Powering Mobiles and Smart Devices Cover Stroy by Mobility india

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Powering Mobiles and Smart Devices

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he number of electronics applications that have become portable in the last 20 years has risen dramatically with the evolution of battery technologies.

Cover Story The cleantech market intelligence firm estimates that portable power represents 55% of the global battery industry, with the stationary and motive battery sectors accounting for the balance of the market. The firm’s analysis indicates that portable power’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% will outpace growth in the other two sectors.

The portable power batter y market has grown significantly during this same timeframe across a variety of consumer and industrial application areas. While this sector was initially Advanced battery technologies constrained by supply-side limitations, the market has matured and is showing hold the potential to have a major steady growth. impact on how portable devices are A report from Pike Research used in a variety of consumer and forecasts that the portable power sector industrial markets. However, batteries will continue expanding at a healthy are governed and constrained by rate over the next few years, rising a set of electrochemical laws that from $25.3 billion in global revenues prevent them from achieving the in 2012 to $30.5 billion by 2015. kinds of advancements we have seen in the electronics industry. There is no Moore’s Law for battery technology, but a large number of innovators are actively seeking ways to significantly improve the performance of batteries.

RAJESH DOSHI Director - Purchase & Marketing, Topnotch Infortronix India

Pike Research forecasts that the largest market growth will continue to be in batteries for laptop computers and mobile phones, driven largely by ongoing increases in unit shipments. Other major growth categories will include portable navigation, military applications, medical devices, power tools, and instrumentation/sensing. A few application segments, such as batteries for portable AV/music and digital photography, will experience flat to negative growth between 2010 and 2015. Power Bank Strategy in India According to Rajesh Doshi, Director - Purchase & Marketing, Topnotch Infortronix India, the company always looking forward to engaging with its set of customers in interesting ways and power bank is surely an emerging segment.

confident of capturing a good portion of this market with good quality VFM products,” he adds on. According to Sudip De, Vice President, ADATA Technology India, “ADATA India’ main product line being storage, recently we forayed into mobile power segment with 2 new products. One a mobile power bank ADATA PV100 and second a wireless charger for mobile phone supporting wireless charging model CE700. With these 2 news products, we are going full throttle with our distribution network in creating awareness on the products, its USPs, technological benefits over the competitive products to the front ending sales team and channel partners alike. Apart from our distribution setup, we are also working very closely with a chosen set of partners have specialization in mobile segment to create awareness amongst the mobile channel partners. On the other front, we are also working along with leading ecommerce portals to create awareness amongst the end users directly,” he informs. As per the v iews of Rajan Sharma, VP Sales – DIGILITE, “We have recently launched DIGILITE powerbank series with 3 models with 5200mAH & 6600mAH power. Our products come with Samsung battery, LED charging indicators, LED torch, overcharge short circuit protection & over Discharge Protection. We are looking customers who are quality conscious & need higher batter backup,” he adds on. He is quick to add that as more and more people carry portable electronic devices like - laptops, phones, smartphones, tablet PC, digital cameras, camcorders etc to enjoy the benefit technology brings us the power bank requirements are shooting up. “We expect market size to be almost equal to atleast 50% of current MID,Smartphone market. We are working closely with our IT & TELECOM channel across India through our distribution partners Ingram Micro, Redington & Supertron Electronics. With their reach & consistent business in IT as well as Telecom channel in selling MID products from SAMSUNG, APPLE,DIGITAB etc, we have opened up excellent opportunity of customers & users to experience our DIGILITE Powerbanks,” he explains.

“We always strive hard to offer the consumers quality products at reasonable price. We have a range of power banks in Zebronics called Power Grid. Our products in this range are very competitively priced and come with one year warranty, so one can buy and use them with peace of mind. Mobiles and tablets are very fast growing market segments. As these mobile devices gets more processing power and better displays, the battery requirement also goes According to Sundeep Popli, COO up. There is lots of scope for power banks, in this segment. We are very at LAPCARE, the company started

TEJAS SETH Director, Asia Powercom

“As the market is increasing and in demand, it is very difficult to judge how big the market will be. But we think there is more than 50% connect ratio for all small phones being sold. The competition is from all angles. It varies from branded ones to unbranded Chinese powerbanks but in general it depends mainly on what segment one operates,” power banks about six months ago and it will be its prime focus product for the coming future. “We have introduced complete range starting from 2200 mAh to 15600 mAh. Currently we have been selling power banks through our channel partners across the country but going forward our strategy for power bank is to maximize our presence in Multi brand outlets and Mobile segment. Our key strategy would be to leverage our strength of Lapcare brand is the battery & adaptor segment. As Smartphones and mobile devices are gaining more popularity in India, there is also increased demand for the mobile accessories. According to industry estimates, the size of the market for mobile accessories is about 1,500 crore. Mobile power banks are making their way into the ‘a must have’ among the most popular accessories like Mobility April 2014

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Cover Story LAVA 520 (5200mAh) & LAVA W880 (8800mAh) Power Banks, The Right Companions for Your Smartphones and Tablets LAVA 520 5200mAh Power Bank-cum-Wireless Router is an attractive buy for charging smartphones and tablets (via a USB port) and connecting to Internet, while on the go. It creates a Wi-Fi hotspot from your 3G dongles or Ethernet connection, and supports up to 32 users access to Internet. W520 has a massive inner battery of 5200mAh, which allows up to 8

hours of continuous use and up to 10 hours of standby time. The W520 has two access modes: 3G wireless access (via WCDMA, EVDO and TD-WCDMA) and cable access (via WAN or LAN ports). This wireless router-cum-power bank has a a maximum bandwidth of up to 150 Mbps. The maximum transmission distance of this device is 50 meters outdoors and 30 meters indoors. Charging this Lava power bank is facilitated by the availability of multiple charging options like via a PC or laptop USB port, power adapter and mobile charger. W520 comes with an MRP Rs 2999 and MOP approx Rs 1950. Lava W520’s Rj45 port is covered which protects it from dust, water, particles, etc. LAVA W880 mini portable power bank is potential accessory for Smartphones and tablets for peace of mind during long outings. LAVA W880 has a massive 8800mAh battery, enough for three full charges of most smart phones and one full charge for most tablet devices. Battery Charging time is 6-8 hrs. LAVA W880 comes with an MRP Rs 2999 and MOP approx Rs 2500.

protective cases and covers. We will continue seeing mobile Powerbanks to dominate for few more years in the market,” he adds. According to Tejas Seth, Director at Asia Powercom, the company has tie-ups with the LFRs, mobile distributors, retail stores to increase its presence in the retail chain that target the powerbank segments. “As the market is growing, it is very difficult to judge how big the market will be. But we think there is more than 50% connect ratio for all small phones being sold. The competition is from all angles. It varies from branded ones to unbranded Chinese powerbanks but in general it depends mainly on what segment one operates,” he adds on. As per Arun Ghosh, Managing Director, CyberPower “Today the main expectations of the consumers, who are more aware of technology and other aspects than ever before, are looking for features such as quality, reliability, green performance, etc. when making products-related decisions. Mobile Power Bank is the ideal design for charging and powering USBpowered devices ANYWHERE and ANYTIME, including cell phones, MP3/IPODs, PDAs, handheld gaming systems and cameras. We serve all Geographical and demographical segmented buyers who have common needs or characteristics of buying Power Bank Products. Our strategy is to create awareness through regular BTL activities, Schemes, Print Media, Social Media, Events etc. Young generations and working 16

Mobility April 2014

class are fond of electronic products and thus growth of sales is high in these market segments,” he adds. Competitive Scenario Speaking about the competition in India, Rajesh Doshi says that the market is evolving at a very fast pace and so, the technology. “There are many branded and non branded products available in this segment, where the competition among these is also high. We have a team of engineers, working on power banks to provide best products by adding new features and making them tiny and lighter. Zebronics Power Grid range of products is unique in design and steady in build quality. Power Grid products are also well appreciated by the media and critics and we have got many good

reviews on it,” he adds on. As being put forward by Sudip De, since the market is wide open and un-fragmented, there are many players foraying into the market. “Also with the segment being new, there are many regional brands and players who are also present. As of now, this is a wide open market and many non-IT players are also jumping into bandwagon as not much technical know-how and expertise is required from the players,” he explains. Speaking about the competitive landscape, Rajan Sharma says that this market is currently driven by sub-standard imports, which needs to be checked. “We are one of the few established companies to bring DIGILITE powerbank with proper specifications, IQC & post sales network,” he adds.

“ADATA India’ main product line being storage, recently we forayed in mobile power segment with 2 new products. One a mobile power bank as ADATA PV100 and secondly a wireless charger for mobile phone supporting wireless charging with a model as CE700. With these 2 news products, we are going full throttle with our distribution network in creating awareness on the products, its USPs, technological benefits over the competitive products to the front ending sales team and channel partners alike. Apart from our distribution setup, we are also working very closely with a chosen set of partners that have specialization in mobile segment to create awareness amongst the Vice President, ADATA Technology India mobile channel partners.”

SUDIP DE

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Cover Story Tejas Seth says that Asia Powercom has three SKU’s for this, AP-2600C the unique powerbank with LED torch in it, AP-5200C the high capacity Lithium rechargeable battery with double USB port and AP-4000A India`s slimmest Powerbank. “Our strategy remains the same as to gel with the market with new innovations & feel of the products. Meeting the demands of the customer by providing them with the new products, feature rich, well designed and all at affordable price. With the introduction of 4G, the Smartphones and Tablets are the segment where we can expect the high growths. The rapid growth in internet, digitalization and increase in mobile internet users are some of the trends reshaping the growth in smartphones as well as powerbanks sectors,” he adds on. According to Arun Ghosh, Managing Director, CyberPower, nearly 60% of

Accessories market is Unorganized and 40% of the accessories market is organized. Customers today are much aware of the products and are willing to buy the branded products rather than the cheap local brands with poor quality products. Competition is adhering to the product that has innovative features, quality, price and reach. Major Players in this segment is Sony, Samsung, etc. which are considered as our major competitors. We provide reliable computer battery backup systems, power management applications, and series of computer accessories for desktop, workstation, and network equipment. We have wide range of solutions for all kind of Power Needs that are, Line Interactive UPS, Online UPS, Emergency Power Systems, Power Distribution Unit, Solar Inverter / Chargers, Power Inverter, Mobile Battery Pack, USB Car Chargers & Inverters, USB Hubs, Cables, 3G Wi-Fi Dongle etc. In Portable battery bank categories we

“ W e h a v e i n t r o d u c e d complete range starting from 2200 mAh to 15600 mAh. Currently we have been selling power banks through our channel partners Sundeep Popli across the country COO, LAPCARE but going forward our strategy for India power bank is to maximize our presence in Multi brand outlets and Mobile segment. Our key strategy would be to leverage our strength of Lapcare brand in the battery & adaptor segment.

Global Cellular Battery Trends

obile phones are no longer just for talking as they now serve as users’ personal assistants and enter tainment centers. This trend has largely altered the landscape of the global mobile phone market. As for smartphones, Apple, Samsung, and HTC are the three giants in the industry, and the competition between them has been heating up over the recent years. Cellular battery, as the main electricity source of mobile phone, is redefined by the rise of smartphones. In order to cater to smartphones’ slim sizes, smartphones’ batteries are built-in, which in turn emphasizes the importance of supplementary power. Smartphone Market Ruled by Two Giants In terms of the total shipments, Samsung’s self-supply of the key components allows it to replace Nokia as the number one in the industry. Samsung started to develop entry-level cell phones as early as 2000 and officially became number one in North-American sales in 2008. Due to the climbing demand, Samsung has been increasing the smartphone portion in its production. As of 2011, Samsung’s self-owned smartphones accounted for 45% of the total production, and it will further go up to 65% in 2013. Unlike HTC and Apple’s sole dedication to smartphone, Samsung stably increases its share in the traditional cell phone market. Thus, the users of Samsung’s traditional cell phones may later switch to using Samsung’s smartphones. Apple and HTC targets the smartphone market from the getgo, so their strategy is to acquire high-end users first and then low-end users. Continuous improvement and innovations is the key to remaining the top-dog in the high-end market. Apple’s business sees stable growth due to its continuous innovations. On the other hand, HTC still pales in comparison with Apple. HTC’s target market overlaps with that of Apple, and on top of that, Samsung has carved up a chunk of the smartphone market. As a result, HTC is facing a fierce challenge in the mid and high-end smartphone market.

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Smartphone Propels Built-In Battery Growth In the past, cell phones usually used standard batteries (replaceable batteries) in order to cut costs. However, due to smartphones’ requirements for product designs and slim sizes, a fair amount of smartphones use built-in batteries. All Apple products use built-in batteries as Apple emphasizes on the product design and portability. All Apple products’ batteries and packaging are tailor-made in order to optimize the products. As for Samsung’s smartphones, some use standard batteries and some polymer batteries. Samsung’s 4-inch and 5-inch products use standard batteries in order to have better battery lives. HTC’s strategy is similar to that of Samsung, but the portion of built-in batteries starts to rise since 2012, expected to reach above 30% by the year end (15% in 2011). Affected by Smartphone’s booming popularity, many components have undergone certain drastic changes. For example, battery is crucial to smartphone due to its high electricity consumption, and therefore, battery life becomes a pressing issue. That and the demand for trendy design make built-in battery more and more popular. The biggest advantage of built-in batteries is that it is compatible with the slim and trendy product design. Most high-end smartphones use polymer batteries, which are difficult for users to replace. Most smartphones with built-in batteries can be recharged through USB port or wireless charger; the former is the most common solution for most products. Power bank is another solution that supplies the products with electricity through electric socket. Wireless charger is still a relatively new solution and is currently only for high-end users. Although there are several solutions, they can basically be categorized into two kinds: power recharge and supplementary power. The edges of power recharge solution are low cost and high applicability, which makes it the mainstream solution for the time being. As for supplementary powers, although backup battery is the more popular choice now, it has its weak points. Backup power might make a better choice under certain circumstances.

Mobility April 2014

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Cover Story have launched four products, viz. CPBC2200 / CPBC4400 / CPBC5200T / CPBC10400. These USB Battery Pack products are a rechargeable lithiumion battery designed for powering mobile devices including phones, MP3 players, cameras, and handheld gaming devices while away from other power sources. CyberPower’s CPBC5200 Series USB Battery Pack Received World’s First Power Bank Product Certification from UL. Designed to be applicable to power bank products worldwide, the new safety evaluation standard conducted by UL specifies the requirements intended to reduce risks of personal injury from fire, electric shock or other hazards. Therefore, equipment complied with this standard could be deemed as certified safe hence the significant recognition for users and potential customers. CyberPower, the professional solution provider in power industry, always designs and manufactures products with care and attention to fine detail,” he adds on. Power Bank Products and Solutions

Talking about the various offerings of the company, Rajesh Doshi from Infortronix says that, “We have named our power bank products as Power Grid. We have 3 models currently, ZEB-PG2400, ZEB-PG4800 and ZEB-PG7200 with 2400mah, 4800mah and 7200mah capacity respectively. The ZEBPG2400 comes with built in torch for additional convenience. The ZEBPG4800 and ZEB-PG7200 comes with dual output of 1A and 2A. All the 3 products are easy to use, light weight and tiny in nature. All the necessary cables and adapters are bundled with the power banks. Speaking about Adata products, Sudip de says that, “as of now we have introduced 2 products, Powerbank PV100 and Powerbank PC500. Apart from this another product introduced by ADATA is CE700 – a wireless mobile charger. Some of the key features that we have are to keep users priceless gadgets free from damaging are, overcharge protection, over discharge protection, short circuit protection, over voltage protection, over current protection and over temperature protection. These features have been developed by in-house R&D team and surely going to be leading the path for growth for ADATA in this segment,” he adds on. He also adds that at present, Adata is working very closely with its existing distributors and regional distributors and their channel partners.

Arun Ghosh Managing Director, CyberPower

“We don’t consider the low brand competition as customers today are much aware of the products and are willing to buy th e b r a n d e d products rather than the cheap local brands with poor quality products. Competition is adhering to the product that has innovative features, q u a l i t y, p r i c e a n d reach.” 18

Mobility April 2014

“Apart from this we are also exploring the mobile segment, which eventually will be one of the key drivers for the growth. To create awareness in the market, we will be doing road shows and channel meets specifically in the mobile segments and highlighting the products USP to the partners. Apart from this, with Internet penetration increasing manifolds, we are also working closely on reaching out to end users through this medium. With the usage of smartphones and tablets increasing manifolds and the power situation not improving immediately in India, power banks are going to play a pivotal role to keep people connected. Upcountry markets will lead the path for this segment in terms of growth in the coming quarters. The demand will be for not only higher capacities but people looking in for features to safeguard their devices,” he explains. Speaking about the competition in this market segment, Sandeep Popli from Lapcare says that, “Broadly we have two types of competition. One is from brands that compete on their value proposition and other competition is from China brand which can offer anything for price. We try not to compete on price. Our products have unique values and offerings,” he explains. Power Bank Trends As per the views of Rajesh Doshi, in today’s world, everyone wants to stay connected, no matter where they are. Mobile devices are helping people for faster and stable communication. “As these devices are getting more powerful and better, they are utilizing more battery for its processing and multitasking abilities. Power banks enable the users to maintain their communication for longer hours

Rajan Sharma VP Sales – DIGILITE “We have recently launched DIGILITE powerbank series with 3 models with 5200mAH & 6600mAH power. Our products come with Samsung battery, LED charging indicators, LED torch, overcharge short circuit protection & over Discharge Protection. We are looking customers who are quality conscious & need higher batter back-up, We expect market size to be almost equal to atleast 50% of current MID,Smartphone market.” and help them on the move. As more and more people are shifting to Smartphone and tablets for computing needs, accessories segment for these devices will also grow,” he explains. According to Sudip De, usage of smart phone, tablets, digital cameras, portable gaming consoles being on the increase, power bank segment is one that is surely to keep rising in the coming quarters and give partners an ample opportunity for growth. As per the views of Sandeep Popli, “Our focus is on high end products. We keep in mind the aesthetic values of the products and also the value proposition. Our product offering starts from 2200 mAh power bank and goes up to 12000 mAh. We will soon be launching power banks as high as 30,000 mAh capacities. Our unique solution is that we offer in built cables for all kind of mobile phone models. Our go to market strategy depends on the market which we plan to address. For IT and Retail market we are distributing products through RX Infotech P Limited. For markets like Gujarat and Maharashtra, we have set of Regional Distributors who are distributing the products in the market. Beginning from March we will be appointing Mobile accessories & mobile phone distributors as our RDs for power banks & other mobile related products. With the high growth on smart phones & also with a strong base of smart phones already in India, this market is going to grow many folds this year.” He adds on. www.mobilityindia.com

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