When Intel recently predicted $99 tablets for the upcoming holiday season, it must have forgotten last year's deals. Those included a $49 7-inch Android tablet Black Friday special from Walmart, not to mention a $69 one from OfficeMax.
A year later, such deals look like they're coming back. Walmart already has some pre-Black Friday online specials available,
including an Android tablet from third-tier brand Xelio for the
familiar $49 price. Like last year's Black Friday deal, it includes an
anemic 4GB of onboard storage, but this year's model offers a roomier
10.1-inch screen.
Likewise, the leaked Toys "R" Us Black Friday ad
shows a Polaroid-branded Android tablet for $49.99, though this one is a
7-inch slate (again, with just 4GB of user-accessible storage). And
regional retailer H.H. Gregg has a 7-inch Android tablet on sale for
$69.99 as part of its pre-Black Friday special. (Yes, it has 4GB of storage as well.)
With most Black Friday deals still under wraps, these appear to be
early indicators of more cut-rate tablet specials to come. They're
invariably using Android for obvious reasons, though they're more likely
to use an older version of the OS that is powered by basic specs (no
Retina-quality displays, no latest quad-core processors). Given their
status as the anti-iPad in terms of price and cachet, what is the impact
of these bargain-basement tablets?
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