And now there are notebooks.
Sub-Rs 30,000 notebooks? They could be coming
That amazing Manu Jain and his sweethearts have launched the Mi Notebook series in India yesterday, you know. And the prices are very very amazing, as per everyone in this team (I am an old woman, darlings, for me, a notebook still is something that has paper in it). But a lot of people were also a little bit surprised at the fact that the Mi Notebook range started at around Rs 41,999, which is sort of like a mid-segment, like Rs 15,000 for phones, where there are already devices from other players. I too was expecting that Xiaomi would be bringing laptops (can I call them that, dearies, “notebooks” confuses me) at a lower price as well. Something at around Rs 30,000 or maybe even lesser. Well, a lot of little birds tell me that Xiaomi will be doing just that.
Rs 30,000? They could start at less than Rs 20,000
But they won’t be Mi Notebooks but will come with Redmi branding. From what my sources – they talk so much to an old woman, darlings – tell me is that Intel Core i3 and lower as well older generation Core i5 devices are likely to come with the Redmi name in India. And the prices are going to be stunning, sweethearts. We could be looking at a Core i3 laptop starting below Rs 25,000, as per one or two of the people I spoke to. Some others could start even lower, even perhaps below Rs 20,000. The range is likely to go up to around Rs 33,000, after which it is going to be the zone of the Mi Notebooks. From what my sources tell me, they will be manufactured in India, and will also be very different from those launched in China.
More colors, yay!
As they are like to be targeted at the student and budget notebook audience, the Redmi Notebooks are likely to be designed differently. Although they will not be as premium (they will have more plastic, and are unlikely to use the same kind of RAM and storage) as Mi Notebooks, they will be colorful and will still look very attractive. And Xiaomi is also likely to play up factors like battery life – with eight to ten hours across the range, and a lot of connectivity and ports. I am so getting them Redmi Note feels from these ones. No Chromebooks, though, sweeties, all of them are likely to be on Windows 10 (Home). The big question I am sure everyone will be asking is when can these be expected in the Indian market? That is where there seems to be some confusion, sweethearts. Some folks say they could come in mid-July, to coincide with the reopening of schools and colleges in India (expected in late July and early August), but others say they could come in early August or might even be launched close to India’s independence day, on August 15. Of course, these are just rumors. For all you know, my sources could be getting it wrong – shame on them for lying to an old woman if they are. Or of course, maybe that handsome Manu Jain will decide to redefine something else.
