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After building jet fighters, submarines and other
weapons, Pakistan military has built a homegrown version of the iPad
named PACPAD 1.
It all comes together at an air force base in Kamra in northern
Pakistan, where Pakistani engineering and Chinese hardware assembled the
PACPAD 1 and it is available in the market.
The device runs on Android 2.3, an operating system made by Google and
given away for free. At around $200, it’s less than half the price of
Apple or Samsung devices and cheaper than other low-end Chinese tablets
on the market, with the bonus of a local, one-year guarantee.
Supporters say it will boost the economy as well as a troubled nation’s
self-esteem.
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The PAC in the name stands for the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, where
it is made. The PAC also makes an e-reader and small laptop.
Only a few hundred of each products has been made so far, though a new
batch will be completed in the next three months.
PAC’s website at https://www.cpmc.pk says the goal is “strengthening the
national economy through commercialization” and lauds the collaboration
with China — something that likely resonates among nationalists.
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PAC officials say a second-generation PACPAD will be launched in the
next three months, able to connect to the Internet via cell phone
networks and other improved features. It said the Kamra facility could
produce up to 1,000 devices a day.
During a brief test, the tablet with its 7-inch screen appeared to run
well and the screen responsiveness was sharp.
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"The original is the iPad, the copy is the PACPAD," said Mohammad Imran,
who stocks the product at his small computer and cell phone shop in a
mall in Rawalpindi, as quoted by AP.
Mohammad Akmal, who went to the store in Rawalpindi to check-out the
product, said in the review, "It seems good, but operation-wise I have
to look into it ... Within a month or so, we will know."
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