We’ve already seen a $100 tablet from Hewlett-Packard running the Android operating system (actually, we briefly saw it priced at $85 after coupon before it went out of stock), but where are all the cheap Windows-based tablets?
Microsoft opened the door when it announced Windows 8.1 with Bing. This particular variant of Windows 8.1 requires that Bing be set as the default search engine in Internet Explorer from the factory. In return, OEMs get extremely favorable pricing to produce low-cost devices.
Chinese OEM Emdoor is taking Microsoft up on that offer with the Em-i8080 tablet at Computex. According to Mobile Geeks, the 8” (1280x800) tablet packs in a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735G processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot for expanded storage. Other features include a microUSB and mini HDMI connectivity, and an 18.5 watt-hour battery.
More importantly, the 0.78-pound tablet is said to have a retail price of $100. This is an incredibly intriguing price point, as the cheapest Windows 8.1 with Bing device that we’ve seen so far has been the $199 8-inch Encore 2 from Toshiba.
It remains to be seen if we’ll actually see this Emdoor tablet hit the market, but this does at least give us a glimpse of what to expect when Windows 8.1 tablets hit the “impulse buy” level.
