mgcarley
Founder, Hayai Broadband
500 views and only 8 replies..hmm..thats something!
I would say that for this product to be successful in the market I think you want to sell it, you might have to make it for less than 5k.
15k is getting up to low-end-computer and even laptop pricing and if the market can't afford or won't buy a computer, what chance do you think you'll have of selling them an appliance, irrespective of the UI and form factor?
Maybe you need to get in touch with Mr Negroponte of the $100 laptop fame. Though I think I read somewhere recently that someone in either India or China has some extraordinarily cheap machines coming out.
If I can find out where and who, maybe someone I know can get you in touch with them.
---------- Post added at 03:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:13 PM ----------
Another way to think about it is this:
I'm approximating, but if my memory serves me, Rs15k can buy:
[*]3 Microwaves
[*]1 washing machine (still a luxury item in India!)
[*]1 large refrigerator or 2 smaller ones
[*]6-12 months of maid service (depending on where you live and how much you pay your maids!)
[*]1 LCD TV (up to 24" in that price range, I think)
[*]1 large set of cupboards (with change left over, possibly for a desk and chair)
[*]1 Polo Shirt from Ferragamo (ok, I threw that in for the hell of it because people who can afford to shop at Ferragamo can afford to spend Rs15k with hardly a thought, but may still be in the market for such a device)
[*]1 fairly decent mobile phone (Nokia 5800 XM, E63, most of the Samsung touchscreen range, some lower end HTC devices) or 2 fairly basic ones.
[*]Food to feed a family of 4 very nicely for between 1 & 2 months (probably based on slightly outdated prices and which part of India you live in and what type of food you eat... I eat a lot of imported fruits for example, so my food bill is probably quite high).
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I would say that for this product to be successful in the market I think you want to sell it, you might have to make it for less than 5k.
15k is getting up to low-end-computer and even laptop pricing and if the market can't afford or won't buy a computer, what chance do you think you'll have of selling them an appliance, irrespective of the UI and form factor?
Maybe you need to get in touch with Mr Negroponte of the $100 laptop fame. Though I think I read somewhere recently that someone in either India or China has some extraordinarily cheap machines coming out.
If I can find out where and who, maybe someone I know can get you in touch with them.
---------- Post added at 03:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:13 PM ----------
Another way to think about it is this:
I'm approximating, but if my memory serves me, Rs15k can buy:
[*]3 Microwaves
[*]1 washing machine (still a luxury item in India!)
[*]1 large refrigerator or 2 smaller ones
[*]6-12 months of maid service (depending on where you live and how much you pay your maids!)
[*]1 LCD TV (up to 24" in that price range, I think)
[*]1 large set of cupboards (with change left over, possibly for a desk and chair)
[*]1 Polo Shirt from Ferragamo (ok, I threw that in for the hell of it because people who can afford to shop at Ferragamo can afford to spend Rs15k with hardly a thought, but may still be in the market for such a device)
[*]1 fairly decent mobile phone (Nokia 5800 XM, E63, most of the Samsung touchscreen range, some lower end HTC devices) or 2 fairly basic ones.
[*]Food to feed a family of 4 very nicely for between 1 & 2 months (probably based on slightly outdated prices and which part of India you live in and what type of food you eat... I eat a lot of imported fruits for example, so my food bill is probably quite high).
[/list]