Why Reliance Jio's 4G laptops could be the next big revolution in telecom
4G data at ultra-low prices, planning ahead for 5G, 4G-enabled feature phones and cheap smartphones - Jio seems to be trying to get its fingers in every pie in the telecom industry. The latest in Jio’s onslaught to take over all things tech, is plans to introduce a Jio-powered 4G laptop.
According to a report in Phone Radar, the laptop, this 13.3-inch laptop comes with a dedicated 4G SIM card slot. The report states that the Jio 4G laptop is actually manufactured by Foxconn for Infocus. The laptop is aimed at travellers and users who need computer on the go. It is likely that the laptop will come with a Jio SIM card already inside it, to provide web connectivity through a 4G network to the laptop user. The laptop will also reportedly allow VoLTE calls.
According to an India Today report, Jio's 4G laptop may run on Windows or Chrome OS, most probably the latter one as it supports all the Android-based Jio apps. Although the specifications of the laptop are not out yet, it is rumoured to come equipped with 4GB RAM, and 64GB eMMC or 128GB SDD storage. The laptop is likely to have a magnesium alloy body with 12.2mm thickness and 1.2kg weight. According to some reports, the laptop, in terms of looks, resembles Apple’s 13.3-inch MacBook Air.
Apart from 4G LTE, other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, 2 USB 3.0 ports, Micro HDMI port, and a Micro SD card slot.
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| Representational Image. [Photo: DailyO] |
The specification, at least what have been in rumours so far, clearly indicate a high-powered device. The price of such a device should accordingly be on the upper side of things, but knowing Jio, that may not be the case. Reliance Jio has a penchant for trying to win over its customer base with irresistibly low prices.
It is a policy they went with in their brand of smartphones, Lyf, as well. And it did pay off. According to an August report by market tracker Counterpoint Research, Reliance's Lyf smartphones were the fifth largest player in the Indian market having captured 8 per cent of the market share.
The problem, however, with having goods that you can sell for ridiculously low prices, is that they may not be worth all that much to begin with. Reliance's Lyf smartphones suffer from the same problem. It is true that they are cheap, but it is also undeniable that they are not great. So, as far as rumours are concerened, the extravagant specs are not something anyone should trust at this point.
But that being said, the idea of 4G laptops is something that will be a gamechanger. Not only is it an ideal solution to the lack of an availability of good public WiFi, it is also something that many, many laptop users have often demanded from manufacturers like Apple.
And ultimately, the success or the failure of the device is irrelevant, as can be seen from the general trend in the telecom industry right now, if Jio can get people excited enough, everyone else will have to follow.