Walmart’s ONN branded tablet plans have been reported by Bloomberg. The announcement comes on top of Walmart’s recent earnings growth, which were ahead of expectations and generally regraded as impressive.
In news that will probably irk Donald Trump, the tablet will not be produced in the U.S. and instead it will be manufactured by a Chinese supplier. This is in keeping with Walmart’s 2108 launch of gaming computers and laptops last year, under its new Overpowered brand. These met with generally disappointing reviews.
Based on the cost and functionality, the tablet will, The Verge reports, most probably be targeted at children and young adults. The move marks Walmart’s expansion plans, including its greater shift into digital technology (both for customers and for organizing its own internal operations) and with online sales and marketing. In this space, the retailer is beginning to challenge Amazon.
READ MORE: How Walmart is challenging Amazon with digital technology
Further to the Amazon challenge, the new ONN tablet is expected to retail less than the Amazon Fire. While the Fire range run a version of Android, they do not have access to the full range of apps. If Walmart are able to provide a fully functional version of the Android operating system and can sell the devices at a lower cost, this will present a significant challenge to Amazon.
