Chapter 2: Analysis I

Products

Micromax

Overview

Towards realizing the vision of Micromax Electronics to become one of the leading

handset manufacturers in the world, Micromax India Software Operations (SISO) is

an important cog in the wheel.

Telecom Team at SISO is involved in designing and building software for the mobile

terminals encompassing the current and future technologies, and the applications

therein, for Micromaxs latest mobile handset equipments.

Phones

Apple’s position as the pre-eminent mobile phone maker in the country seems to be

under threat and it is an indigenous brand—Micromax, that has the Korean giant

looking over its shoulder. In fact, one analyst firm suggests that Micromax has, in

fact, already overtaken Samsung in terms of mobile phone shipments in Q2 2014; a

claim that is denied by Samsung. But the fact that we are even talking about it shows

how close the two are.

Apple is catching on with Micromax and Samsung as the new schemes make it

possible for apple to increase its sales in India.

As per research firm IDC, in the last quarter of 2014, Samsung was the market leader

in terms of overall mobile phone shipments, with a 19 per cent share. Micromax with

13 per cent of the market share followed this. However, Samsung was the clear leader

in terms of smartphone shipments with 38 per cent of the market, while Micromax

came second with 16 per cent marketshare.

Micromax recently launched its newest phone as on 17th August 2014 as below:

Micromax brings its all new octa-core smartphone dubbed Canvas Knight Cameo

A290 to the Indian market for Rs 11,490. This new budget smartphone looks like a

toned down version of the Canvas Knight flagship, and also runs the latest Android

flavour of 4.4 KitKat, like some recent Micromax phones.

 

The Knight Cameo is powered by 1.4GHz octa-core processor coupled with 1GB of

RAM. It sports a 4.7-inch IPS display featuring 1280 x 720 pixels of resolution. On

the camera front, it gets an 8MP rear shooter with flash and 5MP front-facing camera.

The 8GB onboard storage is expandable up to 32GB.

 

The Cameo supports a slew of connectivity options like 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and

USB. All of this is fuelled by a 2,000 mAh battery. That battery is very similar to

the Canvas Knight A350 review which didn’t exactly have the best battery life in the

market, and we do hope that Micromax has managed to implement better power

saving features in the Cameo.

 

Going by the price bracket, it could compete with the Moto G, and the Asus Zenfone

5, and it could be one of the first octa-core smartphones to become mainstream given

the price. So far we have only seen the likes of Intex and WickedLeak launch octa-

core phones in this price range. The Cameo definitely has the edge among that bunch.

Tablets

New data has shown that Micromax is the market leader of India’s tablet market

which has witnessed a surge in sales mainly due to the entry of new tablet vendors as

well as the introduction of offerings from existing vendors at low to medium price

points.

Micromax was followed by Samsung and Apple respectively.

India’s overall tablet market recorded sales of 0.55 million units in 2Q 2012 (Quarter

ended June 30, 2012). Micromax leads with an 18.4 percent share, followed by

Samsung at second position with 13.3 percent and Apple at third position with 12.3

percent, in terms of sales (unit shipments) during the second quarter of 2012.

A statement on behalf of CyberMedia said although India’s tablets market was still at

a nascent stage, it had become competitive due to the entry of new vendors with entry

level offerings. The data showed that as of the second quarter of 2012,close to 90

vendors launched new tablets into the market, and the average price of a tablet

haddropped to a little above Rs 13,000 from Rs 26,000 in 1Q 2012, as a majority of

vendors in early 2012 launched their products in the Rs 5,000-10,000 price

range.Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice said, “During 2Q

2012, 47.4 percent of tablet sales were from new entrants in the market with a strong

focus on addressing application areas in the Education and Entertainment segments.

This trend demonstrates clearly that vendors are positioning their devices at India’s

youth.”

Some of the key trends in terms of specifications of media tablets in India noted in 2Q

2012 are in the table below.

India Quarterly Media Tablets Market Review for 2Q 2012*: Trending

*Source: CyberMedia Research (CMR) India Quarterly Media Tablets Market

Review, 2Q 2012, September 2012.

“As Android devices become increasingly popular with users across the world,

competition is increasing in the India Tablets market with more and more vendors

launching devices based on the Android OS. The share of devices based on other

operating systems like Windows, iOS and QNX are expected to rise in future in view

of the recent announcement of the Microsoft Windows Surface Tablet, the global

launch of the Apple iPad 3 and reduction in BlackBerry Playbook prices,” Kawoosa

added.

“Going forward we see vendors launching segments specific segments such as

Healthcare, Retail and e-Governance. In terms of tablet use cases, the popular

categories are Internet browsing, Email, Entertainment, Gaming, Social Networking,

Information (Cricket, Flights etc). Clearly, the Indian user is also taking to the tablet

as a content consumption device,” added Tarun Pathak, analyst, CMR Telecoms

Practice.

Datacard

This segment doesn’t have Apple or Samsung in it. Micromax is one of the strongest

players in the market.

Micromax aunched a new 3G data card MMX377G in India. MMX377G is the first

device in the country, which is powered by MediaTek’s MT6280 3G/HSPA+ thin

modem platform.

The latest 3G USB modem from Micromax MMX337G supports upto 14.4 Mbps

downlink and upto 5.76 Mbps uplink. It comes factory unlocked i.e. supports any

2G/3G SIM (though sooner or later some operators may bundle this data card under

their 3G services). It also supports voice, phonebook, SMS and auto installation plug-

&-play. There is a special YouTube tab that enables prompt access to the weekly top

10 music videos and  micromaxonline.com exclusively. The mini gadget comes with a

microSD slot which is expandable upto 32GB. The new device is very affordable at

Rs 1699 (on Snapdeal you can get extra 6% off right now).

Commenting on the new launch MediaTek’s General Manager – Business

Development, Dr. Finbarr Moynihan, said, “Micromax 377G dongle is the first device

in India powered by MediaTek’s MT6280 3G/HSPA+ thin-modem platform. The

chipset supports HSPA+ data rates, receive diversity and comes as a highly-

integrated, single-chip baseband and RF SoC (System on Chip) that offers small size,

low power and leading data modem performance ideal for 3G data dongles, resulting

in a high-quality browsing experience for consumers. We are delighted that India’s

leading mobile brand has chosen MediaTek to power its latest 3G data card.”

Micromax TV

Your average upper middle-class kid toting a branded mobile phone invariably tends

to scoff at Indian brands offering the same experience and features as his expensive

smartphone at dirt cheap prices—with a little help from our Chinese neighbours, of

course. As a gadget reviewer trained to appreciate quality of workmanship/materials

and fine engineering, I should be inclined to concur. However, I beg to differ in this

case. In a nation where wealth is greatly concentrated in the metros, these affordable

mobile and tablet manufacturers reach out to a much wider demographic beyond these

few cities and provide access to an experience that would otherwise be out of their

reach.

If you draw parallels with the pharmaceutical industry, this is akin to Indian

manufacturers' reverse engineering, say, a $70,000-a-year cancer drug and making it

affordable enough for developing countries. While the idea of cheaper smartphones

and tablets may not be as profound, it's good to know that these Indian brands truly

enable modern technology to be the great social leveller it's touted to be. Micromax is

one such brand empowering the working class and broke college kids across India to

consume technology in the same way as the more fortunate ones do.

Design and build quality

While the 42″ Micromax LED42K316 LED TV may not charm your pants off with its

looks, the TV's sharp silhouette harbours an inoffensive shape devoid of any rounded

edges or elaborate accents. Unfortunately, any pretence of understated subtlety is

dashed by the visibly and palpably cheap plastics. The matte finish of the rear half and

the glossy piano black plastics on the front fascia look cheaper than what you'd expect

from a display costing almost half a lakh. However, I must admit that the transparent

plastic extension to bezel at the bottom gives it a fair bit of character.

Verdict and Price in India

Micromax's main USP, and arguably the sole reason for its success, is its penchant to

deliver top-end features and functionality at bottom-end prices. Micromax

LED42K316 LED TV, however, deviates wildly from that winning formula. At an

MRP of Rs 47,990 (and the best street price of Rs 46,490 that I could find), it is

priced dangerously close to similar offerings from established players such as

Samsung, Sony, LG, and Panasonic. Just think about it: why would a consumer spend

almost half a lakh on an unproven brand when he can buy a 42″ LED from LG (LG

42LS4600) for nearly the same price, give or take a few hundred rupees? I just don't

see the incentive here for someone to put their money down on this particular TV, and

not the other half-dozen alternatives from well-known LCD TV players.

Micromax clearly doesn't offer better build and design, or improved image quality to

compel a purchase. Neither is it highly regarded for cutting edge R&D or solid after

sales service. The only reason why it would have made sense, is if it were cheap—

significantly cheap, to be honest, considering its poor performance. Bottomline? Don't

buy this TV unless you stand to get a massive discount. Even then, I'd recommend

pulling your couch closer and buying a smaller, but higher quality TV set.

Expertise in the Handset Technology

Engineers at SISO are involved in building mobile handset software for a variety of

standards, established and emerging, such as GSM/GPRS dual mode handsets,

CDMA 2000 1x (and variations thereof such as EV-DO, EV-DV etc.),WCDMA

protocol stacks, dual mode handset software (CDMA2000 1x and WCDMA) and all

important interoperability issues.

The much touted applications such as multimedia environments and functionalities in

the third generation wireless standards (3G) are a key focus area at SISO.

Customization of CDMA phones to cater for an Indian scenario is one of the high

priority things at SISO. Work is going on towards developing user interfaces for

software applications in local languages. To deliver world class quality software, the

testing team rigorously tests and evaluates the product, before delivering it to the

customer.

SISO believes that "Innovation is not only useful, it is the only way to move up the

technology value chain in the rapidly changing wireless business environment".

Engineers are encouraged and motivated to think and patent new, innovative and

useful ideas relevant to the business environment the work so far has resulted in

numerous patent filings.

Technical info GSM

Concept of GPRS

General packet radio services (GPRS) is a

standardized packet-switched data service for GSM

network.

With the packet-switched technology, GPRS

increases data transmission speed from 9.6kbps to a

maximum of 114kbps for uses in the mobile Internet.

It will allow GSM operators to take a share of the rapid growth of Internet usage and

position the cellular service as a mobile access to the information society

For end-user GPRS Presents:

Always in connection with P or X.25 networks

Increased performance for up to 114 Kbps

Fast set-up/access time

End-user's Benefit

"Better price than current WAP" and "faster

data transmission speed" are the highly valued

features of GPRS

GPRS Radio Resources

Several end-users will share GPRS radio resources, resulting in much better channel

utilization than with circuit-switched data communication. The user may remain

connected as long as desired but is only charged for the volume of data received

and/or transmitted. GPRS uses radio channels to packet-switched or circuit-switched

traffic.

For the purpose of data communication purposes, packet-switching is superior to

circuit-switching due to its ability to transmit bursts of data. There is no need to

reserve, establish or keep a path open for data.

This results in faster call set-up time and allows users stay online indefinitely, while

only being charged for the amount of data actually transferred.

Apple

Mac

Main article: Macintosh

MacBook Air: Consumer ultra-thin, ultra-portable notebook, introduced in 2008.

MacBook Pro: Professional notebook, introduced in 2006.

Mac Mini: Consumer sub-desktop computer and server, introduced in 2005.

IMac: Consumer all-in one desktop computer, introduced in 1998.

Mac Pro: Workstation desktop computer, introduced in 2006.

Apple sells a variety of computer accessories for Macs, including Thunderbolt

Display, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, Wireless Keyboard, Battery Charger, the

AirPort wireless networking products, and Time Capsule.

iPad

Main article: iPad

On January 27, 2010, Apple introduced their much-anticipated media tablet, the iPad,

running a modified version of iOS. It offers multi-touch interaction with multimedia

formats including newspapers, magazines, ebooks, textbooks, photos, movies, TV

shows videos, music, word processing documents, spreadsheets, video games, and

most existing iPhone apps. It also includes a mobile version of Safari for web

browsing, as well as access to the App Store, iTunes Library, iBookstore, contacts,

and notepad. Content is downloadable via Wi-Fi and optional 3G service or synced

through the user's computer. AT&T was initially the sole US provider of 3G wireless

access for the iPad.

On March 2, 2011, Apple introduced the iPad 2, which had a faster processor and two

cameras on the front and back, respectively. It also added support for optional 3G

service provided by Verizon in addition to the existing offering by AT&T.[ However,

the availability of the iPad 2 has been limited as a result of the devastating earthquake

and ensuing tsunami in Japan in March 2011.

On March 7, 2012, Apple introduced the third-generation iPad, marketed as "the new

iPad". It added LTE service from AT&T or Verizon, the upgraded A5X processor,

and the Retina display (2048 by 1536 resolution), originally implemented on the

iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The dimensions and form factor remained relatively

unchanged, with the new iPad being a fraction thicker and heavier than the previous

version, and minor positioning changes.

On October 23, 2012, Apple introduced the fourth-generation iPad, marketed as the

"iPad with Retina display". It added the upgraded A6X processor and replaced the

traditional 30-pin dock connector with the all-digital Lightning connector. The iPad

mini was also introduced, with a reduced 7.9-inch display and featuring much of the

same internal specifications as the iPad 2.

Since its launch, iPad users have downloaded 3 billion apps, while the total App Store

downloads is over 25 billion downloads.

iPod

Main article: iPod

The iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, and iPod Touch.

On October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod digital music player. It is the market

leader in portable music players by a significant margin, with more than 350 million

units shipped as of September 2012, and has evolved to include various models

targeting the wants of different users. Apple has partnered with Nike to offer the

Nike+iPod Sports Kit, enabling runners to synchronize and monitor their runs with

iTunes and the Nike+ website.

Apple currently sells four variants of the iPod:

iPod Shuffle: Ultra-portable digital audio player, currently available in a 2 GB model,

introduced in 2005.

iPod Nano: Portable media player, currently available in a 16 GB model, introduced

in 2005. Earlier models featured the traditional iPod click wheel, though the current

generation features a multi-touch interface and includes an FM radio and a pedometer.

iPod Touch: Portable media player than runs iOS, currently available in 32 and 64 GB

models, introduced in 2007. The current generation features the Apple A5 processor,

a Retina display, and dual cameras on the front (1.2 megapixel sensor) and back (5

megapixel iSight), the latter of which supports HD video recording at 1080p.

iPod Classic: Portable media player, currently available in a 160 GB model, first

introduced in 2001.

iPhone

Main article: iPhone

At the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the

long-anticipated iPhone, a convergence of an Internet-enabled smartphone and iPod.

The original iPhone was released on June 29, 2007 for $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB)

with an AT&T contract. On February 5, 2008, it was updated to have 16 GB of

memory, in addition to the 8 GB and 4 GB models. It combined a 2.5G quad band

GSM and EDGE cellular phone with features found in handheld devices, running

scaled-down versions of Apple's Mac OS X (dubbed iPhone OS, later renamed iOS),

with various Mac OS X applications such as Safari and Mail. It also includes web-

based and Dashboard apps such as Google Maps and Weather. The iPhone features a

3.5-inch (89 mm) touchscreen display, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi (both "b" and "g").

At Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9, 2008, Apple announced

the iPhone 3G. It was released on July 11, 2008, with a reduced price of $199 for the

8 GB version, and $299 for the 16 GB versions. This version added support for 3G

networking and assisted-GPS navigation. The flat silver back and large antenna

square of the original model were eliminated in favor of a curved glossy black or

white back. Following customer complaints, the previously-recessed headphone jack

was changed to a flush jack for compatibility with more styles of headphones.

Software capabilities were improved with the release of the App Store, providing

applications for download that were compatible with the iPhone. On April 24, 2009,

the App Store surpassed one billion downloads. At WWDC on June 8, 2009, Apple

announced the iPhone 3GS. It provided an incremental update to the device, including

faster internal components, support for faster 3G speeds, video recording capbility,

and voice control.

At WWDC on June 7, 2010, Apple announced the iPhone 4, which the company

describes as the "biggest leap we've taken" since the original model. It features an all-

new design, a 960x640 display, the Apple A4 processor also used in the iPad, a

gyroscope for enhanced gaming, 5MP camera with LED flash, front-facing VGA

camera and FaceTime video calling. Shortly after its release, reception issues were

discovered by consumers, due to the stainless steel band around the edge of the

device, which also serves as the phone's cellular signal and Wi-Fi antenna. The issue

was corrected by a "Bumper Case" distributed by Apple for free to all owners for a

few months. In June 2011, Apple overtook Nokia to become the world's biggest

smartphone maker by volume.

On October 4, 2011, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S, which was released in the United

States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan on October

14, 2011, with other countries set to follow later in the year. It features the Apple A5

processor, and is the first model offered by Sprint (joining AT&T and Verizon

Wireless as the United States carriers offering iPhone models). On October 19, 2011,

Apple announced an agreement with C Spire Wireless to sell the iPhone 4S with that

carrier in the near future, marking the first time the iPhone was officially supported on

a regional carrier's network. Another notable feature of the iPhone 4S was Siri voice

assistant technology, which Apple had acquired in 2010, as well as other features,

including an updated 8MP camera with new optics. Apple sold 4 million iPhone 4S

phones in the first three days of availability, making it the most successful launch of

any mobile phone to date.

On September 12, 2012, Apple introduced the sixth-generation iPhone, the iPhone 5.

It added a 4-inch display, 4G LTE connectivity, and the upgraded Apple A6 chip,

among several other improvements. Two million iPhones were sold in the first

twenty-four hours of pre-ordering and over 5 million handsets were sold in the first 3

days of its launch.

Apple TV

Main article: Apple TV

The current generation Apple TV.

At the 2007 Macworld conference, Jobs demonstrated the Apple TV, (previously

known as the iTV), a set-top video device intended to bridge the sale of content from

iTunes with high-definition televisions. The device links up to a user's TV and syncs,

either via Wi-Fi or a wired network, with one computer's iTunes library and streams

from an additional four. The Apple TV originally incorporated a 40 GB hard drive for

storage, includes outputs for HDMI and component video, and plays video at a

maximum resolution of 720p. On May 31, 2007 a 160 GB drive was released

alongside the existing 40 GB model and on January 15, 2008 a software update was

released, which allowed media to be purchased directly from the Apple TV. In

September 2009, Apple discontinued the original 40 GB Apple TV and now continues

to produce and sell the 160 GB Apple TV. On September 1, 2010, alongside the

release of the new line of iPod devices for the year, Apple released a completely

redesigned Apple TV. The new device is 1/4 the size, runs quieter, and replaces the

need for a hard drive with media streaming from any iTunes library on the network

along with 8 GB of flash memory to cache media downloaded. Apple with the Apple

TV has added another device to its portfolio that runs on its A4 processor along with

the iPad and the iPhone. The memory included in the device is the half of the iPhone

4 at 256 MB; the same as the iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3G, and iPod touch 4G.

[172] It has HDMI out as the only video out source. Features include access to the

iTunes Store to rent movies and TV shows (purchasing has been discontinued),

streaming from internet video sources, including YouTube and Netflix, and media

streaming from an iTunes library. Apple also reduced the price of the device to $99. A

third generation of the device was introduced at an Apple event on March 7, 2012,

with new features such as higher resolution (1080p) and a new user interface.