Technology
Updated : Mar 11, 2018, 06:58 AM IST
The "BGR Dream 500 million Smartphones" event kicked off today in New Delhi, with a packed audience and a multitude of speakers from the smartphone industry. Every one from phone developers to microchip manufacturers to e-commerce website spokespersons were called in to share their views. So here's a little insight from the event, to give you an accurate picture of what smartphone companies have planned for India's future.
The first session was with Hugo Barra of Xiaomi, a brand that has attained ever-soaring popularity in India in a very short time.
Show Me The Money! That’s how you pronounce Xiaomi teaches Hugo Barra #Dream500M http://t.co/79vtP8iMNh
— Nirmalya Dutta (@nemothegreat1) December 17, 2014
"The Indian mobile consumer is the most demanding and vocal customer we have," is what the man had to say of local consumers. But he believes that the Indian market is also very close to his brand's home market in China; "Many cultures in one with opportunities to build hyper-local experiences."
"Users in India, from our early data, actually tend to prefer the English UI even with a local language available." @hbarra #dream500m @BGR
— Marco Angelo D'Souza (@marcodsouza) December 17, 2014
But while he believes the smartphone industry can eventually cater to Indian needs for efficient, cheaper-priced devices, Barra is of the opinion that the main roadblock on the way to exposing the entire country to the smartphone revolution is a lack of affordable connectivity.
Most imp thing about the smart phone revolution in India is that people will be discovering the internet #dream500m says @hbarra
— Harini Calamur (@calamur) December 17, 2014
There is nothing that can stop the #dream500m smart phones. But connectivity at affordable prices says @hbarra
— Harini Calamur (@calamur) December 17, 2014