Share

China unveils first tablet

Beijing - Chinese budget smartphone maker Xiaomi unveiled its first tablet on Thursday, expanding its product lineup to directly challenge established rivals Samsung and Apple.

The MiPad, which comes in six colours, will have a 7.9 inch screen, the same size as an iPad Mini.

Like other tablets, it comes equipped with wireless internet, front and back cameras and a built-in memory capacity of 16 gigabytes or 64 gigabytes. But it is priced cheaper than comparable iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Tab models at $240 for the smaller version.

The company did not say anything about a 4G version.

Testing

"We wanted the hardware to come close to, or even surpass Apple's iPad," Xiaomi's founder Lei Jun said at the launch event in Beijing.

Xiaomi's flagship smartphones, which are among the fastest selling in China, resemble Apple's iPhone.

Lei said an initial version of the tablet would be available for testing by the public in mid-June, but he declined to specify a launch date or sales targets. It was also not clear if the MiPad would be sold outside China.

The worldwide tablet market, which saw shipments of 195.4 million devices in 2013, is forecast to grow nearly 40% this year, according to consultants Gartner, with China especially seeing significant growth.

Largest

Privately held Xiaomi became the world's sixth-largest smartphone vendor in the first quarter of 2014, according to data firm Canalys, after repeatedly doubling its sales.

Its cheap yet sleek phones are popular in China, the world's largest market for smartphones.

The company expects to sell 40 million phones this year, compared to 18.7 million last year and 7.2 million the year before.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.97
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
24.10
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.61
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.5%
Platinum
906.50
-1.8%
Palladium
1,010.52
+0.4%
Gold
2,156.15
-0.2%
Silver
24.97
-0.3%
Brent-ruolie
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,948
-0.5%
All Share
72,132
-0.4%
Resource 10
53,232
-0.2%
Industrial 25
99,741
-0.7%
Financial 15
16,581
-0.3%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders