A tablet computer released by German supermarket giant Aldi has completely sold out after being released at the weekend.
The Medion Lifetab is being marketed as a budget tablet, with a price-tag of just £79. It was introduced to compete with a similar device released by Tesco in September which, so far, has made its way into the hands of around 300,000 customers.
Both of the rival devices use Google’s Android system and boast seven-inch screens, although tech fans must stump up £119 to take a Hudl home from one of Tesco’s stores.
Despite their low prices, both Tesco and Aldi face stiff competition from a range of manufacturers, with several similar tablets already available to consumers; Apple’s iPad and the Google Nexus 7 are two of the most popular, although these are priced between £199 and £350.
Francisco Jeronimo, a mobile devices expert from market research firm IDC, explained that customers in the market for low-priced tablet computers are unlikely to be searching for the same features and capabilities as those out to buy Apple and Google’s offerings.
He went on to say:
“The biggest selling point here is definitely the price. Tablets are becoming very popular.
“The larger screen size gives entertainment on the move to users, which is becoming very popular among commuters and children.
“However, most parents don’t want to spend £300-£500 on a device that will mainly be used to play games, to watch movies and a few other educational applications.”
With the tablet market expanding and PC shipments continuing to drop, businesses should be feeling the pressure to ensure they implement a responsive web design strategy. Even the best sites will fail to have an impact if they can’t be viewed properly on smaller screens.
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