$99 Tablet From Acer Set For Early 2013 Release Date, But Won't Be Available in U.S.

Tech company Acer is planning to upend mobile computing prices when it introduces its $99 tablet in 2013.

The Iconia B1 will have a 7-inch screen with a 1024 by 600 pixel resolution, as well as a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor.

The new tablet will debut early next year, aggressively priced to take on the iPad Mini, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google's Nexus 7.

The iPad Mini is more expensive than any of the other options, at $329, and the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 are only $199, as is the Nook Color HD e-reader from Barnes and Noble.

But $99 blows all of those price points out the water. There's just one drawback.

The Iconia B1 won't be available in the United States.

The new tablet is aimed at emerging markets, meaning developing countries where many people have a lower standard of living and less disposable income.

But that includes China, which has a growing appetite for expensive tech, especially Apple products.

"Chinese white-box tablet makers are expected to sell some 60 million tablets next year, so it is a really big market," said Daiwa Securities analyst Christine Wang. "None of the major PC brands sells a tablet priced to compete with them right now."

But there is hope for Americans who want to get their hands on the Iconia B1 once it comes out next year.

Acer has submitted the device to the Federal Communications Commission for approval, so they could decide to bring it to the U.S. a some point in the future.

But who knows if it would still be $99?

Of course, Americans could always have one shipped from China, or pick one up while visiting, but factoring that into the cost makes the new tablet seems a lot less economical.