A subsidiary of Micromax, Yu Televentures, has partnered Cyanogen
Which offer customised user experience to end-users.announced its decision to launch a new smartphone brand "Micromax Yu", which will honour "warranty on rooted devices" as well which will be sold "online ONLY"– a clear departure from the usual policy of offering warranty only on devices which have not been rooted. No smartphone manufacturer offers warranty on a rooted device.
Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma said
“We’re targeting all tech enthusiasts who will be able to bootstrap the device and play with it,”‘Bootstrapping’ refers to the process of rooting a smartphone.Focussed on the fast growing segment of tech enthusiasts.Users of the brand will be given bootlegger access to help them come up with software updates they would want on their phones.Besides the above, the brand plans to engage with the users directly and actively by giving them a forum where they can voice out their ideas, opinions, give their feedback and suggestions for further improvement. Softwares will be updated fortnightly.Beside these smartphone the company also planned to launch Smart watch and smart Shirts.
Speaking about the partnership, Cyanogen’s CEO, Kirt McMaster said:
"We’re excited about this partnership as we share a common vision around a powerful user-focused mobile experience. It’s only the beginning as the partnership unfolds. Micromax + Cyanogen = revolution."
The first Yu devices will be launched by the newly floated unit, Yu Televentures, owned wholly by Micromax in December 2014 Details of the device and pricing were not disclosed.
Deal between Cyanogen & OnePlus
Earlier this year, OnePlus signed a deal with Cyanogen to launch the first ever smartphone running CyanogenMod out of the box and promising frequent updates and support directly from Cyanogen. Carl says that the understanding was that Cyanogen will continue to support the OnePlus One for at least an year in markets spanning 17 countries(excluding India)We are not clear what sort of a deal OnePlus had with Cyanogen, except that Carl clarifies thatit was surprising and disappointing to hear from Cyanogen on November 26 that they had granted exclusive rights in India over the Cyanogen system to another company. Prior to this, OnePlus and Cyanogen have successfully cooperated to release the OnePlus One or carry out commercial operations in 17 countries and regions (including India). It is truly unfortunate that a commitment we both made to our Indian users will now not be upheld.
Micromax isn’t the first one to go this route. Few weeks back, Huawei announced that their HONOR series of smartphones will be solely sold online. Lenovo too has gone ‘online exclusive’ for its VIBE series of smartphone, while its new Internet services subsidiary will launch on April 1st next year. Also, many believe OnePlus is backed by another Chinese maker Oppo. Gionee too is expected to announce a completely new brand catering to the online market. Clearly, Xiaomi and OnePlus have forced many companies to think different and take an online-only route. But unlike Xiaomi, Micromax and others have considerable (and strong) offline presence, so it makes sense to separate their online business with a completely new brand.
Carl Clarifies in A Letter To Our India Users
Micromax isn’t the first one to go this route. Few weeks back, Huawei announced that their HONOR series of smartphones will be solely sold online. Lenovo too has gone ‘online exclusive’ for its VIBE series of smartphone, while its new Internet services subsidiary will launch on April 1st next year. Also, many believe OnePlus is backed by another Chinese maker Oppo. Gionee too is expected to announce a completely new brand catering to the online market. Clearly, Xiaomi and OnePlus have forced many companies to think different and take an online-only route. But unlike Xiaomi, Micromax and others have considerable (and strong) offline presence, so it makes sense to separate their online business with a completely new brand.
