Dell India to roll out low cost notebooks in April

BANGALORE, INDIA: Dell India, the Indian unit of Dell Inc (DELL) said it is planning to launch low cost customised notebooks in the country by April.

"Dell is developing new models of notebooks catering for the customers in India," Dell India Vice President and General Manager Rajan Anandan said adding that the new models would hit the market by the second week of April. The new products would be customised to the needs of the Indian consumers, he added.

Besides, it is also in talks with retailers in India for selling their products. "We are developing plans for retail operations," Anandan said without specifying a time.

Though he declined to disclose any further details about the firms retail plans, a Dell India official said the company was in advanced stage of negotiation with interested firms in India.

In India, Dell currently follows its traditional model of selling computers over the Internet or by telephone and is not into retail operations here.

Dell said, revenue at its Indian operations grew 60 percent on year to $700 million in 2007. "Dell is a $700 million business in India, a growth of 60 percent over 2006," he said.

Moreover, as a part of its expansion plan, the company also plans to raise its computer-making capacity at a plant in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu from the current 400,000 units a year.