Apple's new iPad is coming to India on April 27, 2012
and the Apple sells the new iPad for a bit more than what we expected.
The new iPad 16GB Wi-Fi only model is priced at Rs.30,500 (inc. VAT)
i.e., 1000 INR more than what its previous version (iPad2)
was priced when launched in India.
                                      Apple's new iPad Features:-


Processor:- A5X CPU (Quad Core processor).
Dimensions:- 9.50" height (241.2 mm) and 7.31" width (185.7 mm).
Memory:- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Screen Size:- 9.7" LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Camera:- 5MP iSight camera; FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos,videos at up to 30 fps.
Resolution:- 2048 x 1536 px
Battery:- 42.5wt rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Connectivity:- Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0
Audio formats supported:- HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes
Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and
AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video formats supported:- H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with
AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up
to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second.
Viewable document types:- .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and
.html and all office documents.
Voice Over screen reader.
What's In the box:- new iPad, Dock Connector to USB Cable, 10W USB Power Adapter,
User guide.
The new iPad Prices in India
Wi-Fi only
16GB : Rs. 30500
32GB : Rs. 36500
64GB : Rs. 42500
Wi-Fi +4G
16GB : Rs. 38900
32GB : Rs. 44900
64GB : Rs. 50900.

Six months after ministry of human resources and development formally launched Aakash tablet, barely a few hundred units have reached the hands of students. The manufacturing of the device has been stopped and now the ministry and Datawind, the manufacturer of the tablet, are focusing on Aakash 2, an upgraded version of the tablet.

Datawind concedes Aakash tablet, which is supposed to digitize the way students study in India, has not been a success in its first version. But it squarely blames IIT Rajasthan, the nodal agency overlooking the project, for the fiasco, saying the concerns over the tablet's quality and functionality were overblown by the institute in a bid to "favour other firms" .

Datawind's CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli, told TOI that after winning the bid to manufacture Aakash tablet with a cost of $49.98 for each unit, the company had supplied 10000 tablets to IIT Rajasthan. The units were part of an initial order of 1,00,000 tablets. As soon as few hundred tablets reached students as part of pilot project, IIT Rajasthan started rejecting Aakash tablet, allegedly after reports that the device was failing during pilot testing and did not meet the quality criteria set by the institute.

Tuli, however, disagrees. "IIT Rajasthan was simply trying to defame us by saying that we could not meet the quality required by it," he says. "When we were awarded the contract, there was only a specification sheet. But when we started supplying the tablets, IIT Rajasthan started rejecting the tablet based on biased and unscientific testing methodology. "

"IIT Rajasthan put up roadblocks. It jeopardized the whole project. I can say the dirty tricks by the institute put us around six months behind on the project ... they did it because they were favouring other firms... Even now, the institute is trying to sabotage the project," he adds.

There are reports that IIT Rajasthan has been issued a showcause notice by MHRD last month over the Aakash failure . The notice asks institute to explain why it did not set up a tablet testing facility and procedure in time and why it failed to resolve its dispute with Datawind. Incidentally , the institute also worked with Wishtel, a company that launched lowcost tablet called Ira last week. TOI tried contacting Prem K Kalra, director of IIT Rajasthan, over the email and phone but he wasn't available.

Datawind says that after the fiasco, it had to take back the tablets supplied to IIT Rajasthan. "We have not been paid for a single one of them. But mission is more important to us... we believe in Aakash project," says Tuli.

The company is now working on Aakash 2, an updated version of the original tablet. It will have a capacitive screen instead of resistive and hence support multi-touch . It will also have a better processor - based on Cortex A8.

"We are working with IIT Mumbai for Aakash 2 and will start supplying the tablet to government this month. Our original order for 1,00,000 units has been transferred for Aakash 2 now. After the order of 1,00,000 units is met, MHRD will invite bids for more tablets. We will bid again," says Tuli.

Kapil Sibal, minister of human resources and development, said that Aakash 2 will be available in May. Datawind also sells a commercial version of Aakash tablet called Ubislate. Tuli claims the firm has received over 3 million prebookings for Ubislate.