Category: Business

YouTube Goes The Crowdfunding Way, Introduces Fan Funding

If you thought you had good ideas that you could share with people and make some money out of it, it’s become rather easy. YouTube, which has become the largest repository of informative and entertaining videos along with some rants and hurtful comments, now allows you to collect tips through the virtual tip jar.

This update is a great initiative from YouTube. Google has struggled with the great YouTube experiment as the website demands massive investments to run at optimum speeds but the revenue from the website has been low. The ads gradually became a menace and folks went with an Adblock solution which again harmed the websites revenue stream. Google will take a tiny 5% cut off each video that is an acceptable considering the huge platform they offer.

Youtube’s platform has been used by everyone, from prominent corporations to a blogger, sending out his thoughts from the bedroom. It surely has made a lot of people famous as well as wealthy. It did occasionally give undue attention to certain folks, but that’s what you from a completely free and open ecosystem.

Fan Funding is mutually beneficial for the content creator as well as the company

This initiative was announced at VidCon this year along with features like viewer translated videos. A YouTube user can translate the video and give it subtitles, and the owner has the authority to accept or decline the videos. It was seen that the viewership of the videos greatly increased when it was translated into multiple languages. This will let a channel attract a larger viewer base as well as help in a free and fair exchange of ideas throughout the world.

To make a contribution to a channel, a user must have a Google Wallet account. A support button will be added on the info card, or on the channel page, using which people can make the contributions.

Crowdfunding has been immensely successful in bringing ideas, films, prototype products and much more to the real world. These innovations would have had a tougher time seeing the light of the day if they had taken the tough route of impressing venture capitalists to fund their products. Using crowd-funding, consumers can invest in the projects they like and clearly make a consumer oriented market.

Currently, the service is available in U.S., Australia, Japan and Mexico and will be extended to other nations. To access the YouTube Fan Funding feature, users can use PC web browsers and the official YouTube Android app (version 5.7 or later).

September 3, 2014
ZTE Releases the V5 in India for Rs 10,999

In this season one more Chinese company brings in their smartphone to the Indian market. ZTE is a major Chinese brand with subsidiaries in multiple countries. It has been in this country for a while and now it has brought the V5 to India. The device will be exclusively sold on Snapdeal.com.

The ZTE V5 has a 5-inch 1280x720p HD screen. The display has Dragontail glass protection. The device has a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1 GB RAM. It provides 4 GB of internal storage with an expandable option up to 32 GB. The dual SIM device is powered by 2400 mAh battery.

The user interface on the ZTE V5 is ZTE’s own Nubia 2.0 UI which is based on Android KitKat 4.4.

The camera on the device is its USP

V5 has a 13 MP camera on the back. This camera has a Sony Exmor RS CMOS sensor with a wide F2.2 aperture, so you can expect good night shots on this device. It also flaunts features like blue glass composite IR filter. On the front of the device, there is a 5MP camera which comes with 88-degree wide angle, BSI sensor and self-portrait special effects for enhanced selfies.

Though the device is low on internal specifications at the price it comes at, the camera surely is the winning feature on the device. Now we say this because it looks good on paper. We’ll wait till we get our hands on the device to say for sure. ZTE surely needs to match up with some of its comrades in terms of specs. This phone is still better than the Oppo Neo, which while priced in the same bracket had some spec deficiencies too.

September 2, 2014
Xiaomi Redmi 1S Disappears as Fast as its Bigger Sibling

Another sale and another disappearing act. Xiaomi brought out the Redmi 1S for sale today, and as expected they flew off the virtual shelf within a couple of seconds. And when we say a couple, we mean a couple because, in the third second, the phone went out of stock. This sale will do nothing to calm the folks who missed out on the Mi3, as well as the Redmi 1S sale today. At the risk of sounding pompous, we’d like you to know that we used our tips and they helped us score a Redmi. If you didn’t manage to get your hands on one today, do bookmark the link for next time.

Xiaomi brought a bigger stock when compared to its previous sale standards. The 40,000 devices it brought had 2,50,000 claimants according to Flipkart, but the number is estimated to be around 1,00,000 people. The massive demand for the product saw the device getting sold off instantly. Flipkart has used delayed payment method for the past couple of sales that gave it some breathing space in executing orders. It also helped Flipkart prevent a website crash as had happened on some occasion.

Redmi 1S has the best features in its price bracket. The phone features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 (HD) IPS display and is powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Cortex-A7 core with 1 GB RAM. It has 8 GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 64 GB.

The phone features an 8 MP camera on the back and sports a 1.6 MP camera on the front. With all these specs, it is miles ahead of its competition. It is an obliterator of the segment. The phone is capable of taking on both the reigning champions from Motorola, the Moto E and Moto G.

Today’s sale also proved that Xiaomi is still a hot commodity, and people would still race to get the device. If you were one of the lucky ones who scored the device, congratulations to you and if you did not, don’t worry, just revise our tips and hit the “Buy Now” button hard when you see it the next time.

September 2, 2014
AnandTech Founder Anand Shimpi Joins Apple after Retiring from Tech Journalism

Anand Shimpi, founder of the one of the first technology review website AnandTech, will be soon joining Apple. This was confirmed by an Apple representative to Re/code. Shimpi had earlier announced his retirement from AnandTech with a post titled ‘The Road Ahead’ on the tech news website.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Anand Shimpi”]

After 17.5 years of digging, testing, analyzing and writing about the most interesting stuff in tech, it’s time for a change. This will be the last thing I write on AnandTech as I am officially retiring from the tech publishing world

[/quote]

Shimpi spent 17 years building the site AnandTech, focusing mostly on reviews of hardware and along the way providing detailed info on products from Apple and other consumer electronics manufacturers. But after so many years covering those products, he’ll now be going inside Apple to work for the company.

While AnandTech is not as well-known as more generalist technology news sites, its influence cannot be underestimated. One of the most well-liked and respected publications, AnandTech has long focused on hard fact based articles, such as detailed performance reviews, and has over time emerged as one of the authoritative voices in technology news.

At this point, details of Shimpi’s new role at Apple are not known. However, this is apparently not the only senior person from AnandTech to join Apple. Also, AnandTech’s Senior Smartphones Editor Brian Klug had left the site to join Apple earlier this year, where his role has a focus on building mobile processors for the company’s iOS devices. It is possible that Shimpi will take up a similar role.

While he moves on, AnandTech will continue to publish. Ryan Smith will take over as AnandTech’s new Editor in Chief who has been working at the AnandTech for ten years.

September 1, 2014
ZTE to Tie up with Snapdeal for New Launch on 2nd Sept

Chinese phone manufacturers ZTE are about to bring a new device to the Indian market next week. The launch will take place on 2^nd September, Tuesday. We have received word that the phone will be sold exclusively through Snapdeal and the invites of the event have been sent out.

The device details seem pretty vague. The phone has a 5 inch HD display with a 13 MP camera in the back and a 5 MP camera in the front. It is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor. By the looks of it the device most probably is the ZTE Nubia 5 and we have had a look at the device during our trip to CES 2014.

The device looks good and has minimal curves. It has a circle capacitive button which looks like a tron light disk and is realy eye appealing. On the back you get dual speakers placed with a little space between them.

Here is one more Chinese phone manufacturer taking a dip in the overcrowded Indian market. ZTE has been in India for a while and this time with exclusive partnership with Snapdeal they hope to attract more attention to the devices. So now we’ll just wait till Tuesday to check out what ZTE has really got to offer.

The device on the invite looks similar to the ZTE device we saw at CES

August 30, 2014
Oneplus to End the Invite System By October

It’s no secret that Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus is coming to India soon. Their phenomenal product, the OnePlus One is a flagship killer that brings top level specs in affordable pricing encased in eye appealing exteriors. The phones have been built in limited quantities because of the manufacturing restrictions of the company that led it to sell the phones through an invite system.

The invite system has been the company’s business strategy since they started. Customers who aspired for the products had to get the time limited invites to be able to buy the phones. But this system caused a lot of heartaches amongst the potential customers who couldn’t get an invite. (Play in our Invite Giveaway Here)

Interestingly OnePlus is going to do away with the invite system altogether. In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) the representative had this to say; “We are working on a pre-orders system, we were initially aiming for September but it’s been slightly delayed, hopefully we’ll be ready to launch it in October.”

Now they haven’t mentioned as to what this new pre-order system would look like, but it sure will make a lot of folks in India happy as the company plans to bring the One to India, most probably by the end of this year.

The phone will also offer some great back panels and accessories

OnePlus One’s specs help make it the only phone capable of taking on the Xiaomi Mi 3. Its interiors are made of Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPUs, 3 GB RAM and runs Android 4.4 based Cynogenmod. One the exteriors the device has a 5.5 inch full HD display with a 13 MP camera on the back and a 5 MP camera at the front. Not just that, the device also offers a good number of accessories like back panels and flip cases.

The fall of the invitation system will be rejoiced by the folks waiting to land the device for themselves. With its high specs, the phone is future proof for at least the immediate future. Considering its closest competitor, Xiaomi also facing stocks shortages; OnePlus is pretty safe in its market for now. Hopefully, the new pre-order system would cause a lot less heartburn and bring a powerful mobile experience to the folks who’ve been waiting for it for a long while.

August 30, 2014
Xiaomi Mi 4 Coming to India This December In Two Variants

We have received exclusive word from Xiaomi that the Mi 4 will be making the journey to the Indian shores. The devices are expected to come in two variants. The phones haven’t yet been manufactured as they need to be calibrated to India specific conditions. They will be made TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE compatible for India. The devices are expected to be priced at Rs. 22,000 and Rs. 25,000. Considering the miniscule price difference between the two variants it will be interesting to see what Xiaomi has in store for India.

This phone will be the fourth offering from Xiaomi in India following the Mi 3, the Redmi 1S and the soon to come Redmi Note. The phone will release soon after the launch of the OnePlus One in India. The OnePlus One has already created a lot buzz around the world because of its incomparable specs encased in classy, visually appealing exteriors, it is seen as the only competitor to Xiaomi. (We are Giving away OnePlus One Invites Here)

The features on the Mi 4 will bring a thousand tears to Flagship makers

The features on the Mi 4 are as impressive and aspirational as its predecessor. The phone runs on Android Kitkat 4.4.3 based MIUI 5 and might be upgraded to MIUI 6 by the time it comes to India. It is powered by a Snapdragon 801 chipset which is clocked at 2.5 GHz. It holds 3 GB of RAM, which is a lot of RAM for the price point, and comes in 16 and 64 GB variants. The display on the device is a full HD 5 inch screen with a pixel density of 441 ppi. It houses a 13 MP camera on the back and an 8 MP camera on the front. All that feature for the price almost makes you feel guilty about paying too less for all that awesomeness.

The Mi 4 is expected to make a landing in India by the end of December. So if you were one of the unlucky one’s who couldn’t score a Mi3, you need not worry, a slightly expensive but bigger beast lies in wait for you. Just make sure you save enough cash for the moment of arrival of Mi 4 because as you know, those bad boys fly of the shelf incredibly fast.

August 27, 2014
Xiaomi Plans to Set Up Shop in Bangalore to Make India-Specific Phones

After seeing tremendous market potential for itself in the neighboring land, Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi is planning an R&D center in India. The company has seen phenomenal opening of its innings in India with its one of kind phones falling short of supply for the massive demand.

The R&D center will primarily focus on customizing the devices for the Indian consumers. The company said that they intend to have a team of engineers, designers and product managers who will build features that are specific to the needs of the Indian population.

The company is still a beginner in the smartphone game by market standards, but it was confident of its audacious product. The company took on the climb and has made it onto the list of the most appreciated products in the market. Its mid-segment priced products are capable of taking on the flagships. The company has made its mark in the markets of Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines and is now planning to wreak havoc in the markets of Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico.

Xiaomi claims the specific hardware requirements for Indian market caused the low supply of the Mi3

One of the major reasons cited for the R&D center is the heterogeneous network requirements of India. This country has different hardware and antenna calibrations which require physical calibration in the devices meant for the country. It was this reason that the phones meant for markets of China and Taiwan couldn’t be directed to India thereby leading to a shortage of products.

Apart from this, the company is planning on setting up its own consumer call centre to answer the queries of the consumers. Currently, the consumer support has been outsourced, and even the company runs on a bare minimum workforce in India under Head of Operations, Manu Jain.

This development shows the seriousness of the Indian market, in Xiaomi’s scheme of things. The company plans to prioritize both India and China as just catering to these two markets would be immensely profitable considering the massive population. The company will release its LTE enabled MI4 in India probably by December end. So if you want to have the full Xiaomi experience, there might be a job waiting for you in Xiaomi’s upcoming Banglore facility.

August 27, 2014
After Xiaomi, Oppo Signs an Exclusive Deal With Flipkart

Flipkart is becoming ‘the’ place online for smartphone manufacturers to reach out to consumers. The strategy gathered steam when the king of comeback, Motorola, introduced their products on the website. Its Moto line of products went out of stock when they went on sale, indicating the huge demand online. This encouraged others to try out the route and we have seen companies like Xiaomi gaining huge popularity in India through Flipkart. Now another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Oppo is going for an exclusive retail deal with Flipkart.

Oppo has some good products in its kitty.

Oppo has some amazing devices such as Find 7 which was the first phone with Quad HD (2K) display in India. The company is looking forward to generating an all India market for their devices. They currently have 10 devices in the Indian market and they can be found in a price range of Rs. 8990 to Rs. 37,990. The phones in the Oppo stable in India are Oppo N1, R1, Find 5 Mini, Neo, Yoyo, Joy, Neo 3, Find 7a and the the recently released N1 Mini.

The company’s CEO, Mr. Tom Lu had this to say about the deal: “We have been striving to come closer to our customers and become a part of the society. With more and more consumers going online, having a digital presence has become a must. Flipkart is definitely one of the most popular shopping platforms with a very loyal customer base and by partnering with them, we are sure Oppo’s smartphones will reach out to more customers. With our products, Indian customers will get a chance to experience the best in innovation, the way many customers have enjoyed globally.”

Oppo certainly has some good products in its stable. The company hasn’t actually been able to create a buzz towards itself, even with an ad campaign that starred Hrithik Roshan. Considering the huge demand for quality high specs phones for fair prices on Flipkart, Oppo might be able to carve out a decent consumer base for its consumers.

August 27, 2014
Xiaomi Redmi 1S Goes on Sale 2nd September for Rs. 5999, Registrations Start Today

Xiaomi’s Vice President of International, Hugo Barra officially introduced the Xiaomi Redmi 1S in India. The invite for the event was sent out last week. The specs of the device got a lot of folks excited. Some went ahead and called the device the Moto G killer, well the phone is here and it sure looks worth its hype.

The Redmi 1S is a dual SIM phone. Though the device uses standard SIM, it provides adapters for nano SIM to regular SIM and mini SIM to regular SIM. Xiaomi has also brought spare batteries to India. These batteries come with their own charger, so you can be fully packed on juice when you are on the move.

The affordable device takes on the phones in the above Rs 10000 segment too

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S has a 4.7 inch IPS display with 1280×720 pixel resolution. It is powered by a quad-core 1.6 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 mobile chipset. The phone has 1GB RAM and internal storage of 8 GB. The part that will make multimedia enthusiast jump with joy is the fact that Redmi 1S gives you an expandable storage option up to 64 GB. It runs on a version of MIUI that is based on Android 4.3 Jellybean.

The device comes with an 8-megapixel camera with a wide f/2.2 aperture and a LED Flash. It offers burst mode, auto-focus, zero shutter lag, HDR and real-time filters. For the selfie lovers the front sports a 1.6 megapixel camera.

The device has a feature called the ‘Light Mode’ which gives the UI a simple look. The icons are bigger in this view and the phone almost turns into a feature mode. The device gets its juice from a 2000 mAh battery which is perfect for the price.

The Redmi 1S will go on sale on Flipkart on the 2nd of Spetember. The registration for the device will begin at 6 PM today. Xiaomi will also provide accessories for this device like cases and screen protector. While the leather case comes at a price of Rs 599, the screen protector can be bought for Rs. 179.

The icing on the cake was the announcement that the device is a 1000 Rupees cheaper than previously anticipated. Hugo Barra said, “We were able to reduce the price to Rs.5999 by eliminating the marketing budget.” The incredible specs at that price are an amazing deal. Guess Xiaomi wishes to take on both the Motorola champions, the Moto G and E at once.

August 26, 2014
Motorola to Launch 9 More Devices in Next Four Months

Motorola are already offering quite an impressive line up. And now it seems like Motorola, has big plans for the second half of this year. A new report from PhoneArena, citing an insider source, has revealed that Motorola is planning to launch around 9 devices in next 4 months.

One of top highlight will the new Nexus smartphone along with Moto X+1, Moto G2, Moto X Play, Moto S, Droid Turbo, Droid and Droid Maxx. The reports also added that Moto 360 smartwatch will be one these devices.

The company sent out an invite to the media yesterday, mentioning only that it is going to host an event in New Delhi on September 5. It is widely expected that the company will launch the successors of Moto X and Moto G smartphones as well as Moto 360 smartwatch at the event in New Delhi.

The invite reads, “Mark 05 September on your calendar. Motorola will be holding an event in New Delhi.” Though the invite doesn’t reveal much.

The company has also been rumoured to be working on the next Nexus smartphone, with a device, codenamed Shamu recently showing up on benchmarks. According to speculations, this is the new Nexus smartphone, which comes with a Snapdragon 805 chipset and 3 GB of RAM.

The Moto G2 is expected to come with an improved 8MP rear snapper and faster processor, but the display resolution could remain the same at 1280 x 720 pixels. The improved variant of the Moto X, allegedly the Moto X + 1 is likely to come with 25 back variants during its launch.

It is speculated that the upcoming Moto X could work in sync with the Moto 360. Its circular face measures 1.5-inch LCD display and features 320×290 pixels of resolution. It also comes with a heart rate monitor and a pedometer. The Moto 360 is expected to be priced at $249 that translates to Rs. 15,100.

So get set folks, September is going to be a lot of fun.

August 22, 2014
Google Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of its IPO Debut

Google has come a long way in a short period of time. From a simple search engine to a global multinational conglomerate, it is now a brand that the entire world recognizes. Google’s IPO marks its ten year anniversary today.

The company’s humble beginnings and meteoric rise has been written about in countless media spaces. Their initial product was the internet service which archived the webpages and made their discovery super easy. It helped Google to become the cornerstone of the internet. It wouldn’t be wrong, neither would it be an exaggeration, to say that Google is now the gateway to the internet. But surprisingly this tech giant’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) back in 2004 saw pretty much the same response from the financial market that the Facebook IPO would face a few years later.

Folks at Google and investors must be pleased with their career graph

The folks at Google had originally estimated price range of $108-$135 per share but ultimately ended up with $85 per share price for their 19.6 million shares offering. Many industry watchers believed that Google was a fad and just the way Google replaced Yahoo, someone else would come replace Google too. Google apparently had better ideas for its future prospects than the market experts.

Since that time, Google’s graph has gone nowhere but up apart from, of course, the financial meltdown of 2008. Its stock has grown by 1293% in the ten years of its existence. Though it is a huge leap for the company, its courtroom and market adversary Apple has grown 4274% in the same period, thanks to the little devices called iPod and iPhone along with its other products.

Google now has its arms in almost all fields of technology. From Email services, to Operating systems and of course being the industry leaders in the smartphone business. Along with these, the company also is actively interested in and invests in real world infrastructural innovation. From robots to self-driving cars, Google intends to create the technology-aided future of tomorrow.

The company now has an audacious plan of bringing in High speed internet connectivity to the burgeoning markets of Asia. This will further create a bigger market that consumes Google products, thereby a sure-shot profitable investment. So if you are buying a Google IPO now, that is if you can afford one, you can be sure that your money is efficiently working for you.

August 21, 2014
OnePlus Confirms India Operations : Opens Post for General Manager
Earlier today iGyaan had issued the news that OnePlus is eagerly and actively pursuing India operations and will be here as early as next month. Today OnePlus has confirmed that they are actively seeking for a General Manager for India operations. This will show that the company is dedicated to shake the Indian market with their handset, and they want to do it fast.

If you are keen on working for the company, you might wanna give this one a quick look.

Read the full requirements and responsibilities below.

General Manager – India, Operations

We’ve seen tremendous interest from India in the OnePlus One, but to enter the market we’ll need the help of a local visionary. You will be the sun, the light that leads OnePlus into the Indian market; the center of orbit for all projects, operations, and service; the ambassador that spreads the OnePlus brand across India like a wildfire.

Personality counts as much as experience here. We’re looking for a leader that knows the market, sees issues before they arise, and coordinates resourceful and seamless solutions. The right candidate will successfully incorporate their local knowledge, global experience, and natural talent into building OnePlus operations and brand awareness in India. This position requires authority, leadership, and resolve when things get rough. We need you to weather the storm with us. Are you confident in your abilities and naturally inclined to make things work better around you?

Responsibilities
- Be the face of OnePlus India, lead and engage our Indian community, represent and grow our brand.
- Listen to Indian customers; ensure the highest standards of service and product support are met.
- Act as our company ambassador, the voice of OnePlus, the main contact point for the customer.
- Establish and sustain relationships with media in India, assist with planning and organizing events.
- Find unique local avenues through which to spread awareness about the OnePlus brand and products.
- Create monthly and quarterly reports outlining operations, finance, and marketing activities.
- Build a local team of function specific experts to grow OnePlus India operations.
- Align local activities and collaborate with departments at our home office (marketing, logistics, etc.) to coordinate smooth daily operations in India. Report directly to OnePlus HQ in Shenzhen.
Requirements
- Fluency in English, Hindi, Tamil. Intimate understanding of India’s unique geographies and cultures.
- Degree from a top school, PMP certification preferred.
- 6+ years of general management experience working for a tier-1 company.
- Deep understanding of operations, finance, marketing, and logistics.
- Expertise/Experience in: ecommerce, logistics, customer service, marketing, mobile products.
- Proven leader with vision, resourcefulness, intellect, and humility.
- Tech enthusiast, intimately familiar with mobile trends, industry and competitive dynamics.
- Strong analytical ability; data-driven approach to understanding and solving problems.
- Entrepreneurial mindset, independent thinker, can manage effectively under stress.
Think you can cut it ? Apply Here!
August 20, 2014
Activision to Pull a Marvel: May Start its Own Movie Studio

You have played those Activision games a million times, they have intricate storylines and some amazing characters. Activision understands the tremendous motion picture potential that they have that is waiting to add multiple zeros to their bank statements.

Activision is famous for its gaming titles such as Call of Duty and Skylanders. The company is inspired by the phenomenal success that Marvel has had since the comic book company unleashed its characters on the big screen. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was one tough nut to crack and Marvel executive managed to achieve it and now are reaping the glory. Activision wants to follow suit and bring out films on which it has complete control.

Usually the producers who are interested in a title ask for rights of characters from comic characters and games. After buying the rights the producers can decide on the script and treatment of the story. But in the case of Marvel, the company wanted to have control over the decisions of the films and so established their own movie studio.

Activision intends to have such control when it establishes the movie studio. There is a huge market full of gamers who would simply love to watch their favorite character played by Hollywood stars. They can easily come back to their games and create a personalized version of the story in their home consoles. As of now Activision isn’t opening its cards and is not commenting on the issue but they realize the prospects of a movie business are huge. They should move fast before the other studios get ahead of them. We are waiting and getting our popcorns ready. Activision, show us what you got.

August 19, 2014
According to IDC, Samsung is Still No.1 in India

India being a fast growing smartphone market has become the centre of smartphone wars. Apple and Samsung have been trying hard to keep up with players such as Micromax, Lava, Karbon and the new entrant Xiaomi.

The Indian handset market is currently led by Samsung with Micromax at No. 2, according to an International Data Corporation (IDC) report for India’s mobile market in Q2. The market could experience a shuffle in the rankings amongst the top five vendors in coming quarters, as Chinese and local device makers aggressively tap the entry level segment of smartphones.

The digits in the IDC report showed that in the overall mobile market, Samsung had a 17 per cent share, while Micromax had a 14 per cent share, ahead of Nokia which was the previous number two and which now has a mere 10 percent share. Karbon and Lava are at number four and five respectively and rest is acquired by other phone makers.

In smartphones, Samsung ha held a 29% share, which however was a sharp fall from the 35% it held in the January-March period, as aggressive competitors such as Micromax, Lava and Motorola ate into its share. Micromax remained in second place with 18% share, up from 15% in the previous quarter.

“While Samsung has held on to its leadership position in the market, it is noteworthy that Micromax is growing faster. Samsung needs to continue to address the low-end of the market aggressively, and also needs a blockbuster product at the high end to regain momentum,” said Jaideep Mehta, vice president and general manager, South Asia, IDC.

At the start of the month, another research by Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Technology Market Research showed that, in the April-June period, Micromax’s share of the overall handset market stood at 16.6 per cent, while Samsung’s was 14.4 per cent. The mismatch in numbers may be the result of use different methodology. IDC said it collects data from various sources, including vendors and channels.

The report also pointed out that with the entrance of Chinese vendors and Mozilla in the smartphone category at $50 level, the low-end segment of the smartphone market will become crucial in the coming quarters. It will be really interesting to see what news Q3 and Q4 will bring out in the Indian mobile and smartphone market with the entry of players like Xiaomi, Oppo. Xiaomi in particular has created a stir in market with the launch of a sole device, the samsung Xiaomi Mi3 .

August 19, 2014