Latest Update: Infibeam’s CEO – Vishal Mehta has confirmed the development of the reading device.He has also conveyed that the reading device is in final stage of development but refused to divulge any further information. Infibeam just after the story publicly announced the launch of its E-book store, a precursor to its reading device plans.
Update:This news was meant to be very exclusive but broke out in certain pieces just yesterday mid-night by another source as we were advised to wait for few days for the entire story.
The huge worldwide success garnered by Kindle, e-book reading device has taken Amazon into the fast lane. According to a reliable sources Indian E-commerce retail portal Infibeam want to repeat the same success into the Indian market by launching a reading device named ‘Pi’ supporting regional languages.
(Pic only for representation and not of actual product)
The source informs us that the reading device has reached past conceptual stage and the portal has even started talks with many publishers to sell proprietary digital content on its device. The device is expected to be named ‘Pi’ not ‘Pie’ as speculated by another media news as we have found out the – infibeampi.com, product related domain name was just recently registered in name of Vishal Mehta – Infibeam’s CEO.
The main attraction for this device would be the support for various Indian languages along with its better pricing and higher availability on Indian shores. Amazon kindle has started support for free international wireless connectivity for its reading device in many countries and we feel this device will come with similar connectivity options like 3G/EDGE/GPRS.
The device will also look at supporting Indian newspaper subscriptions so as to increase revenues & adaptability in Indian market. Infibeam’s renewed focus on books segment was seen from its past tie-ups with future group and IN.com. The retail portal also started selling digital e-books for iPhone and similar devices from quite some time.
How does Reading Devices mint Money?
Digital Selling:
Reading devices like kindle supports proprietary DRM-restricted format’s like AZW. Amazon allows users to download its repository of books into its proprietary format so as to read on the device. The device supports PDF, Mobi & PRC format too.
The digital selling has turned into a big business proposition for Amazon as traditional book buyers switch to digital reading devices.
Digital/News Subscription:
Amazon also sells newspaper and magazine based subscriptions to kindle owners for a fixed monthly outgo. The recent addition of international wireless services has also made it a success in global arena.
Will it Change Infibeam’s fortune?
India till date does not have any credible digital reading device supporting regional languages. If Infibeam could deliver what it promises then it could proliferate the use of reading devices in India.
The pricing of this reading devices will decide its fate in Indian market. In my opinion the device needs to adopt sub-Rs.8000 pricing in order to deeply penetrate into Indian markets as international version of Kindle is available at $259 (Rs. 11500 ex-duties).
Overall this product may provide a shot in arm for the retail portal continuing to build up its varied e-retail businesses as they can leverage their retail network in selling this device. The main revenues will certainly come from the e-books subscriptions and will also attract competitors like flipkart to take action.
Kindle has been replacing textbooks abroad and with recent Indian government’s initiatives to lower the school bag burden on Indian school goers and encouragement to digital education we can expect the same thing here.
Will you buy Indian based Kindle if it was to be made available at Lower price?
All the best infibeam.
This company seems to be inspired thoroughly by Amazon. Not only the Pi but also the website look and feel.
I wonder how they will compete with big MNCs like Amazon and Sony. I have tried ordering books from Infibeam and experience has been quite poor.
Yes Preetham, I agree their books shipment is quite poor. I have gone back to buying books online from http://www.indiaplaza.in or http://www.flipkart.com – both offer timely shipments although Indiaplaza prices are lower. Infibeam is always delayed.
Just to point out, the kindle may be only 259$, but if you try to get one that works in India, after duties and all it comes to over 17k! I know you mentioned ex-duties pricing, but just to point out the extremely high price after duty
Infibeam looks like following Amazon to a large extent, at the first sight their logo is quite near to the Amazon (Including font type:) ). Not sure to what extent they would succeed with this product. Looking forward for more insights on PI.
Interesting. The Pi sounds very innovative and I love the fact that it will be able to support regional language. I have a Kindle now and love it but am looking to ‘upgrade’ sometime this year. I love the Nook and the new Asus lineup looks promising and inexpensive-
Really excited that we’re going to have an eBookReader that supports Indian languages. btw, I’ve been a big fan of Infibeam. They’ve always delivered on time for me be it books or my gifts during festivals. Looking forward to Pi!
wow. I want a piece of Pi
btw I’m a UI designer and don’t understand this whole thing about Infibeam UI being like Amazon. There is that orange button at top which is definitely same. However, the header navigation is completely different. The page layouts are different. Amazon does not show so many products on the home page. Infibeam has this unique widget based search for products. Each has its uniqueness and commonality but so do other websites. I like it. Waiting for Pi!
Infibeam is just following Amazon.com in Website Look, Business strategy, Business model etc. But what should they follow is business practices below –
- Keep the price so low like amazon
- Give a prompt shipping & delivery
- Good customer service
Pi can nowhere be compared to kindle or iPad.
I wonder if this device supports Search & Bookmark features. The present pricing (Rs.9999)looks high with the features provided with the present version. Perhaps this could have been priced at 5K~6K. Infibeam is charging the manufacturing cost US companies ti the Indian customers which is not fair enough. If they come out with better pricing, there can more buyers.
good post..