that the low-cost computer would be launched in six weeks. Nine weeks later, the MHRD showcased a tablet named "Aakash", not nearly what had been projected and at US$60 rather than the projected $35. "NDTV" reported that the new low-cost tablet was considerably less able than the previously shown prototype and was going to cost about twice as much.
While it was once projected as a laptop computer, the design has evolved into a tablet computer. At the inauguration of the national Mission on Education Programme organised by the Union HRD Ministry in 2009, joint secretary N. K. Sinha had said that the computing device is 10 inches (which is around 25.5 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide and priced at around $30.
India's Minister of Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, unveiled a prototype on 22 July 2010, which was later given out to 500 college students to collect feedback. The price of the device exhibited was projected at $35, eventually to drop to $20 and ultimately to $10. After the device was unveiled, OLPC chairman Nicholas Negroponte offered full access to OLPC technology at no cost to the Indian team.
The tablet was shown on the television program "Gadget Guru" aired on NDTV in August 2010, when it was shown to have 256 MB RAM and 2 GB of internal flash-memory storage and demonstrated running the Android operating system featuring video playback, internal Wi-Fi and cellular data via an external 3G modem. + The device was developed as part of the country's aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. Originally projected as a "$35 laptop", the device was planned to be sold to the Government of India and distributed to university students – initially at US$50 until further orders are received and projected eventually to achieve the target $35 price.
A commercial version was eventually released online as the UbiSlate7 tablet PC at 3,000 (US$52) and the Ubislate7+ tablet PC at 3,500 (US$60) on 11 November 2012 with plans to offer it at a subsidized cost for students of 1,130 (US$19). As of February 2012, Datawind had over 1,400,000 pre-orders, but had only shipped 10,000 units – 0.7% of orders. As of November 2012, many customers who put in orders still had not received their computers and were offered refunds.
Read more about this topic: Aakash (tablet)
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