Amazon to Launch 8.9-Inch Kindle Fire Tablet in Second Quarter of 2012
Following the huge success of its debut tablet, the affordable 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet, it’s unsurprising that Amazon has plans to extend its Kindle Fire lineup. According to sources with Amazon’s “supply chain makers,” the online retail giant is prepping an 8.9-inch tablet that it will launch during the second quarter of 2012.
The company has chosen to build an 8.9-inch model next “to avoid competition with 9.7-10.1-inch tablet products offered by other vendors,” according to the DigiTimes report, which, put simply, means it doesn’t want to compete with Apple’s iPad, or Samsung’s largest Galaxy Tab. The promotion of 8.9-inch displays from both LG Display and Samsung is also said to be behind Amazon’s decision.
Foxconn will build the tablet, according to the report, and it will begin production in the “middle of the second quarter of 2012.” The company will also become a second manufacturer of Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire during the first quarter of 2012, the sources said, joining Quanta Computer.
It is believed that Amazon wanted Foxconn to build its debut tablet from day one, with the company already assembling its Kindle e-readers. However, thanks to the overwhelming demand of Apple’s iPad, which Foxconn also builds, it reportedly had to turn down the Kindle Fire gig.
It was initially believed that Amazon’s second tablet would be a larger 10.1-inch device that would be built to seriously rival the market’s biggest players, including the iPad. But recent reports from the supply chain suggest that this won’t be the case.
Would you like to see an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire, or would you prefer a larger 10.1-inch Amazon tablet?
[via AppleInsider]
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