Argos launches its own brand tablet

Argos has become the latest UK retailer to launch its own brand tablet.

The MyTablet is a seven-inch Android powered device, will cost £99.99 and is aimed at the “tweenie” market of eight to 13 year olds.

It will come pre-loaded with apps and games, including Angry Birds and BBC iPlayer. Because of the age group the tablet is aimed at, it will also come with parental controls pre-enabled.

Argos is hoping to capture demand for tablets amongst the tweenie market this Christmas. According to the retailer, it feels the tablet “hits the sweet spot”.

Read more: Best cheap tablet 2013: Hudl, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire and more

Its launch comes after Tesco unveiled its own tablet. The supermarket has taken a slightly different tact with its device.

Unlike Argos' which is aimed at a younger age group, the Hudl is designed to encourage owners to use Tesco's other services, including Blinkbox and online grocery shopping.

The MyTablet features a 1.6GHz dual-core processor. Its seven inch screen has a resolution of 1024 by 600. The tablet also comes with 8GB of built-in memory, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Read more: Tesco Hudl review

Unlike the Tesco Hudl, Argos' own tablet will not be branded with the retailer's name. Instead it will carry the Bush brand, which Argos owns and uses for its own-brand electronics.

Simon Barry, Argos technology trading manager, told the BBC: "We think this hits the sweet spot in terms of price and performance.

“Kids find it hard to share, so we've priced our tablet at a level that means everyone in the family can have one.”

Read more: Best Android tablets to buy in 2013

The MyTablet matches some of the cheapest tablets on the market, including the Amazon Kindle Fire.

While it is unlikely that children will ask for the MyTablet specifically, Barry said that the current economic situation means that most parents won't be able to afford an iPad.

Recent studies have show that despite the growth of Android tablets over the last 12 months, most still aspire to own Apple's iPad. Apple is widely expected to unveil the next generation of its iPad and iPad Mini next week.

Read more: Apple to hold event on October 22nd

“We know a lot of families are probably feeling worse off this Christmas than last,” said Mr Barry, explaining the pricing strategy.

“We're confident MyTablet is going to do really well.”

Analysts are also confident that the tablet will perform well at retail.

Read more: Best tablets to buy in 2013

“I think the £100 tablets will be the most popular this Christmas because their quality and performance has improved a lot over the last year,” said Francisco Geronimo, European mobile devices analyst at IDC.

“While they're not as good as higher-priced, more highly specified models, they're good enough for most social networking and gaming needs,” he added.

The Bush MyTablet will go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday October 16th).