Future Mobile Technology (FMT) has partnered with PEP Stores to release a 'budget' tablet.
According to FMT, the netsurfer Touch, which can be purchased through PEP Stores for R2 299, was designed and priced with the local consumer in mind. The company adds that the partnership with PEP as well as the price of the tablet means it will be more accessible to South Africans than other tablet devices.
The netsurfer Touch has a seven-inch capacitive touch-screen with an embedded 3G modem, and is Bluetooth- and WiFi-enabled, according to FMT. The tablet also comes with 8GB of storage and 512MB RAM. In addition, the company says the netsurfer Touch is one of the first tablets to boast a dual-core ARM technology processor.
Not cheap enough
Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says that while the netsurfer Touch's success will be based on heavy marketing, it will not gain general and long-term traction. He points out that it is one of many low-end seven-inch tablets entering the market, adding that Pick n Pay is offering a seven-inch Telefunken tablet as part of its back-to-school promotion.
“The Colpad, from Tablet World, came in at R999, and performs on a par with many of those selling at above R2 000,” he adds.
Goldstuck explains that while low-end tablets are great as e-readers, they have poor processing power. He adds that, at a lower price point, these tablets become true textbook alternatives. “You can justify a tablet geared towards e-reading at the R1 000 mark. Above R2 000, however, most will struggle to justify the high cost for a device that underperforms in most other areas,” he says.
Bold step for PEP
Goldstuck argues that the upfront cost of tablets make them unlikely to penetrate lower-income brackets. Moreover, he says the devices' continual reliance on data is also an obstacle. “However, that doesn't mean retailers should avoid this segment. They may well be a market of the future,” he adds.
“It is brave of PEP to sell tablets, and a useful test of the lower end of the market. If it works, it will be beneficial all round,” says Goldstuck.
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