Since I moved my desk upstairs, I now hang out with the tech guys instead of the computer illiterate sales guys and I have learned so much more about the marketplace in China. We source all of our tech from there - from full tablets to GSM modules to tiny speakers to LCDs. It's amazing how diverse and cheap everything is. For example, were looking into upgrading out 7 inch touchscreen stuff and were basically provided with a list of about 100 tablets ranging from 800x480 to 1280x720, dual core, quad core, with bluetooth, without accelerometer, etc. Everything with every option is available at our disposal and if we aren't happy with it we can source a solution house which will make exactly what we want. All from company's that have no meaning to me. The key to having a good guy in China who knows the market. I never realized how much technology really is like legos. Mix and match, replace and upgrade, whatever you want. If you buy quantity and have a great sourcer you can get a tablet that is comparable to the Nexus 7 for under $100. You can even pay to customize the firmware and Android OS for your liking if you have the money and desire. It has become obvious to me that here in the US we are buying the marketing so much more than the product itself. I will say that Apple does get a lot of things right as I have yet to find a product that handles the swiping, zooming, and the overall user experience in the same way.
To be fair, a lot of what we're buying is reputation and QAQC. If you're buying 50 or 500 or 5000 tablets, you have a lot more leverage over the manufacturer/vendor than if you're buying one. The manicure set I bought on kowsun road is still going strong. The engrish "digital box/for the memories of digital" hard drive enclosure I bought at the same time lasted a month. It's all made in China, though, and it's made aggressively. FUN FACT: Walmart, were it a nation, would be China's 5th largest trading partner.