With an eye on the fast-growing e-learning education sector, Alphabetics Computer Services, on Tuesday, launched its first educational tablet PC, TabGuru.
It will be available in 7-inch and 10-inch screens. It uses the Android 4.0.3 operating system. It is priced at Rs.9,999 for Alpha Edu-I and Rs.14,999 for Alpha Edu-II, and will be launched across 5,000 touch-points in a month.
Addressing a press conference, Pankaj Kurulkar, CMD, Alphabetics Computer Services, said, “The education sector in India, at $600 billion, is huge. Private education is growing at 19 per cent annually, and is expected to reach $45 billion by 2015. While e-learning is present for a decade and is currently undergoing consolidation, it is expected to grow at 20 per cent annually. The high cost of infrastructure to enable e-learning is a deterrent to growth.” He said the TabGuru’s content would be a mix of animation and video format for English and regional schools from first to twelfth standard across SSC, ICSE and CBSC Boards. Weighing 345 gram, it has a 512 MB RAM, 4GB expandable to 32GB.
According to Mr. Kurulkar, “it took us two years to develop the product. It is made in a facility in China. The content is secure and is valid for one year. Every tablet will be pre-loaded with one standard’s curriculum at a time and the cost of reloading content for the next year is Rs.1,000. It has a capacitive screen and can be operated with a finger.” TabGuru will first be launched in Maharashtra. Mr. Kurulkar told The Hindu that it expected to sell up to two lakh units in the first year. “That number is a conservative 10 per cent of the two crore students in Maharashtra. We are also working on for eight states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Delhi. We are keen to launch in southern states as they present a huge market but we are first looking to tie up for content.”
