Sony has suspended sales of its new waterproof Xperia Tablet S after a manufacturing fault has reportedly left it vulnerable to water.
According to Sony, an error at their Chinese manufacturing plant has left the tablet with gaps between the screen and the case that could be penetrated by water, making the tablet vulnerable to water damage. The Xperia’s water-resistance was much touted before release with Sony claiming the device was designed for “real-life use around the home and outdoors”. Sony clearly feels that this is not, in fact, the case.
Sony has now pulled the Xperia Tablet S from shelves however it may be too little too late – the company has already sold around 100,000 of the devices since it went on sale in September. It has yet to confirm when the device will go back on sale.
Sony has confirmed that tablets with the model number SGPT121, SGPT122 and SGPT123 are potentially affected by the issue and has promised to inspect and repair any tablets that have been already sold, free of charge. However the company has yet to confirm if it will be offering full refunds to customers.
The Japanese electronics giant has said it does not expect this setback to have a significant impact upon its earnings which is just as well – a couple of months ago it posted a quarterly loss of $312 million.
The Xperia Tablet S is the successor to the original Sony Tablet S and is an Android system. Aside from being ‘splash-proof’, the tablet also features a 9.4in 1200×800 touch screen, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1 megapixel forward-facing camera and a battery life of up to 12 hours. The Xperia Tablet S is slimmer than its predecessor at just 8.8mm thick and was met with largely positive reviews upon its release.
Do you have a Sony Xperia Tablet S? If so, how are you finding it and will you be getting Sony to inspect or replace it? Let us know by leaving a reply below.
