Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and CEO of HCL Infosystems Ltd, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Picture by Prem Singh

New Delhi, Jan. 15: Small is definitely big this year. HCL Infosystems today launched a laptop for only Rs 13,990.

Billed as the world’s cheapest ultra-portable laptop, the MiLeap will be available in two series — X and Y — at a starting price of Rs 13,990 and Rs 29,990, respectively.

The cheapest laptop in India (made by Calcutta-based Xenitis Infotech) now comes for a little less than Rs 20,000. Mumbai-based Allied Computers also plans to launch laptops priced at Rs 14,999 this year.

HCL will start shipping MiLeap units from January 26, which will be available at all HCL retail outlets and distribution centres. Weighing less than a kilogram, the MiLeap laptop has a seven-inch screen and is equipped with an Intel processor.

“HCL pioneered India's first micro-computer, the first desktop personal computer and the first home PC. The range of MiLeap laptops could herald a new milestone for the company,” said Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and CEO of HCL Infosystems.

HCL commands about 7 per cent of India's laptop market and expects to gain a greater share with the launch of MiLeap, Chowdhry added.

Analysts said there was a market for cheap laptops in India and HCL would gain if it entered into a sales pact with educational institutes and government departments.

At the end of the last financial year, India’s PC population consisted of a million laptops and 5.4 million desktops. Laptops are expected to double this year to 2 million while the number of desktops are expected to cross 6.25 million this fiscal, according to research firm IDC.

“Unlike a few years ago, when only companies bought laptops, home users are now buying them. While desktops are growing annually by 15-18 per cent, the laptop market is expected to grow by 80-100 per cent,” said Vinnie Meta, executive director of the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT).

Both series of MiLeap laptops will be made at HCL’s manufacturing facilities in Pondicherry and Uttaranchal. “We will manufacture these PCs at our two plants in India. Initially, we will use our Pondicherry plant and then involve the Uttaranchal plant,” said George Paul, associate vice-president (marketing) of HCL Infosystems.

The company’s two plants have a combined capacity of two million units. “If the demand for laptops rises, we are also open to scaling up capacity by setting up another centre,” he added.

The costliest model of the the MiLeap X series will be available at Rs 16,990.

The high-end Y series, priced between Rs 29,990 and Rs 39,990, could have multiple navigational features such as touch screen, thumboard, stylus and touch buttons with Windows Vista (Home) as the operating system.