Hon Hai, the Taiwanese electronics maker and Apple manufacturing partner know as Foxconn, is exploring the possibility of developing smartphones and tablets for convenience store 7-Eleven.
The Wall Street Journal reports that an initial project, which saw Hon Hai create Web-enabled TVs for 7-Eleven Taiwan, has sold more than 100,000 TV sets in just six weeks. The next step, the companies say, could be smartphones and tablets which, like the TVs, would be produced by Hon Hai and sold under the 7-Eleven brand.
The TVs aren’t actually sold in 7/11 stores per se, customers instead head to the 7-Eleven website to place an order. The entry-level 40-inch TV is priced at NT$2,888 ($430), the 60-inch variant costs NT$39,900 ($1,333), while the 70-inch model retails at NT$69,900 ($2,336).
These sales numbers are impressive but, rather than threatening industry heavyweights like Samsung and LG, it’s another reminder of Hon Hai’s efforts to diversify its business.
➤ Hon Hai, 7-Eleven Sell Large TVs in Taiwan [Wall Street Journal] | Via The Verge
Headline image via YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
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