Acer Inc. 2353.TW -0.20% is planning to launch an Android tablet priced around US$99 early next year, a person with direct knowledge of the project, said.
The world’s fourth-largest PC maker by shipments hopes to be the first big-brand company to launch a tablet priced to jostle with Chinese white-box tablet makers for consumers in developing countries.
Taiwan PC maker Acer plans to release a low-cost tablet early next year. The WSJ’s Eva Dou explains why the company is pricing its tablet below the market price.
At seven inches with a 1024 x 600 resolution screen and 1.2GHz dual-core processor, the so-called Iconia B1 tablet will have somewhat similar specs to Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -1.78%’s Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Inc. BKS -0.20%’s Nook Color. But Acer plans to undercut those best-selling tablets’ $139 price tag by offering the Iconia B1 for around $99, the person said. The final shelf price will be determined country-by-country.
There is a caveat, of course: It’s aimed at emerging markets. While the device has been submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for clearance, it’s uncertain whether it will actually be sold stateside.
