Unnamed sources claim that HP is planning to offer a $99 Android tablet in Walmart stores in the next several weeks targeting the back-to-school crowd. The news follows Google's announcement on Wednesday that it will launch a Textbook section in its Play store. Publishers Cengage, Wiley, Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Macmillan will allow customers to either rent or purchase discounted digital textbooks from the virtual store. A $99 tablet would seemingly be the perfect fit.
Could it be that HP will merely discount its current Slate 7 tablet with 8 GB of storage? HP is already selling this model for $139.99 directly from its website, as are Walmart, Staples and Best Buy. It would not be surprising to see the company knock another $40 off the price for a limited time exclusively at Walmart to push the tablet out to students.
Whether it’s the Slate 7 or a new 7 inch product, it would be the second time HP offered a $99 tablet if the rumor is true. In July 2011 after the webOS-powered TouchPad failed to generate any sales, the company dropped its price from $499 to a mere $99. The device suddenly sold like hotcakes and supplies were quickly depleted, but HP took a huge financial hit which in turn called for a company reorganization and a new focus.
Part of that new focus is offering the 7 inch Slate 7 tablet, but selling a $99 tablet would not only undercut long-time partner Microsoft, but Google's own Nexus 7 tablets. So-called "market watchers" have predicted for some time that sub-$100 tablets would appear in the third quarter at the earliest, and they suspect that other vendors will be forced to follow HP's lead if it does indeed offer a $99 pricetag.
Then again, if HP is offering a new product, its popularity may depend on the overall quality; consumers would rather pay a higher price for a solution with better components and services. As sources point out, a single-core solution amidst quad-core competitors could have a hard time attracting customers despite the low price.
The Slate 7 has a current review average of 62 out of 100, with the display serving as the worst feature and its durability as its best component. The device has a dual-core Cortex-A9 chip clocked at 1.6 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, a VGA camera on the front and a 3MP camera on the back.
