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Amazon may be launching an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire in Q2 2012

The e-retail giant will reportedly start production of the device in the middle of the quarter to have enough tablets ready for launch.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read
Is Amazon prepping a bigger Kindle Fire for 2012 launch?
Is Amazon prepping a bigger Kindle Fire for 2012 launch? CNET

Amazon may already be planning the launch of a larger version of its Kindle Fire tablet, a new but unconfirmed report claims.

The often unreliable Digitimes reports that Amazon plans to start production of an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire in roughly May 2012 for an eventual launch at the end of the second quarter. An exact release date has not been divulged, Digitimes' unnamed sources say.

For weeks now, rumors have circulated that Amazon was preparing to launch an 8.9-inch tablet. Some have suggested that a 10.1-inch tablet could eventually launch, as well. Digitimes' sources say Amazon has opted for the 8.9-inch option instead of the 10.1-inch version to "avoid competition" with tablets featuring 9.7- to 10.1-inch displays, including Apple's iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Earlier this month, Amazon launched a 7-inch Kindle Fire. That Android-based tablet has so far proven popular among consumers. In fact, ChangeWave Research reported this morning that 22 percent of future tablet buyers want Amazon's slate. The only device that beat the Kindle Fire in the survey was Apple's iPad, which caught the eye of 65 percent of future tablet buyers.

For its part, Amazon hasn't confirmed that it's looking to launch another tablet, but if the 7-inch Kindle Fire is as successful as analysts and researchers predict, it might only be a matter of time before the e-retail giant gives customers another option.

Amazon did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.