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: from vendors like Novatium show a market size of 50 million consumers in five years. Intel’s John Mcclure asserts that low cost initiatives and build-up of broadband can help bring India to the same level of growth as China was at the same stage of development. This translates to a growth of 30-35% for the Indian PC market compared with the current forecasts of 20-25% CAGR over the next four to five years.

But as the race to serve the computing and connectivity needs of the next billion kicks off, tough issues face the vendors. For one, there are no success stories. All price warriors—Usha, Sterling’s Siva, PCL, Wipro’s Janta PC, Simputer or the Rs 10,000 PC—are today known mostly for their mistakes. Also, no one is sure of the right formula till now. Will stripped down versions work? Which computing and connectivity needs are top priorities of SEC C and D households? Will the volumes support a market-driven model or will subsidies drive the growth?

No one seems to have the right answers. But the recent experiments have thrown up clues to what is not likely to work. “Nothing has worked so far,” admits Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT Chennai, who helped incubate a thin PC with no local storage. “Stripped down versions won’t work and neither would the solutions that solve only a part of the problem. We need PC as a service with broadband and complete maintenance,” he quips.

To appeal to a first time user, complications in running a PC need to be weeded out. It needs to work like a TV or a DVD player. In fact,the industry’s dream is to sell it like a cellphone where most buyers don’t bother which processor or operating system has gone into it.

“It is important to offer a complete solution and users don’t need to worry about its components. It should be sturdy enough for Indian conditions and a vast service network should be available,” says Ajai Chowdhry.

Software is also an essential part of the equation. Most of the solutions, especially at the bottom of the pyramid, offer Linux. Analysts fear that Linux desktop is for technologists and not first time PC users.

It will work only if someone makes a user-friendly front-end. Chowdhry’s MiLeap claims to be doing exactly that. The entire ecosystem is now ready for this product, he asserts.