Tencent to build drones via partnership with hardware firm Rapoo
Tencent Holdings, the Chinese digital behemoth behind services such as WeChat and QQ, is partnering with hardware brand Rapoo to create a drone product.
According to a report on Forbes that was based on a stock exchange filing from Rapoo, Tencent and Rapoo’s drone unit Xiro will now work on developing a product.
As Tencent is traditionally a digital and media company and not a hardware business, the agreement will see its part being played out as setting ‘product specification’ and help with providing marketing and sales channels.
Rapoo is more familiar with Drone production, however, as it has a joint venture with Xiro. According to reports, it invested 50m Yuan ($7.65m) for a 10 per cent stake in the drone maker, who sells a four-propeller camera drone series Xplorer (pictured above) for about 2,499 Yuan ($383).
A date has not yet been set for the Tencent and Rapoo collaboration but the agreement is set to last until at least May 2018.
For Tencent, the appeal of drones isn’t surprising as many major brands have also been testing out the role the technology plays for their business. Last year Walmart became one of the latest US brands to test its use as a delivery option.