I will tell you what will happen.
The guy will run away with Rs. 145 crores.
That's it.
Classic snake oil strategy.
"Freedom 251," World's cheapest smartphone launched in India for 251rs.
- Thread starter PH0ENiX
- Start date
The guy will run away with Rs. 145 crores.
That's it.
Classic snake oil strategy.
3G data. 300/रु
3G Phone. 251/रु
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ये कोनो फिरकी ले रहा हे
3G Phone. 251/रु
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ये कोनो फिरकी ले रहा हे
raksrules
Elite
It's like that ink jet printer thing where printer is super cheap compared to recurring costs of the new cartridges.
cellar_door
Adept
So this phone was launched in a "Make in India" event. Embarrassing.
Didn't any government official confirm/verify the company/product before simply promoting it in the programme? To the people behind the phone please be trolls please be trolls. Its not only about the price but the product itself. Questions should've been raised by the govt. side. Was it an original or rebranded? Was it really made in India or assembled even? Why was the Adcom branding on the phone whitened out?
Keep in mind that the whole event was widely telecasted. I bet all the major tech sites in the world are covering the launch and digging for more infos. I mean the product was not even in a "Beta" phase for ****'s sake. It was a ****ing rebranded phone. Humiliation not only for the government but also the people.
This whole "Make in India" is turning out to be joke. Right from the logo. Sham. Carelessly done is what i will say. Too gullible.
/Rant ends.
I wasn't aware of it. But in my defence mine had the real infos warranted enough for an OP thread.
Its basically advertisement for the governments initiative.
They have already generated massive buzz. Most likely they will make 5000 copies. Sell them. And then no one will remember it exists. Like that super cheap tablet that was there a couple of years or so ago. Or the super cheap laptop for students that was there a few years before that.
That I'm aware of but my question is why is the govt. resorting to that stupid move? Cant they genuinely do something about it? All i see in the media is investment investment and even more investment...without the friggin' product!
Regarding the phone in question I don't think the company could've done it without some form of the govt's backing or protection or some shit, which leads me to think why the govt. endorsed such a gimmicky product. If it was released in some other private event the issue wouldn't be as bad and people would simply pass it off but it had to take place in a fancy "Make in India" event when it's not even made here. And now i can see some reports doing the rounds that the "govt. is keeping a close watch on the issue" because of all the controversial buzz in the social media, i mean like wtf? You need people on facebook and twitter to tell you that you screwed up? We now know that the govt. had no idea what it was doing and what it is doing.
Personally I'm all in for genuinely Made in India products, but I just don't want the govt. to think that the people so stupid as to fall for cheap tricks or gimmicks.
blr_p
Skilled
heh, this is what happens on indiegogo & kickstarter. 4 months can slip and one can get an email saying we need some more funds.
Here is an example.
http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/01/jolla-confirms-the-sailfish-tablet-is-dead/
People paid much more than Rs.500 for that. And no, there isn't any legal recourse because you're not paying for a product but a damn concept (!)
but that money is already spent
Doesn't Kickstarter refund back the money to their backers for failed projects?
Only in early stages otherwise Nope
i_rock098
Adept
Just a clarification on the subject, the phone manufacturers have admitted that the government is in no way involved with this phone and is not giving it any tax subsidies.
I feel we Indians have a habit of blaming everything on the government. it's cold today, government is to blame. Cat crossed my path government is to blame. I got low marks in exam, government is to blame. Sallu bahi is not getting married, government is to blame.
I feel we Indians have a habit of blaming everything on the government. it's cold today, government is to blame. Cat crossed my path government is to blame. I got low marks in exam, government is to blame. Sallu bahi is not getting married, government is to blame.
The govt. may not be directly involved in the "production" of this phone but as reported a zillion times already the phone was "promoted" in a "Make in India" event.
No one gets to launch a product/company/whatever in an event without the knowledge or permission of the organizer. This event happened to be a govt.-initiative. So the govt. had to know about the phone even though its a gimmick. A proper organizer wouldn't let such a very silly mistake tarnish its image. But no proper care was taken here. Else the phone/company would've never made it into the programme. So yes this thing has the govt.'s touch even though not directly.
Secondly you're wrong about the tax subsidy. "Make in India" product/company including startups have tax subsidies. Why else would the govt. promote it in the first place and why would someone make something here when it can be made cheaper in China?
i_rock098
Adept
Thirdly you are wrong
Last night, Ashok Chadha, President, Ringing Bells took to answering media questions post the launch event and also explained how the company plans to achieve this low price point, and ‘still’ manage to sustain. Firstly, he cleared the air about subsidy by saying there is no government subsidy involved, but the company plans to benefit from economies of scale.
http://m.tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/heres-why-the-freedom-251-costs-just-rs-251-300016.html
LOL I hope you realized that the so-called "world's cheapest phone" is just a rebranded phone so its actually not "made in India"=no subsidy. Get it?
Did you even read the news? Do me a favor and read the whole thread.
Economies of scale my ass. They don't even have a working prototype. Using another company's phone with the original logo hidden with a whitener is not a product in "Beta" stage.
i_rock098
Adept
Do you even get off your high horse to read what I wrote in the first post? I said this particular phone is not getting any tax subsidies. Next time read before writing.
blr_p
Skilled
Think of it like the stock market. You put it only what you can afford to lose.Doesn't Kickstarter refund back the money to their backers for failed projects?
Then dream
Sigh. Oh I'm sorry i have neither a horse nor am I high. I was only trying to correct a misinformed member who seemed to have misinterpeted what others said. I wonder if you yourself even understood what you posted or even cared to read what others have posted in the thread.
Your example of blaming everything on the govt. when we only talk about a flopped and gimmicky product here validates my point so nothing will be able to beat sense into you. So have a good evening.[DOUBLEPOST=1455990011][/DOUBLEPOST]
Ya I understand the stock market but I didn't know that there was no guarantee of getting the funds back for failed projects. I wanted to back some gaming projects. Now that I know a little bit its risky even though the amount may not be high. Thanks for the warning. Will wait for the final product from now on. :X[DOUBLEPOST=1455991548][/DOUBLEPOST]Okay here you go.Think of it like the stock market. You put it only what you can afford to lose.
Then dream
Boldened for a reason.
http://indianexpress.com/article/te...dom-251-is-a-ponzi-scam-bjp-mp-kirit-somaiya/
We were right guys.
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What economies of scale? I have never seen such hogwash. Use some common sense. As far as I can see, its a phone fully made in china and being imported. The best that ever gets done in India under the pretext of manufacturing is final assembly and maybe making the boxes to put them in. And let me assure you that it would cost cheaper to import a phone fully assembled and branded in China than it would to have any of the steps done in India. Manufacturing costs on the level of china simply doesn't work in India. You need to abolish all labor rights and laws to get anywhere close to that.
Understand that no scale and evasion of taxes and duties (they are already under IT investigation now) and alternative income strategies is going to bring down a product that costs 2300 to make down to 251. The only thing scale is going to do in this case is increase the losses.
If they intend to stick to their sales target, their investors would have to lose over 1000 crore. Show me the investors who are stupid enough to be ready to lose over 1000 crore over a no-name company trying to sell a cheap Chinese phone and I might just as well take their help to kick off a new startup to sell snake oil. If they are stupid enough to lose 1000 crore over these antics, snake oil business might also appeal to them.
i_rock098
Adept
Well it's an obvious scam, they are just sugar coating it.