The market for 7-inch tablets is seeing intense competition and white-box vendors are expected to further reduce prices for entry-level models to US$40 in the second half of 2013, according to Taiwan-based supply chain sources.

　　Entry-level white-box tablets are expected to continue selling well in markets such as China, and supply chains are able to increasingly decrease pricing for entry-level components, said the sources.

　　Meanwhile,Research institutions predicts that 254 million tablets will be sold in 2013, up 63.9% on year.