JioBook Price in India Expected to be 9,999: Is This a Laptop for the Masses?

Jio Telecom has been in the limelight since its launch in 2016 and has attracted massive public attention. The company is all set to expand its product line. After Jio Phone and Jio Fiber, the company might be coming out with its own laptop line-up. The laptop is coming to the market under the name of JioBook. Jio's quest for making "premium" available to the masses continues with the laptop.

Specifications

According to a report by XDA Developers, the laptops can come somewhere in May 2021. The report also reveals that the laptops will not be running on Windows 10 but rather on JioOS running on top of Android. The laptop will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, a processor from 2019. It is said that this been done to keep the cost in check and make it accessible to the masses. Other specifications might include 4G LTE compatibility and a 720p display. The laptop is rumoured to be launched in two variants, one with 2 GB RAM LPDDR4 RAM and 32 GB of storage and the other with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage.

The laptop can also house a mini-HDMI connector for video output, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a three-band accelerometer and a Qualcomm Audio Chip. It will also have pre-installed Jio apps like Jio Saavn, Jio Meet, Jio Store, etc. The name of the product is still not confirmed but its arrival definitely is.

However, for this project, Jio has reportedly tied up with China-based Bluebank Communication Technology. Bluebank mentions on its website about it creating devices running on the KaiOS, a mobile OS for feature phones that can be seen in both the generations of Jio Phone. Keeping in mind, the political and military tensions going between India and China, this might not seem like a bold move to a lot of people. This does defeat the Make in India purpose but then maybe affordability does come at a price. This piece of tech might look like innovation but the driving force behind this product seems to be lost. The specs and hardware are that of a phone of the same budget but in a bigger and bulkier chassis. It can be called a laptop, but it probably won't support apps and software that are required in a laptop.

The Government of India has been pushing manufacturers towards producing and making in India for the Indian market and in the times when companies like Apple and Tesla are planning on setting up their production units in India, is it a good idea to go across the border just to keep the price in check?

Price

Talking of price, the Jio laptop can be available for Rs 9,999 for the base variant. Yes, that is cheap and affordable. However, this is not a cheaper laptop alternative, this is just a different machine and only its availability in the market can shed more light on its purpose and usage.