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Google may be aiming for 8.9-inch Nexus tablet

An 8.9-inch Nexus tablet could be on the way, IHS Technology tells CNET.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
Brooke Crothers
Google Nexus 7.  Google may bring out an 8.9 inch tablet later this year.
Google Nexus 7. Google may bring out an 8.9 inch tablet later this year. Brooke Crothers

Google is planning an 8.9-inch Nexus tablet for release later this year, IHS Technology tells CNET.

The product is expected to be "high-performance," said Rhoda Alexander, director tablet and monitor research at IHS Technology in an email to CNET.

"Volume production is expected to start in July or August," she said. "The expectation is [that] this will be a lower volume product, carrying a premium price tag to support the specifications."

Alexander does not the know the pricing but said she "would not be surprised if it is higher than $299." HTC may be the manufacturer, according to Alexander.

Other recent reports out of Asia also suggest that Google is eying an 8.9-inch device.

Amazon already markets the very well-received Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

And what about a refreshed Google Nexus 7? "We still expect to see a 3rd generation of the Nexus 7 product at some point in 2014 but do not have any confirmation of actual contracts for such a product at present," Alexander said.

Neither Google nor HTC has yet to respond to a request for comment.