Dixons Retail Pulls Toshiba Folio Tablet

Dixons Retail has pulled Toshiba’s Android-based Folio 100 tablet from the shelves of Dixons, Currys and PC World stores, after the retail group experienced an unusually high number of returns.

The Folio 100, touted as Toshiba’s answer to Apple’s iPad, was launched at the IFA electronics show in Berlin in September. It has a 10.1-inch multitouch screen with 1024×600-pixel resolution, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and 16GB of internal memory. The device runs Android 2.2 and comes in two versions – a 3G version and a Wi-Fi-only (802.11b/g/n) version.

The device costs just £329 – substantially cheaper than the Galaxy Tab, even after its recent price reduction to just £469, as well as the iPad, with its price tag of £529 for the 16GB 3G version. However, in an attempt to prevent further sales over the weekend, Dixons temporarily raised the price of the Folio to £999.

High level of returns

“We have taken the Toshiba Folio off sale temporarily as we have had a high level of returns and we do not want to give our customers a bad experience of what is actually a very good product,” said a Dixons spokesperson in a statement to eWEEK Europe.

“We are working with Toshiba to identify what the issue is and hope to have a resolution very soon.”

Toshiba has reportedly acknowledged the reports but was not able to elaborate on the issue.

Meanwhile, other low-cost Android tablets have been flooding the market ahead of the Christmas season. Back in August, Archos announced it was launching five Android-based tablets priced from $99 (£64) to $349. Clothing outlet Next has also launched a tablet for £180, and Disgo brought out the Tablet 6000 at the same price.

Despite the ever-growing range of tablets on the market, a recent poll of eWEEK readers revealed that the iPad is still a clear winner, with nearly a third saying they were hoping for an Apple tablet in their Christmas stocking. However, the next most popular category was “I don’t want a tablet”, suggesting that 21 percent of you are yet to be convinced by the hype surrounding the new form factor.