In Taiwan you can buy an Android tablet from 7-11 for $200

In Taiwan you can buy an Android tablet from 7-11 for $200

October 2, 2013

by Josh Horwitz

As mobile technology becomes cheaper to manufacture, an increasing number of low-end brands have emerged, selling simple devices at affordable prices. In Taiwan, one of these brands happens to be 7-11, the world-famous convenience store chain. The Taiwanese 7-11 (owned by domestic conglomerate Uni-President, and unaffiliated with the pit stop C-store most Americans are familiar with) announced yesterday it would release a private label tablet called “OPEN.” Manufactured by Taiwan electronics giant Foxconn, the device runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and packs a quad-core 1.2 GHz Marvell processor, 16GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM. The tablet, which is named after 7-11 Taiwan’s mascot, is available for purchase exclusively on 7-11’s7net website, an e-commerce platform that sells everything from bedsheets to frozen baozi. Users can order the tablet online and retrieve it at standalone 7-11 retail outlets. Customers can make purchases using a credit card, a third-party payment platform, or with cash at in-store pickup.

The OPEN tablet will sell for NT$5,990 (slightly over $200), but when bundled with an accompanying OPEN dongle that streams music and media wirelessly to compatible televisions, the set totals at NT$6990 (about $240).

The launch of 7-11’s OPEN tablet follows the release of 7-11’s OPEN smart TV last July. That device was also sold exclusively through 7net and occupied 10 percent of smart TV sales in Taiwan during its first month on the market.

Some may balk at the notion of purchasing a tablet from the same place they buy Coke and beef jerky from, but keep in mind that 7-11 is not the first corner shop retailer to slap its name on a sexy mobile device. A few days ago, UK grocer Tesco unveiled the Hudl, a low-end Android tablet available for ₤119 (about $190).

Hon Hai, 7-Eleven team up to sell tablets, LCD displays

CNA

2013-10-02

Taiwanese electronics giant Hon Hai on Tuesday launched a series of tablet computers and 50-inch LCD displays for local distribution by 7-Eleven convenience stores.

As part of the partnership, some five to 10 new products, including smartphones and notebooks, will also be available via 7-Eleven stores by the end of the year, a Hon Hai spokesman said.

The partnership is expected to greatly affect the distribution of products in the computer, communication and consumer electronics industry, the spokesman said.

Over the past three months, Hon Hai has sold over 15,000 7-Eleven branded televisions to local consumers via 7-Eleven stores, through the partnership, which was established in June.

Sales of 7-Eleven branded TV products, offered in 40-, 60- and 70-inch sizes, gave Hon Hai a 10% share of the TV mart in Taiwan after one month.

President Chain Store, which operates 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taiwan, aims to sell 3,000 tablet computers per month, taking a 5% share of the local tablet market, according to Liu Hong-cheng, head of the company’s online shopping portal 7net.

He said 50-inch LCD displays newly launched at 7-Eleven stores are being sold at the record low price of NT$19,999 (US$670).

In an effort to boost its TV sales, the company is setting up special displays at its chain stores in some commercial areas, Liu added.

Meanwhile, Taiwan FamilyMart, the nation’s second-largest convenience store operator, has also launched the sale of LCD TVs produced by Vizio and Taiwan Kolin.