Mobility July 2018 by Mobility india

Mobility Monthly Magazine

July 2018

Issue 07

Volume 15

Pages 44

BEYOND TECHNOLOGY, BEYOND LIFESTYLE

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CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

NEWS

LAUNCHPAD

ADVERTORIAL

A-Data XPG Unveils Sepctrix D80 DDR4 RGB Hybrid Liquid-Air Cooled Memory

Customer Delight Program to retain and increase the acquisition

FIRSTLOOK

Vivo NEX

GUEST COLUMN

REVIEW

Nidhi Markanday, Director, Intex Technologies (I) Ltd.

COMIO ‘X1 Note’ KDM SP 24 Bluetooth Speaker

MAKE IN INDIA

Jynex is manufacturing headphones for various OEMS in India.

SPECIAL STORY Impact of GST After One year

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Editor Chief Editor Associate Editor (Tech,) Asst. Editor Product Head Creative Head Acct. & Finance Marketing Manager Marketing Executives

: : : : : : : : :

Swapan Roy Manoj Jha Jayanta Ghosh E.J. Jawahardatham Anit Kumar Gautam Middya Sandip Sarkar Tridip Dey Sujit Goswami, Pratap Biswas S. Dutt Raj Kumar

Circulation Manager Production

: :

System Manager

P. Biswas Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul Ajay Biswas

H.O.: Delhi / Editorial Office Roy Mediative A-23, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 (INDIA) Mob: 09810380882, 09811346846, 09582951366 Ph: 91-11-41602841, 65683896, 40536384-87 Redg.Off.: 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Branch Office: Mumbai: E-mail: roy@mobilityindia.com Kolkata: 105/19, Dum Dum Road, Sil Colony, Kolkata-74 Contact: 09891666264, 09330922965; 09903392620 E-mail : roy@ mobilityindia.com Orissa

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SPECIAL REPORT

Apple Tries to Restore Order Before Their Apple Cart is Totally Upset

APP

Klook App

INTERVIEW

Mr. Ashish Mutneja, Director, Quantum Hi Tech

NEW ENTRANT

INDIANO-“Make in India” Mobile handset launched

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Printed at Pushpak Printer, C-96, Okhla Industrial Area-I, New Delhi-20. Retail selling price of a magazine copy Rs. 20/-. Annual subscription Rs. 240. Editor

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Info

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38 40

Mr. Pradipto Ganguly, CEO and Co-Founder – Britzo

PROMO

Mobility Monthly News Paper, Printed, Published & Owned by Swapan Roy at 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India).

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EDITORIAL

GST

Reforms have miles to go Dear Readers, GST implementation in India completed one year this month. There have been a lot of debates around the effectiveness, impact on inﬂation, tax buoyancy, and implementation challenges, among others. The June collection numbers have also been discussed with an element of hope that the rate of collections is inching up to expectations and the markets are taking note of the same. In the last few months, there has been mounting criticism on the implementation of this tax reform. Formats and frequency of returns, frequent lags in technology, refunds, Input tax credit and introduction of new elements like e-way bill have all added to the uncertainty amongst business owners. However, inspite of initial glitches and challenges, experts closely involved with GST from Day 1 feel positive about the long-term effects of GST.

Editor’s Choice

Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com

The present laws are already giving tremendous security and protection against tax evasion, and only some minor technicalities require to be resolved – and this artificial and unsustainable provisions can be replaced with the simpler ‘input tax credit available only on invoices registered with GSTN’. In fact, the current laws also allow for ‘provisional input credit even if the invoice is currently not registered’, and businesses will be more than happy to give up this ‘luxury’, if the ‘payment linkage’ is removed.

OPPO A3s OPPO, the Selfie Expert and Leader, today unveiled its latest mid-range camera phone –OPPO A3s. The A3s is the first OPPO device in the South Asian market which comes with a 13+2 MP dual rear camera along with a 8 MP AI enabled front camera and super Full screen, a combination that desires to offer users the best smartphone experience in an affordable range. Together with OPPO’s A.I. Beauty Technology, A3s brings a more realistic and natural selfie experience to more young consumers. Along with the 2GB RAM/16GB storage with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa core processor and 4230 mAH battery, the A3s is a perfect product with innovative features all at a price of INR 10,990.

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NEWS

Vodafone Wins Big at Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 India ICT Awards Two Awards Vodafone Business Services, the enterprise arm of Vodafone India, has been recognized as a winner in the Enterprise 4G Service Provider of the Year category and M-Pesa as the Telecom Mobile Wallet of the Year for the second time in a row at Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 India ICT Awards. Frost & Sullivan India ICT Awards programme h o n o r e d companies that created breakthrough b u s i n e s s models and strategies through the innovative use of transformative technologies. Nick Gliddon, Director, Vodafone Business Services, said, “We thank our customers for their vote of confidence and the support that they have extended us in achieving this milestone. As an organization focused on providing seamless solutions to our customers, both these awards strengthen our drive to be the best in class and continue to deliver innovative and impactful services for them.”

Honor 7X now Reloaded with the latest Android 8.0 Update Honor, Huawei’s e-brand for digital natives, rolled out the latest Android 8.0 update alongside EMUI 8.0 for Honor 7X for the Indian customers. With the update, users will get many new features like Face Unlock, Game suite, Ride Mode, AR Lens etc. making it one of the best smartphones available in the mid-range segment. The brand also announced new price points for the two variants of the smartphone – INR 11,999 and 14,999 for 32 GB/ 64 GB variant. The smartphone w i t h e y e - c a t c h i n g aesthetics and h i g h performance is available from 25 June 2018 onwards exclusively on Amazon.in. EMI and Exchange Offer are also available for Honor 7X on Amazon

Plantronics Acquires Polycom Plantronics announced that it has completed its acquisition of Polycom. The acquisition of Polycom will accelerate and expand Plantronics’ vision and enable it to deliver the broadest portfolio of end points in the Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) ecosystem. UCC and team collaboration technology are unlocking human potential at work and at home. With this acquisition, Plantronics is focused on voice, video, content, and cloud solutions for every place that technology touches people as they work, share, collaborate, and play. As trends in enterprise communications move toward open work spaces and ﬂexible work arrangements, the ecosystem of platforms and devices continues to expand. With the addition of Polycom’s leading portfolio, Plantronics can offer a premium experience regardless of the UCC solutions selected by the customer.

HMD Global Ropes in Parineeti Chopra for Nokia 6.1 Digital Campaign HMD Global has launched a digital campaign for the Indian market for the new Nokia 6.1, featuring the acclaimed Bollywood

MOBILITY JULY 2018

actress Parineeti Chopra. Two-thirds of Nokia phone users around the world today are less than 35 years of age and hence this campaign is focused on the millennial generation. The campaign starts on 6th July with 2 fictional digital films that feature Parineeti. The films, that have humour and a surprise element to them, show Parineeti and her pals hanging out in the house doing everyday fun things, when their Nokia 6.1 comes handy bringing a twist to their fun. The Nokia 6.1 is a phone this generation can rely on completely; it is being loved around the world for its pure, secure and up-to-date Android, ZEISS optics, dual-tone ﬂash, 4K video recording, spatial audio, a fast charge and a powerful Qualcomm SnapdragonTM 630 processor to do all one wants to do, quickly and effortlessly. The highlight is the phone’s dual-sight technology, popularly called the #Bothie feature, that Parineeti and her friends have a great time using in the film. The #Bothie is a split screen visual for both photos and videos that simultaneously delivers both sides of the story.

Amazon India introduces one-of-a-kind Virtual Reality Experience for Prime Day For Prime Day this year, Amazon India will offer a one-of-akind virtual reality (VR) experience to customers in India’s top metros. Until July 17, customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata can visit top malls to experience hundreds of new products launching exclusively on Prime Day. Aimed at bringing the touchand-try charm to online shopping, Amazon Prime Day Experience Zones will allow customers to enjoy an immersive experience before buying a product. They can view products in life-size, inspect products up close, enjoy 360 degree views and evaluate products in the environment that they are likely to use it in. Apart from product launches, customers will get a virtual theatre experience and enjoy trailers of the 7 Prime Video titles premiering for Prime Day, including the latest Bollywood blockbuster Raaziand the all-new Amazon Prime Original series Comicstaan, in a virtual theatre experience.

OnePlus customers can avail HDFC Bank offers on the newly announced OnePlus 6 Red and other OnePlus 6 variants OnePlus, the global premium smartphone maker, recently announced OnePlus 6 Red that will go on sale starting 16 July, 2018 at INR 39,999 along with the Amazon Prime Day Sale during which the consumers can claim exciting offers with HDFC Bank on the Red and other variants. OnePlus 6 customers on Amazon.in will receive an instant discount of INR 2000

MOBILITY JULY 2018

NEWS

on all HDFC debit and credit cards on EMI transactions. Customers buying OnePlus 6 devices on other platforms including oneplus.in and OnePlus exclusive ofﬂine channels will be eligible for INR 2000 cashback on all HDFC Credit card on EMI transactions. OnePlus customers are also eligible for no cost EMI on all popular bank credit cards on Amazon.in starting July 10th, 2018.

Anritsu Announces MT8000A Test Platform to Support Medi- aTek Inc on 5G Chipset Development MediaTek Incorporated and Anritsu Corporationagreed to forge a partnership for 5G development and physical layer verification. MediaTek Inc. selected Anritsu’s MT8000A Radio Communication Test Station as a prioritized test platform forthe verification of standard-based 5G N R chipset targeting upcoming global 5G deployment. A n r i t s u , a leader in m o b i l e communications testing will support MediaTek’s development of 5G devices such as baseb and chipsetby providing powerful and efficient test solutions from early phase of pre-silicon verification to commercial validation stage of RF, protocol and function to enable launch of5G chipset to the market with high quality. Anritsu designed its new 5G test platform, MT8000A for the latest technologies, such as wideband signal processing and beam forming, required by ultrafast and large-capacity 5G communications. The allin-one platform supports sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave RF tests and as well as protocol tests. Anritsu’s long experience in supplying 3G and 4G test solutions to MediaTek Inc will help facilitate smooth development and early deployment of 5G products.

Zebion Opens Exclusive Electronics Shoppe in Goa Pune headquartered electronics major, Zebion Infotech, opened their first retail store in Goa yesterday, at Mapusa. The store offers a wide range of innovative yet affordable e l e c t r o n i c products, and a special collection of music systems developed to cater to Goa’s entertainment culture. The store was inaugurated by Honorable Speaker of the Assembly, Dr. Pramod Sawant, and MLA Rajesh Patnekar, who encourage development of the hi-tech industry in Goa and greater public adoption of latest technologies. Other guests of honor included the honorable minister of urban development and law, Mr. Francis D’souza.

Lenovo Attains Status as Largest Global Provider of Top500 Supercomputers Today, at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt, Lenovo Data Center Group (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) continued its global momentum, becoming the world’s largest TOP500 supercomputing provider measured by the number of systems ranked on the TOP500 list. 117 of the 500 most powerful supercomputers included in the TOP500 are Lenovo installations, meaning nearly one out of every four systems (23.4

MOBILITY JULY 2018

percent) on the prestigious list is a Lenovo solution. “Last year, we set a goal to become the world’s largest provider of TOP500 computing systems by 2020. We have reached that goal two years ahead of our original plan,” said Kirk Skaugen, President of Lenovo Data Center Group. “This distinction is a testament to our commitment to prioritize customer satisfaction, deliver cutting edge innovation and performance and be the world’s most trusted data center partner. We are motivated every day by the scientists and their groundbreaking research as we work together to solve humanity’s greatest challenges.”

“Gifts on Air” tied up with Panasonic mobiles and Started customer Delight Program in association with “Poorvika” Panasonic mobiles has initiated a very interesting engagement activity for their target customer in collaboration with “gifts on Air”. Brand kicked of special Aadi festival offer in Tamil Nadu with an exclusive association with India’s No. 1 Mobile retail chain “Poorvika”. Mr. Manoj Seal (Heads t r a t e g i c Alliances ) Gifts on Air says, Company “Gifts On Air” engaged in customer delight program to retain valued customer with an special 100% assured gift on his/her each purchase. It is an unique proposition to support off line biz through on-line platform.

HOMTOM India Appoints Nikhil Bhutani as the Director for Product and Operations HOMTOM, a leading smartphone brand of Shenzhen, China has now announced its foray in India with the inauguration of its India office at Noida. HOMTOM has further appointed Nikhil Bhutani as the Director for Product & Operations for their India business. Nikhil Bhutani has a varied and rich experience of more than a decade in the field of business development, distribution management and product development. Prior to HOMTOM, he worked as the Regional Head of Ziox Mobile and, before that, as Regional Manager at Ingram Micro. Besides this, he was also associated with leading organizations like Hyve Mobiles, and The Princeton Review in the past. His diverse exposure to multiple aspects of businesses and his brief stint with Indian Army have instilled in him a “Never Say Die” approach towards his goals, qualifying him as a smart leader for any organization.

LAUNCHPAD

DORMIO Launched ‘TINNITUS PILLOW’ with 2 built-in speakers

ecommerce and retail outlets. As FiiO’s first music player for the year of 2018, we’ve set high expectation to the High-Resolution Lossless Audio Player M7.

DORMIO India launched ‘TINNITUS PILLOW’ with two built-in speakers that can be connected to any smartphone or mp3 device for anti-tinnitus sound therapy. DORMIO innovative Tinnitus pillow comes with patented Pentino tinnitus masking sound which trains the patient’s brain to stop noticing the haunting tinnitus noise. In most cases, this constant, intrusive sound leads to sleep disruption. Tinnitus can be greatly relieved by sound therapy. Tinnitus is the perception of sound (a kind of ringing, buzzing, humming, whistling or clicking sound) within the human ear when no actual sound is present. Dormio Tinnitus pillows have speakers inside that connect to tinnitus relaxers or personal music devices are useful as they let you listen to sounds in bed without disturbing your partner. In most cases, this constant, intrusive sound leads to sleep disruption. Tinnitus can be greatly relieved by sound therapy.

Boult Audio launches ECHO True Wireless In-ear headphones

Toreto Launches Iconic Earphones ‘ROAR’ With Metal Bass Toreto announces the launch of Roar Stereo Earphones (TOR 260).Roar has come as the perfect solution for all the music lovers out there, who don’t want to waste moolahs on a pair of earphones. These trendy earphones are easy to use and thus, perfect for all, irrespective of their age. Compatible with any mobile device and music enhancing device, these earphones come with a driver unit of 10mm and have a rated Impedance of 16Ω. They have a frequency range between 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz and maximum thrust of20mw. The small case, other than integrating the mic, has keys to play or pause a playing track, the same keys can be used to answer or disconnect a call as well. With gold plated jack and rubber covered cord, these stereo earphones are perfect for any music fiend. The metal bass of Roar further ensures that you enjoy a superior sound quality and the stereo effect of these earphones is something that would soothe your ears.

FiiO launches M7 Hi-Res Lossless Music Player in India FiiO announces the launch of the M7 Hi-Res Lossless Music Player in India; available in 3 colors – Black, Silver & Red. The new M7 is the successor to the much-loved M3. We at FiiO spent a lot of time investigating what users actually wanted from their digital audio player and finally came up with an exterior design that we think you will fall in love with. Try resisting that sexy fully aluminum body and all glass front! The player is available for purchase at thier Official Store www.fiio.co.in and at leading

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Boult Audio brings a new true wireless product to the market to help the world transition from the traditional wired & wireless headphones to a truly wireless experience through its latest offering ECHO. With an outstanding combination of the style and the latest audio engineering, Echo is enabled with a touch mechanism which is both convenient and intelligent. Deep bass, ergonomic design and fit all in one lightweight ear piece is sure to make a style statement and give you the complete freedom from wires. ECHO is priced at Rs.2249 plus taxes. In terms of sound, Echo delivers a dynamic bass and a smooth balance of treble. This product is a true example of how strong and efficient the CSR8635 chipset is, along with the neodymium drivers these pods produce a great synchronised sound fit for all music tastes. Due to the ergonomically designed shape the sound travels straight to the ear canals and delivers high fidelity audio to let the user enjoy music fully.

iVVO Launches ‘Eco Series’ Affordable Smart Feature Phone iVVO has unveiled its ‘Eco Series’. All products in this series are priced under Rs.669, with the range starting from Rs. 569. iVVO is a subsidiary of BRITZO, an industry player that recently came to fame for spearheading various forwardl o o k i n g innovations in ICT (Information and Communications Te c h n o l o g i e s ) targeted at the rural Indian audience. The tagline for the newly-launched series is “Smart bhi, Kifayati bhi”. The product lineup of the Eco Series, as of now, comprises iVVO IV1801, iVVO IV1805s, and iVVO Eco Beatz (earlier known as iVVO Beatz IV1805/IV1805s). The company has covered all of its offerings with a hassle-free service policy of a 201-day replacement guarantee and a product warranty of 455 days. iVVO has targeted the ‘Real India’ by keeping the prices well-within the slab of Rs. 669. All three devices feature a 1000mAH battery, MP3 and MP4 player, LED Torch, Bluetooth support, dual-SIM support, one-touch music access, 1.8-inch screen, GPRS web browser, wireless FM, megapixel camera and a storage space expandable up to 32 GB. IV1805s additionally includes a selfie camera and vibration mode.

Portronics Launches ‘Harmonics Talky II’ – Mini Bluetooth Earbuds Portronics, a prominent leader in the innovative and portable digital product market, has launched “Harmonics

LAUNCHPAD

Talky II” – a tiny inear Mini Bluetooth Earbud with a smart case for storage cum charging of the wireless earbud. The earbud and the smart case both have inbuilt rechargeable batteries. The case is pocket-friendly sized and allows you to not only keep the earbud secure when not in use but also to keep it charged at all times. Harmonics Talky II can be used for making or receiving phone calls from any Bluetooth enabled smartphone and for listening to high-quality music from paired mobile phones. This wireless earbud has 8 mm strong magnetic speaker with Acoustic Echo Reduction technology and Enhanced Noise Cancellation technology to reduce the noise while enabling clearer audio for the listener.

boAt unveils ﬂagship earphones NIRVANAA TRES with triple drivers in India boAt launches NIRVANAA TRES, a triple driver earphone with High Definition audio, deep bass sound, and an Inline microphone at competitive prices. Aman Gupta, Co-Founder said “NIRVANNA TRES is designed for the audiophiles, it is powered by Triple drivers which enables you to hear the exceptional with a blend of quality and comfort. It complements the user’s lifestyle and gives a definite fashion statement. boAt is taking the audio experience to a new height. We plan to bring such technologically advanced earphones like these in the near future.” boAt NIRVANAA TRES is engineered impeccably to deliver authentic sound. Designed for the music lovers and audiophiles, the boAt NIRVANAA TRES comes with an amazing commixture of style with performance. Having two dynamic drivers & one balanced armature driver is like having a high-end surround sound system in your ears. boAt NIRVANAA TRES is acoustically balanced with dual 6mm*2 dynamic & one balanced armature driver on each ear mould. The HD drivers enable the earphone to deliver a natural soundstage & rhythmic response at a wide Frequency range of 20Hz – 20KHz.

Ziox Mobiles Introduces Sleek & Stylish ‘O2 Feature Phone’ Ziox Mobiles announced another edition to its feature phone category‘O2’. O2 is designed to the dynamic needs of audience requiring feature-rich phone. Stylish & functional, O2 sports a compact design that gives users a comfortable grip and allows convenient one-hand operation. The phone with its 2.8’ Bright Display brings a clear and detailed view of the content on the screen. The

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Dual Sim phone is equipped with Dual Digital Camera along with auto call recording facility that records both incoming and outgoing calls with perfect sound precision. Enabled with Bluetooth and GPRS, the phone also offers easy access to the internet. The feature phone also supports Wireless FM. With a battery life of 30000 mAh & Memory which is expandable, the feature phone promises to enhance your multimedia experience and provide uninterrupted entertainment. With multi-language support, O2 comes in Black, Blue, Red & Golden color options. The product is already available in leading retail stores across India.

Enter the World of Close-Up Perfection with the New Nikon COOLPIX P1000 Super-telephoto shooting sees a new level of clarity and quality with the new COOLPIX P1000 announced today by Nikon India, a 100% subsidiary of Nikon Corporation Tokyo. A compact digital camera that combines superior photographic performance for highquality, breath-taking images with 125× optical zoom and enhanced operability for the user’s convenience, the new COOLPIX is set to be the new contender in the imaging world of optical zoom. “Optical experience and expertise at its best are the words best describing our new COOLPIX P1000. The camera boasts technological advancements along with superior imaging experience for our users. The ideal companion for super-telephoto photography be it birding, wildlife, or celestial bodies, the new COOLPIX P1000 endows our users with streamlined operability and high resolution quality that is built to impress.” says Sajjan Kumar – Managing Director, Nikon India.

Do Mobile launches feature phone M22 at just Rs. 1299 Do Mobile, one of the most innovative mobile handset brands in the country announced the introduction of its feature Phone M22. The recently launched phone is a basic 1.8-inch bar phone, with 2800 mAh battery, and is available with music control keys as main features. The newly launched M22 is priced at MRP of Rs.1299 and is known for its salient attributes like Dual SIM, 7 hrs of talk time, 1 year standard warranty and many more. It offers Snake & Sokoban Games, Video Format (3GP, MP4 & AVI), Phonebook 500 and 200 message Capacity and FM recording. M22 with body dimension 122.2*50*15.6 MM available in black color has many features that comprise Memory 32+32MB, 2 G Network, GPRSS/ WAP support, LCD 1.77 inch/QQVGA/128*160, Bluetooth, TF Card UP to 32GB, Speaker 30x20mm-2 in 1, Digital Camera and Resolution UT1253.

MOBILITY JULY 2018

ADVERTORIAL

DATA Technology announces the XPGSPECTRIX D80 DDR4 RGB, the world’s first RGB DDR4 memory with a hybrid liquid-air cooling system. Utilizing the combination of a liquid heatsink, an aluminum heatsink, and thermally conductive materials on the PCB, the SPECTRIX D80 offers comprehensive thermal cooling capabilities and delivers outstanding performance. The SPECTRIX D80 features a liquid heatsink on its top side that benefits from a non-conductive fluid to dissipate heat efficiently. It works in conjunction with an aluminum heatsink and thermally conductive materials on the PCB to offer comprehensive cooling. Equipped with programmable RGB lighting, the liquid heatsink isn’t just functional, but also visually captivating with the fluid completely illuminated for all to see. Users can customize the lighting effects by setting up patterns, pulse speed, lighting intensity and more. Lighting control is intuitive with the RGB Sync app, or users can use an existing RGB lighting control software from a major motherboard maker. Made for avid gamers, DIY enthusiasts, and overclockers, the SPECTRIX D80 provides a wide frequency range from 2666 MHz to 5000 MHz with support for Intel X299 2666 MHz and AMD AM4/ Ryzen platforms. Also, preconfigured Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) 2.0 profiles allow for quick overclocking, doing away with the need for adjusting individual parameters in BIOS. For added reliability and dependability, the module uses high-quality chips chosen through a strict selection process, while its 10-layer PCB offers improved signaling quality and stability, even when operating at high speeds or under heavy loads. ADATA XPG first introduced a

MOBILITY JULY 2018

prototype liquid-cooled memory design during CES 2018 in Las Vegas to much excitement. The XPG SPECTRIX D80 is the realization of the design’s viability for a commercially available memory module.

ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D80 RGB Memory Module Hits 5531MHz Mark: ADATA Technology announces that it has overclocked its XPG SPECTRIXD80 RGB DDR4 memory module to 5531MHz in a liquid-nitrogencooled configuration. The milestone was achieved through the joint effort of ADATA’s XPG team and MSI’s OC team. The result was confirmed by HWBot, and reaffirms ADATA’s strong R&D capabilities and the outstanding performance offered by the XPG SPECTRIXD80 RGB memory module. XPG SPECTRIX D80 DDR4 RGB is

the world’s first RGB DDR4 memory with a hybrid liquid-air cooling system. Utilizing the combination of a liquid heatsink, an aluminum heatsink, and thermally conductive materials on the PCB, the SPECTRIX D80 offers comprehensive thermal cooling capabilities and delivers outstanding performance. The XPG SPECTRIX D80 RGB memory hit the 5531MHzthreshold in a liquid-nitrogen-cooled configuration featuring MSI X299 GAMING PRO CARBON AC.

ADVERTORIAL

Customer Delight Program to retain and increase the acquisition

he retail format has changed over the years and people are now moving from organized multi brand stores, large format stores and malls to the digital platform. Take a look back at the past 2-3 years and you will see how the e-commerce industry has proliferated. An increasing number of Indians are ready to shed off the importance given to touch-and-feel and are ready to buy a product at the comfort of their couch. The benefits from digital formats don’t merely stop at discounts and home delivery. It has now enabled users from the small towns to access same products you will find in metros and has expanded the horizon for businesses. “Despite the rise of e-commerce, the physical stores still draw a significant shopping crowd. In fact, 91 per cent of all retail sales are still being generated in brick-and-mortar stores,” According to Mr. Manoj Seal(Director- Sales & Strategic Alliances) , “Any business selling at below cost is unsustain able and the ofﬂine/online retailers will quickly realize this -and stop the practice of selling products at predatory prices. Apart from building unsustainable business models, most of the retailers sell brands. One has to be conscious of respecting and protecting the integrity of the brand.” Different channel businesses have different types of customers to whom they cater to. Also, how successful the partner is depends on their skills and competencies in the ecosystem in which they operate. Many a times both, the channel managers and organizations fail to cater to the specific needs of each channel partner which is why many of the initiatives that are rolled out in the channel don’t really have the desired business impact. In today’s VUCA environment one of the major challenges in channel management is developing accurate forecasts & Deliver same. For businesses which are non - seasonal or typically retail, it’s relatively easy to predict within a few percentage points what the demand is going to be. However if a company or a product is in the growth phase in it’s life cycle or if the overall economy is in distress coming up with a forecasting model becomes a big challenge. This is where understanding goes with GOA ( Gifts on Air) with various types of assured gift vouchers for channel partners, to increase sales velocity. Gifts on Air provide a special Delight program to retain your customer and increase the customer acquisition. Mr. Manoj Seal (Director- Sales & Strategic Alliances) stated that we become bridge between ofﬂine & Online sales. It’s an innovative way of customer offering even up to 100% cash back in form of assured gift vouchers. While there are other types of discounting that may be very specific to a market segment or the above are some common discounting pertaining to channel management. To ensure consistent channel productivity to it’s fullest potential and create a tangible business impact it is imperious for the organisation and the channel to overcome through GOA (Gifts on Air) support. In India- retailers are looking to create a seamless shopper experience with respondents reporting that it is important or business-critical to integrate e-commerce and in-store experiences. MOBILITY JULY 2018

Mr. Manoj Seal, Director Sales & Head Strategic Alliances, Gifts On Air Online Solution Pvt. Ltd “By 2021, nearly 75 per cent of retailers will be able to customize the store visit for customers as a majority of them will know when a specific customer is in the store. This will be enabled through technology, allowing retailers to capture more data, accuracy and customer insights,” the study said. It said that innovative offers/working is gaining foothold in the retail space as such platforms help retailers gain insights into shoppers’ behaviors and paths in a given store, allowing them to make smarter merchandising and marketing decisions. We have analyzed such channel sales challenge through detailed understanding and implementing some of the best innovative assured gift solutions effective in modern times. In our subsequent articles, we shall discuss on resolving these challenges and how you can effortlessly gain business impact through GOA (Gifts On Air) Find more information about how Gifts On Air at https://www.giftsonair.com or call Mr. Umesh Dubey – umeshdubey@giftsonair.com, M. 9899060441

FIRSTLOOK

Vivo

NEX The smartphone comes with a premium glass back with curved edges and rounded corners, which rests comfortably in one hand. Ensuring a blend of futuristic design and ergonomics, a nano-precision laser has been used to engrave tens of thousands of dynamic color diffraction units onto the back cover. The smartphone introduces consumers to the world’s first Elevating Front Camera. The NEX is equipped with an 8MP front camera and a 12+5 MP rear camera set-up with Dual Pixel Technology, which enables superior shots every time. Unique in its functionality, the front camera emerges from within a slot on the top of the smartphone and retracts once the selfie has been clicked. Meanwhile, the rear cameras are equipped with OIS technology enabling NEX users to shoot blur-free and well-focused pictures and videos even in conditions where the subject or the photographer is moving fast. Leveraging the AI technology, the NEX’s camera is able to enhance each shot by detecting the photo conditions. Over time, the NEX’s artificial intelligence ‘learns’ to increasingly create accurate pictures. The AI suggests stylish filters after identifying photo scenes. Features such as Live Photo, Face Beauty, Backlight HDR, Portrait Bokeh, Panorama, AR Stickers, Filters, Slow motion, Backlight, Time lapse etc. makes the photography experience varied and interesting.

he Vivo NEX sets new industry standards with a 16.74 cm (6.59 inches) Ultra FullView™ screen resulting in 91.24% screen-to-body ratio and an in-display fingerprint sensor technology. The display is notch-free and offers an almost bezel-less 91.24% screento-body ratio with bezels of 2.16mm on the top; 5.08mm on the bottom; and 1.71mm on each side. Every millimeter of the 16.74 cm (6.59 inches) Super AMOLED display is devoted to creating an enhanced visual impact.

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The Vivo NEX comes with the innovative Screen SoundCasting technology, where the speaker system is inbuilt, as part of the screen display with no visible apertures or speaker mesh. This technology results in reduced bezel size and enhanced sound quality, without any distortion, while listening to music or taking calls. The Vivo NEX is also packed with groundbreaking Hi-Fi audio technology, three amplifiers and a DAC. The smartphone also features an OLED panel which serves as an earpiece.

GUEST COLUMN

New Bezel-Less Display with Screen is to Body Ratio is 18:9 & more is a new trend

he year 2017 is likely to be remembered as the year of transition whereas 2018 is likely to be remembered as the year of experiments for the smartphone industry -- marking the start of a second era of handsets for Indian consumers. With around 11% growth in Q1 2018 as per International Data Corporation (IDC), Indian Smartphone Industry has been witnessing a strongest start to a year and maintaining a healthy year on year growth. Handset players are attempting various strategies as they have different agendas to drive and achieve distinct goals. There can be no similar measures working for all the handset makers; however, one of the few focal pointthat the industry is currently trying to zero in on to succeed is to tap in to ‘Bezel Less Display Smartphones’. With the emergence of the Bezel-less display, the entire smartphone market has been revolutionized. The bezel-less display basically refers to a screen to body ratio of 18:9& 19:9making the phone display longer and bezels almost negligible. These phones have become so popular that many smartphone makers have started innovating and thus are making futuristic concept smartphones. This has forced brands to change their design philosophy with their ﬂagship phones creating a roar among the people and the full screen mobile phone experience tops the charts.Many companies like Intex, Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, Honor, Oppo, Vivo, etc. have introduced Bezel-less Display smartphones. These screens are basically designed for providing: 1. A Screen Ratio of 18:9 or above delivers a superior VR experience thanks to more screen area. When viewed through a VR headset, the content on left is seen by your left eye while the content on the right is visible to your right eye. Anbezel-less display shows more content in the same

MOBILITY JULY 2018

frame when compared to a traditional 16:9 screen when used for VR. 2. Most apps and websites are meant to be scrolled vertically on a screen. With a longer screen on your smartphone, one can easily view more content in the same frame and hence providing a great video streaming and gaming experience. It also enables device to become more reader friendly specially if one likes to read e-books and long articles. 3. The Bezel-Less Phones have been introduced recently and comes with Android 7.0 or above that has a built-in split-screen mode which lets you have two apps open simultaneously, side-by-side, for ease of use which enables the screen to be split into two perfect halves for each app in split screen mode. 4. These smartphonesgives a taller screen with slimmer bezels on the sides as well as top and bottom providing a premium design and implying that one gets phone with large 6-inch screen while overall dimensions remain similar to a phone with a traditional 16:9 aspect 5.5-inch screen. 5. The screen aspect ratio of 18:9 & more has made the smartphone accessible to people with visual impairments. Although, smartphone provide a triple tap magnification feature that users can access by going to setting menu in a smartphone and enabling the magnification tool. The longer screen along with the magnification features provides an access to read and view the contents to the people who squint to read or view the content. Hence, it can be concluded by saying that the bezelless display smartphones continue to draw a lot of traction every since its inception. The big screen size not only offers a premium look and design but also offers a great gaming and video streaming experience.

MOBILITY JULY 2018

REVIEW

COMIO ‘X1 Note’

With this ﬂagship device Comio makes an valiant attempt in the mid range segment. COMIO Smartphone with the new X1 Note marks its pan-India presence.

he device has a dual rear camera with 13MP + 5MP AF with Flash and front camera with 8MP. A photographer’s delight, the handset comes bundled with a set of camera modes like portrait/ bokeh, beauty, panorama, social and night mode. Designed to enjoy high definition to the fullest, the smartphone comes with a 6-inch full view FHD+ 2.5D curved display. The 4G-VoLTE dual SIM smartphone is powered by a 1.45GHz quad-core processor and has a 2,900 mAh battery. Design wise the Comio X1 joins the club of premium design smartphones. This device comes with a plasticky mirror finish on the back making it lightweight and has a curvy edge around the corner. It measures 8.05mm in thickness and weighs around 218 grams.The X1 Note boasts of ﬂawless slim ID design with a stylish mirror finish back cover in two colour variants- royal blue and sunrise gold. Comio X1 Note is shipped with Android 8.0 (Oreo) out of the box with March 2018 Android securitypatch.Itcomespre-installedwithGoogle Utility apps and a couple native apps. From the lock screen, users can access the camera, torch, calculator, Clock and voice recorder. It comes with a Miravision technology that enhances the picture quality. In addition to it, you also get App cloner, double tap screen, One-Handed mode and smart manager feature.

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Out of 3GB RAM, the user gets around 1.7GB when default apps are running in the background and out of 32GB, the user gets around 25GB free. Moreover, you can also expand the storage option up to 128GB through MicroSD card slot. Performance: The Comio X1 Note is powered by a Quad-Core MediaTek MT8735 processor clocked at 1.45GHz with Mali-T720 GPU. The performance was good without any major lags. The processor is supported by 3GB RAM of the device which is providing the power to deal with any task. Comio X1 Note has decent amount of internal storage of 32GB which is mostly found in budget range smartphones. The internal storage can be expanded further with the help of dedicated microSD card slot. Comio X1 Note has AF dual rear camera sensor of 13+5MP with ﬂash. The rear camera delivers clear and crispy images. The front camera is average.

REVIEW

KDM SP 24 Bluetooth Speaker

he India mobile phone accessories market has grown significantly in recent years with immense opportunities owing to substantial growth in the worldwide adoption of smartphones and tablets. Decreasing prices of mobile phones is increasing smartphone penetration, which in turn is surging the growth of the India mobile phone accessories market. KDM just announced its new Bluetooth speaker SP 24 which is an Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker with Handheld Music Box. This speaker delivers Clear Sound with a Dynamic Sound effect which is extremely powerful & loud. It provides hours of entertainment at an affordable price point. You can carry it to outdoor family picnics,

house parties, cultural events/festivals, outdoor sports sessions. As this is a Bluetooth speaker, it can wirelessly connect to your mobile phones and other Bluetooth enabled devices. The paring process is extremely user friendly and quick. Additionally this speaker also has the extra features of a USB port through which you can play your music by connection a Pen Drive, an Aux in slot to connect various other media devices, A Micro SD Card/TF Card reader to directlypluginyourPhonememorycardsifrequired& a FM radio to catch up with latest tunes on the playing on the air.

MOBILITY JULY 2018

MAKE IN INDIA

Jynex is manufacturing Earphones for various OEMS in India Jynex Inc. located in Okhla Industrial Area. Is now one of the key manufacturer of wired headsets for mobile phones as per International Standards, resulting in imports substitute for Indian users. Jynex is the brainchild of Mr. Rajesh Kapoor who has decades of experience in the field of manufacturing. Previously they manufactured motherboards and were supplying to different customers and OEMs in India through their channel partners.

In an interaction with Mobility India Mr. Rajesh talked about Jynex manufacturing capabilities, its product range and future plans. Q. Which year you started Jynex? Jynex Inc. was established in 2016, we started manufacturing earphones after doing technical research and survey for a year. I travelled to China to procure components. I believe earphones are a bit difficult to manufacture in India as compared to other mobile accessories,that is why there are not many earphone manufacturers in India. Q. Right now how many OEMs are you providing to? Please brief us about your production structure, capacity and staff profile? We are giving OEM supply to many mobile manufacturers and to the local market in India. We procure components from China in our plant at Okhla. Most of our staff is women, as we made it a point to provide employment to women and empower them. We train them step by step in different skills, how to work systematically; further we train them to be multifunctional. We manufacture different models of earphones used with feature and smartphone handset with different sound qualities. Q. What are the USPs of your products? How do ensure high quality? We provide after sales and service support so that RMA will be on zero basis. We are checking the impedance, resonance, frequency, polarity of the earphone using testing machines. Everyone wants great, high quality sounds from their audio system. Usually people want a sound that has a deep bass, a clear treble which is of a rich middle range so in an earphone, speaker plays a very important part. We can get them in different sound qualities depending upon the customer choice and range. Better sound means

better speaker and thus higher cost. But since we are manufacturing here so we can design and work as per the specific requirement of the OEM. Q. What is the cost advantage you have over your competitors? We are importing components which we assemble in our factory under the MAKE IN INDIA Programme whereas other importers import finish goods for which they have to pay import duty. So comparatively our production cost is less than those who are importing finished goods. Thus we can provide our products at a competitive and affordable price to OEM along with Local service support. Q. You have seen and analyzed the earphones market. What is your outlook about the Indian market? I believe the market will grow much faster as now most of the mobile phone companies are not providing earphone along with some of their models. The user will have to purchase from the local market. Thus this is the right time to promote our products for direct distribution for OEM. We have been constantly improving every department and introducing the first classed. Production Equipment & amp; Testing machine along with pad printing machine. We own excellent R&amp;D team and standardized management as well. Depending on their reports, we manufacture earphones with unique style, melodious sound, superior stereo sensation and high grade quality. Meanwhile, we are experienced in ODM and OEM. Although we have enjoyed a good reputation and won our clients&#39; trust as a reliable business partner, we will always adhere to our principle &#39;customers always come first & # 39.

SPECIAL STORY

Goods and Service Tax (GST) reform that was implemented in India in July 2017 has completed a 1-year term with businesses/ enterprises and consumers trying their best to adjust to the newest tax system.

uly heralds one year of the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in the Indian economy. More than 1 crore businesses have registered under GST, subsuming over a dozen different indirect central and state taxes. The last one year has been a period of apprehensions and uncertainty; however, with combined efforts of various associations and the government, lack of awareness and technological issues were deftly dealt with along with giving businesses enough time to transition smoothly. In the last few months, there has been mounting criticism on the implementation of this tax reform. Formats and frequency of returns, frequent lags in technology, refunds, Input tax credit and introduction of new elements like e-way bill have all added to the uncertainty amongst business owners. However, inspite of initial glitches and challenges, experts closely involved with GST from Day 1 feel positive about the long-term effects of GST. “The last one year has seen its fair share of ups and downs from a GST perspective. Businesses have had a tough time in coming to terms with the new law, the new processes and complying with GST. Industries across saw an initial slowdown but now slowly things are inching towards stability. The government too on its part has been working towards making things simple for the businessman and applying corrections as per feedback received from the ground. However, the new simplified regime proposed some time back hasn’t moved enough which is supposed to make it absolutely simple for businesses to comply and greater certainty over input tax credit” , said Mr. D S

Rawat, Secretary General - ASSOCHAM

“India’s new unified nationwide value-added system of taxation has come a long way in simplifying

MOBILITY JULY 2018

the complex tax structure of the country by replacing around 17 federal and state levies to unify a country of 1.3 billion people into one of the world’s biggest common market with minimal cascading and no double taxation, to promote ease of doing business. The introduction of the E-Way Bill system has resulted in smooth movement of goods and thereby significant reduction of turnaround time for transportation.Initial anxieties are settling, but still there is long way for GST to eventually be called a ‘Good and Simple Tax’. Robust IT system (i.e. GSTN network) with minimal fall outs, simplified system of return filing and matching of credits, further rationalising the 28% rate slab to exclude certain items of mass consumption like colour television, air conditioners etc. It might take another couple of years or more for GST to completely stabilise and settle down” ,Mr. Bimal

Jain, Chairman, Indirect Taxes Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry added. Mr. Bharat Goenka, Managing Director, Tally Solutions, Pvt Ltd commented, “To begin with,

getting a country the size of ours to do a complete transformation on the indirect tax front has been extraordinary in itself and something we should take a lot of heart from. What has been particularly encouraging is the continued commitment of the government to seek feedback from stakeholders on rules and processes and apply required corrections from time to time. However, the simplification of GST as a step towards making compliance simpler is still some distance away and one expects decisions to this effect to move faster. This is particularly important as one of the key learnings from the year gone by is that a semi-complete technical process, for eg. having GSTR 1 but no GSTR 2 is problematic both for the government as well as the taxpayer since compliance is not complete and confusion persists. The decisions

SPECIAL STORY for GST 2.0 have been taken and one is looking forward for its actualization so that the economic acceleration that GSTis capable of can come alive.” Going forward in the next phase of the GST cycle, the government will have to work towards making compliance simpler so that the resultant benefits can be felt by both the tax payers as well as the government. Taking key learnings from the last 1 year, ensuring adequate time is allotted to stabilize the technology backbone, providing required clarity and spreading awareness among key stakeholders will boost confidence and build morale in the economy. 1 year later this is what a Consumer Electronics and Durables industry expert Mr. Rakesh Dugar, CMD, Mitashi Edutainment has to say:

“The initial phase of GST was chaotic as there was a gap in understanding about the tax reform, however over the time, the move has proven to be a positive for the industry. This move has structured the consumer electronics and durables industry. The GST procedure has only helped us in organizing our structure which helped us in the smooth functioning of our business due to simpler tax structure which also made interstate the transit a lot easier. Today after 1 year of GST it is safe to say that these industries have overcome their initial problems and are looking at such changes with a positive perspective”

As Goods and S e r v i c e s Ta x ( GST) completes one year of its implementation,it was touted as the biggest economic reform since independence. The initiative was to ease the tax system in the country. One of t h e k e y benefitsunder the GST regime is input tax credit. This benefit was not available earlier in service tax regime. With a single non-complex ﬂat tax rate and the elimination of state-based taxes levied on procurement such as custom duty taxes and octroi, there has been a considerable rise in the available credit.The main aim of GST was to replace multiple indirect taxes with one single tax. It has streamlined tax compliance and diminished the room for double taxation. This measure has surely added a significant boost to the economy. This welcome reform has also safeguarded a smooth ﬂow of credit in the economy. Though GST has brought in ‘one nation one tax’ system, but its effect onvarious industries is slightly different. It mainly depends on whether the industry deals with manufacturing, distribution and retailing or is a serviceprovider. Each industry has its different GST out comings. Apart from thisthe key challenge that needs attention includes Tax input credit under composition scheme &amp; Incentive schemes for local manufacturers. Overall, GST has had its own set of learnings and is evolving day by day, however to bring an impact the government needs to structure and streamline the problem areas and bring in the policy related decisions to solve the problems. The road ahead is promising.

Tr a d i t i o n a l l y many businesses in India have not been under the umbrage of commercial taxes as they were highly a n u n o rg a n i z e d sector. With the advent of the GST Regime a majority of these businesses have been effectively brought under GST Umbrella clocking more revenues for the exchequer both at the Central and State level. This is one positive change that the GST regime has brought in. It has indeed been a blessing to accountants and has eased a lot of pressure off the accounting processes thanks to its countrywide uniform slabs of taxation. Prior to the GST Regime it was a nightmare for accounting ensuring compliance to the difference taxation slabs in different states. It has also provided an ease of inventory movement from one state to another without worrying about taxation related issues. And to top it, billing system has become more systematic and compulsory ,which gives positive consumer approach towards GST andalso filings and monitoring of all GST returns is done in the online portal savingphenomenal amount time and energy for the accounting teams.

Mr.Deepak Kabu, CEO, Ziox Mobiles

Mr. Manoj Kumar Pansari, CEO, Astrum

Therefore as said before GST has helped in controlling the unorganized businesses which were affecting the IT hardware business. This has directly benefitted ourbusiness in terms of expanding our customer base to reach to the unorganized sector. Currently there is a bottleneck in reclaiming the GST on Exports, if this process can be expedited it would ease the pressure on the export sector. MOBILITY JULY 2018

SPECIAL STORY

New GST rates Reduced from 28 per cent to 18 per cent  Washing machines  Vacuum cleaners  Domestic electrical appliances such as food grinders and mixers

& food or vegetable juice extractor, shaver, hair clippers etc

 Televisions up to the size of 68 cm  Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or freezing

equipment including water coolers, milk coolers, refrigerating equipment for leather industry, ice cream freezer etc.

 Storage water heaters and immersion heaters, hair dryers, hand

dryers, electric smoothing irons etc

 Lithium-ion batteries

The midnight launch event of GST on 1st July last year has thrown the entire unorganized sector in India off balance. GST has faced many obstacles in its i n i t i a l implementation stage as the tax slabs were changed several times, delay in refunds and technical glitches in filing returns, but the error, learn and rectify policy adopted by the GST Council with the centre and state working together, made it a success. They brought every sector effectively under the ‘ONE NATION ONE TAX’ umbrella generating more revenues and reducing the tax rates. The best thing GST has done is bringing the informal economy i.e. the cash-driven economy under its umbrella, which has made doing business across the country easier and has brought transparency to it. It’s been proven beneficial to the traders and the taxpayers as it has simplified the tax regime to a very basic level and is altering the economic landscape positively. No doubt it has made life simpler but nothing exist without ﬂaws and it’s the same with GST and it has miles to go. Still work is needed to be done towards rationalizing the GST structure. Besides all of it, they should make plans to include the excluded products – petroleum, alcohol, real estate and power into the GST net. Tally in association with Kantar IMRB has presented

Mr. Sharan Maini, Director, Business Developmen at JVC India.

MOBILITY JULY 2018

its findings o n thebusiness landscape post GST on the occasion of the first anniversary ofthe new tax regime. As per t h e s t u d y, the number o f businesses u s i n g accounting software hasgone up from 1.45 million in 2016-2017 to 2.87 million in 2017- 2018.1.67 million businesses indicated that they adopted a business software because of GST implementation. Research emphasizes that, for GST Compliance, 57% businesses bought or upgraded software for GST while 43% bought hardware or hired employees/ engaged with CA. From an internet usage perspective, the top 3 use cases for businesses aregeneral information, Online Banking and tax filing. The top 3 challenges in the current business environment as seen by businesses includeUncertainty about the future,Financial Management and Monitoring of business Performance. The study was conducted with a total of 2251 respondents from Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities and towns. Apart from this, Tally has also released data from its customer support wing, Tallycare where out of a total of 2 million+ support tickets generated in the 1 st year of GST close to 25% had to do with GST.Among these the top 4 topics includedGST Calculations, Reverse charge Mechanism,Resolving Mismatches and Generating E-Way Bill.

SPECIAL REPORT

In spite of the fact that Apple is one of the top brands in the world and iPhones being the hot products worldwide for several decades past, in India, Apple is struggling to manage its supply channel and increase its sales in the world’s most desired Indian smartphone market. Three key Apple Executives Exit Three key executives in India have quit Apple in the recent weeks, as the brand struggles to boost iPhone sales in India, the world’s fastest growing and the biggest and fastest growing smartphone market, people familiar with the matter state. Among the executives who left Apple include its National Sales and Distribution Head, the Head of its Commercial Channels and Mid-market Business, and the Head of Telecom Carrier Sales, state the people who do not want to be identified. Apple’s Indian sales team is now undergoing a complete restructuring. The current exodus of Apple’s executives is seen as a symptom of the brand’s woes due to high tariffs that are inﬂating the price tags of imported gadgets such as the iPhone, making the consumers gravitate towards cheaper alternatives of phones from the likes such as Xiaomi and Samsung. The company’s policy to market iPhones that are

MOBILITY JULY 2018

outdated and still importing instead of manufacturing its latest models domestically in India is adding up import levies, are cited as the other reasons for the present mess. Apple’s inability to grow the business and its single-digit market share stand in stark contrast to the publicly upbeat comments of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who used phrases like ‘very bullish’ and ‘very optimistic’ when speaking about their India business. Caught up in the web of challenges is Michel Coulomb, who took over as the Head of Indian operations in December 2017. While Coulomb has a rich experience in carrier -led sales, his team has been slow to cultivate business relationships in the market, the analysts feel. Apple also had difficulties understanding the Indian market, leaving the sales team directionless. The company’s representatives in India didn’t respond to emailed questions. Apple’s failure to get going in India compounds its troubles elsewhere in Asia--the iPhone X for instance has been a disappointment in China.

SPECIAL REPORT

In India, where it has a market share of just about 2%, Apple sold just 3.2 million iPhones in 2017, according to Counterpoint Research. In the first half of 2018, fewer than a million devices moved. “iPhone India sales were weak in the first half of 2018 and, even if they show a big jump in the traditionally strong second half, Apple will still fall short of its last year’s performance,” said Neil Shah, Research Director with Counterpoint.

Apple sees Urgent Need to Restructure Distribution According to market sources, it is learnt that Apple has recently decided to keep only two distributors, instead of 5

Earlier, any sub-distributor could sell anywhere in India. Now, Apple has made structural changes where each subdistributor is authorised to operate only in his own area and not allowed to enter the areas of other sub-distributors. If the Apple management sees anyone violating the instructions, they are going to take immediate action and can even cancel the distributorship of that distributor. This step is expected bring more order into the Apple’s market operations and restore the confidence to the consumers. The step is also expected to improve the Apple’s brand image and rebuild the confidence among the consumers and among the sub-distributors.

ris Computers is one of the top 10 ICT distributors in India. Commenting on the recent shake up and restructuring in Apple’s management ranks and distribution channel, Sanjiv Kishen

expresses, “Apple’s decision to limit their number of distributors to two-- Ingram Micro and Redington in India--a right step towards consolidation, because managing bad credit and defaulters has become a big issue for Apple as much as it is to most other vendors and distributors in India in general. A company like Apple, in fact, does not need many national distributors, but should concentrate more on how to

Mr. Sanjiv Kishen,

Chairman, Iris Computers (a leading ICT distributor in India)

manage operations well at the levels of the regional and the local distributors and how to manage credits and returns.”

distributors they had so far, after phasing out the other three, issuing termination orders. As per observers, the poor control over pricing where each sub-distributor has started selling the products at discounts to make quick cash which led to upset the MOP, is one of the reasons that drove Apple to take this initiative. According to observers, Apple’s decision to keep only two distributors--Ingram Micro and Redington, is a positive step. From the beginning, there have been complaints from the retail front that sales of Apple phones have been low. Many partners were selling online giving big discounts. As a result, the whole market got imbalanced. This also gave the consumers the feeling that they are being fooled as they are getting the products cheaper in online than from the retail. This is another reason behind Apple’s decision to cut the number of distributors. A few months back, some sub-distributors had been reportedly selling more than some of the regional and national distributors of Apple. The observers feel the decision to cut the number of national distributors is a wiser one and will be have positive impact on customers’ confidence as they will get phones at controlled prices.

Michel Coulomb fixing the distribution structure for Apple in India As a part of new strategy, Apple has announced the phasing out of Brightstar, Rashi Peripherals and HCL Infosystems from Apple’s national distributors’ list and the terminations will take effect from early 2019. Apple has decided to sell directly to large retailers and online partners. This will be undertaken from the new distribution centre that Apple has set up at Bhiwandi, near Mumbai. According to sources some senior officials were involved in unfair dealings with a few distributors to push up sales and achieve targets by offering deep price-cuts and discounts. Soon after Michel took charge as a new India chief of Apple, he is determined to resolve confusion and reconstruct the distribution network in India.

Falling Behind Đ Apple has struggled to improve its iPhone sales in India Đ High-tariffs in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market inﬂate the costs of imported gadgets like iPhones Đ As a result, consumers shift towards cheaper alternatives, such as Xiaomi, Samsung Đ Apple also had difficulties understanding India, leaving the sales team directionless Đ Apple sold only 3.2 milion iPhones in 2017 in India, a mere 2% mkt share

MOBILITY JULY 2018

APP

Klook App

look is your guide to tourist attractions, travel activities and local experiences

and plan holidays you’ll never forget. Discover thousands

around the world. Book tickets at the best

of experiences, day trips, guided tours and shows.

prices anywhere and enjoy savings on day trips and holidays. One you download the app its very easy to explore what Klook has to offer, from popular destinations to trending activities, plus Klook’s own recommendations. All the info you need for each location is in one place, complete with ratings from real travelers. You can also create your wishlists. Once you’ve made a booking, the voucher is saved automatically in the app, and you can see it ofﬂine.

What you will get: Find travel activities, from sightseeing tours to shows,

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Browse experiences and curated adventures, read reviews, find the best prices and enjoy the savings. Discover exclusive deals and savings on amazing attractions, sightseeing tours and shows. Book tickets for local adventures and day trips safely and securely with global credit card and Apple Pay coverage. Klook will guide you as you plan holidays and browse reviews. Explore museums and tourist attractions, discover a new city with sightseeing tours, or take the path less travelled with activities that will turn your holiday into an unforgettable adventure.

INTERVIEW

”Even the smallest product of Quantum of just Rs. 99 comes with 1 year warranty, justifies our tag line “Reliable IT Solutions” is due to heavy competition that brings cut throat price points too. Furthermore, International dependability results in losses due to forex ﬂuctuations. Q. As you are manufacturing all of your products in India, How you feel the Make in India initiative by this current Govt. affects this segment? Well, “Make-In-India” is a good start but currently India lacks the eco-system for making in India. A very simple example of this is – When we want to build a product, the sample testing in China happens within a span of 1 week Vs India would take more than 15 days. The turnaround time in India is so long because we don’t have the band width and also the resources, also lot of brands claim to Make in India but the fact remains its mere Assembling in India and not ‘Make in India’. So this is where, we have faced our biggest challenge. Also, a lot of components/machineries do not suit the needs. Though India has a lot of potential for “Make-in-India” the pathway will have its own set of hindrances. Q. What are the strong points of Quantum Hi- Tech products?

Mr. Ashish Mutneja, Director, Quantum Hi Tech Q. According to you how is the IT peripheral market in India?Challenges & Opportunities. India has the biggest economy in the world in which IT industry happens to be one of the most dominating industries when it comes to business. Every international brand is gradually entering the market, thus opening a pathway for them to start their new venture in the IT Industry. “Make In India” is one such Governmental initiatives that has helped in strategizing the brands and expanding it by opening their own manufacturing unit in India. It offers an opportunity to become a manufacturingled sector in India from being predominantly consumptiondriven. With the electronics sector expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, avenues will open for manufacturers to invest in the Indian market. Companies are looking at increasing their manufacturing base in India to serve domestic markets. However, to ensure that this momentum keeps pace, the industry and the Government need to work together in order to make the Indian electronics industry highly competitive. The IT industry is also open an open market to newcomerswhich further gives them opportunities to make a name and create their own base in the market. The market also welcomes the latest technology thus opening a gateway for new products entering the market. The new space India entails Opportunities along with its own set of challenges. The biggest challenge faced is large working capital required compared to profits. Due to the very dynamic and fast changing landscape it results in inventory losses for the company. Also though the brands these days focus on Quality, Consumers are not very appreciative of quality all the time; this

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Indian consumers are typically price conscious and Quantum has a plethora of products in different price points to suit all. Our strenuous efforts has given us an edge over our competitors and made us front runners in the competition. Our R&D team does extensive study on the demand pattern of our consumers. They attempt to understand the consumer’s needs to suit them better. Adding to which, we also have got good after sales service support. Even the smallest product of Quantum which is just mere Rs. 99 comes with a 1 year warranty. Which proves our tag line “Reliable IT Solutions” Q. What are your future plans for your product categories, any latest product that you are working on. Quantum as a Brand aims to be Future ready & keep up with the Industry Trends. One of the key category of interest we focussing upon includessmart wearables, smart watches& also virtual reality headsets.We at Quantum are also planning to introduce Wireless charging pads and Power banks, focussing to better the build quality and Charge-Discharge Cycles as against what’s there in the Industry. Q. What will be the future trend in the Mobile accessories market in India? Saturation of market will take place and only key players will remain as even big brands have started to play at very effective price points. Q. Plans for 2018-19 Due to the fickle, unpredictable nature of the Indian market, we do face rigid competition. But Quantum remains an undeterred brand. To satisfy the expectations from us, we do have an entire range of products lined up for the next year. This year, we also will focus on strong expansion in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with our products and establish our sales touch points in every targeted region. Instead of the small niche of high end products we shall continue to focus on affordable devices that can empower the masses of India.

NEW ENTRANT

“Innovation, Variety, Value and Omnipotent that’s iVVO” Mr. Pradipto Ganguly, CEO and CoFounder – Britzo. In an exclusive interaction with Mobility India Mr. Pradipto Ganguly, CEO and Co-Founder – Britzo, elaborated about its smart range of products and why it is targeted at and designed keeping in mind the consumers in tier-III, tier-IV, and tier-V markets.

lot of research went behind the name “iVVO’ ,after lots of ideation and debate we wanted to summarise the words “Innovation ,Variety ,Value and Omnipotent ‘ that’s how iVVO was born. BRITZO is a pioneering communications brand and the latest entrant in the Indian mobile phone market. On a mission to drive the now-ubiquitous digitization towards the rural heartland of the country, BRITZO leverages its in-house innovations in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to offer a technologically evolved alternative to feature phones. Its smart range of products is targeted at and designed keeping in mind the consumers in tier-III, tier-IV, and tier-V markets Our mission is “TO PROVIDE A SMART MOBILE TO EVERY INDIAN AT A QUALITY WHICH BRINGS A SMILE TO THEM”

Brand positioning Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We strongly believe in Make in India and our handsets are Made for India. Led by innovation, engineering excellence, we have been able to incorporate futuristic technology into feature phones to make them smarter. We are committed to an unparalleled service across Real India to make sure that the customer is always serviced. Our handsets are the new era Smart Feature Phones MOBILITY JULY 2018

power-packed with innovative features. Our end-to-end products are targeted at and designed keeping in mind the consumers in tier-III, tier-IV, and tier-V markets. We have our presence registered in 17 states – UP, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, NESA, Gujarat. By end of Q2 we intend to establish ourselves PAN India. “The Eco Series is the perfect conﬂuence of features, cost-effectiveness, and entertainment that is soon going to redefine the mobile phone experience of the ‘Real India’, which is essentially our target audience. Since our market foray, we have been experiencing an extraordinary demand for our product offerings. We are confident that the Eco Series will further emerge as a crucial milestone for us, as we make deeper inroads into the country’s rural hinterlands.” Currently in our product portfolio we have 8 Smart feature phones in different categories .We have different categories catering to the different needs of the customer ,like “ECO Series “ is for the pocket conscious ,RUG for the Rough Users ,Selfee for the Selfie lovers ,Primo for the ones who needs style on the move and Beatz for the Music Frenzy Ones .Very soon we are coming with the smart 4G Feature phone Skipper meant for our rural and semi urban customers to have great experience of 4G Facility at an affordable price.

Channel Strategy Our primary focus is on the ofﬂine market as of now we do not have any plans for online in feature phone, as per the market strategy we may plan to go online as well.

PROMO

MOBILITY JULY 2018

Date of Pub: 10th July, 2018| Postal Dt.: 16th & 17th of same Month/ Posted at NDPSO

R.N.I. No. DELENG/2004/14198

Postal Reg. No.: DL(S)-01/3442/2016-18