Amazon rumored to launch 8.9-inch Kindle Fire in Q2 2012

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Amazon is prepping an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire model for launch by the end of the second quarter of 2012, a new report claims.



Sources within supply chain makers for the online retailer said the company decided on the 8.9-inch form factor in order to avoid direct competition with 9.7-inch and 10.1-inch tablet makers, Taiwan's DigiTimes reported on Monday. Promotion of the 8.9-inch display panels by LG Display and Samsung Electronics was also said to be a factor in Amazon's decision.



Foxconn is believed to be the Original Design Manufacturer scheduled to build the device and will begin production in the "middle of the second quarter of 2012," according to the report. The ODM will also step in as a second manufacturer for the current-generation Fire in the first quarter of 2012, sources said.



Though Amazon has traditionally gone with Foxconn as its partner for its Kindle e-readers, the Fire was built by Quanta. Some industry sources claim Foxconn turned down orders for the Fire because its capacity was already booked by Apple for the iPad.



Earlier reports had suggested that Amazon was looking into a 10.1-inch tablet as a follow-up to the first-generation Fire, but the supply chain now claims that an 8.9-inch version will come first.







AppleInsider reported in September that Amazon was planning an 8.9-inch tablet with an "amazing form factor" for 2012 after testing the waters with the 7-inch Kindle Fire.



The Kindle Fire was unveiled in late September, but it didn't go on sale until last week. At $199, the device is markedly cheaper than similar tablet offerings. Some industry watchers believe the aggressive price of the Fire forced Research in Motion to slash the price of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by $300.



Amazon's entry into the tablet market has received a mixed reception, with some reviewers praising it as a bargain, while others have criticized it for inconsistent performance. For more about the Kindle Fire, see AppleInsider's in-depth review of the device.



In addition to the iPad, Amazon may be gunning for Apple's iPhone as well. Rumors recently surfaced that Amazon is also jointly developing a Kindle-branded smartphone with Foxconn.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 39
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    At 7" and $200 I think they have a strong product, but if they want to fly closer to the sun they make sure their OS isn't made of so much wax.



    Maybe at $300 for an 8.9" they would still be until the radar for those unaware of what you can get a used or refurbished iPad first from Apple. Right now, a refurbished 1st generation32GB iPad with Wi-Fi+3G 32GB is $400.
  • Reply 2 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Amazon is prepping an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire model for launch by the end of the second quarter of 2012, a new report claims.



    ...in order to avoid direct competition with 9.7-inch and 10.1-inch tablet makers...



    Good thinking.



    What we need is more choice to better compete with the other"s".



    7.1 in, 7.9 in, 8.9 in, 9.7 in, 10.1 in, such that the consumers are not "locked down" by the few existing "proprietary" (read: "closed") form factors.



    And most of all, all kinds of aspect rations, especially the very elongated ones. What a great opportunity to offer even more choice!
  • Reply 3 of 39
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Right now, a refurbished 1st generation32GB iPad with Wi-Fi+3G 32GB is $400.



    I guess it depends on if somebody really needs 3G or not, but I would personally rather choose the $450 refurbished iPad 2 16 GB WIFI.



    By the way, does anybody know if Apple usually has a Black Friday sale? LIke 10% off everything at Apple.com? Is that how it has been in the past, or is it only certain items?
  • Reply 4 of 39
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    I guess it depends on if somebody really needs 3G or not, but I would personally rather choose the $450 refurbished iPad 2 16 GB WIFI.



    I chose the cheapest of the original iPads because performance wise it's closer to the Kindle. They just didn't have any 16GB WiFi-only models to choose from, but that would get you closer to $300 by dropping 3G+GPS and halving the storage. IOW, I think Amazon won't be able to sell a larger Kindle Fire without first making the OS much more robust and versatile.



    Quote:

    By the way, does anybody know if Apple usually has a Black Friday sale? LIke 10% off everything at Apple.com? Is that how it has been in the past, or is it only certain items?

    "Apple's Black Friday sale offers $101 off MacBook Pros, iMacs and 13-inch MacBook Airs, in addition to $41 off iPads, up to $21 off iPod nanos, and up to $41 off iPod touches, plus a handful of accessory deals. In every case but the iPad, however, resellers have well undercut Apple, as can be seen in AppleInsider's Mac Pricing Guide, below."
  • Reply 5 of 39
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post
    "Apple's Black Friday sale offers $101 off MacBook Pros, iMacs and 13-inch MacBook Airs, in addition to $41 off iPads, up to $21 off iPod nanos, and up to $41 off iPod touches, plus a handful of accessory deals. In every case but the iPad, however, resellers have well undercut Apple, as can be seen in AppleInsider's Mac Pricing Guide, below."



    Great, thanks!



  • Reply 6 of 39
    Oh great, another screen size for Android developers to support. :P
  • Reply 7 of 39
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Great if true, the 8.9'' is currently my favorite form factor, after seriously considering the 8.9'' Galaxy Tab. Both the size and the resolution of Samsung's tablet are superior to current alternatives (HD screen at 170 ppi, 97% of the width of iPad/HP Touchpad when watching video), thinnest on the market, and nearly as light as the smaller 7'' ones (~440 g).



    It would be nice if Amazon learns from the critiques on their current tablet and provides more hardware features supporting additional applications (camera, microphone, hardware volume controls). I also expect they will update the software to allow more flexibility. If they do that, they can probably manage to sell it at a profit
  • Reply 8 of 39
    Little problem, not mentioned in the article. Currently, the Fire uses apps designed for phones using Froyo (at least I think it's Froyo, but might be Frodo or some other hobbit), and the app is simply enlarged to fit the screen. Moving to a larger screen is going to cause issues, unless ICS has somehow magically cured this. Not to mention, if Amazon uses apps designed for Android tablets, they won't have many to choose from.
  • Reply 9 of 39
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac.World View Post


    Little problem, not mentioned in the article. Currently, the Fire uses apps designed for phones using Froyo (at least I think it's Froyo, but might be Frodo or some other hobbit), and the app is simply enlarged to fit the screen. Moving to a larger screen is going to cause issues, unless ICS has somehow magically cured this. Not to mention, if Amazon uses apps designed for Android tablets, they won't have many to choose from.



    Not a problem. Android has never been tied to a single resolution. There's no magic involved, just good planning. If you want to learn more about Android's design philosophy, follow the link:



    http://developer.android.com/guide/t...fragments.html
  • Reply 10 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Great if true, the 8.9'' is currently my favorite form factor, after seriously considering the 8.9'' Galaxy Tab. Both the size and the resolution of Samsung's tablet are superior to current alternatives (HD screen at 170 ppi, 97% of the width of iPad/HP Touchbook when watching video), thinnest on the market, and nearly as light as the smaller 7'' ones (~440 g).



    do you even know what you are talking about? I gotta ask, because I'd like to know what an HP Touchbook is?
  • Reply 11 of 39
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac.World View Post


    do you even know what you are talking about? I gotta ask, because I'd like to know what an HP Touchbook is?



    Sorry I meant the HP TouchPad. Corrected.



    (I may have forgotten the name, but I am still bitter that I didn't manage to grab one for $99)
  • Reply 12 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Sorry I meant the HP TouchPad. Corrected.



    (I may have forgotten the name, but I am still bitter that I didn't manage to grab one for $99)



    He he. Had to point it out. My flippant remark, was my way of being an a$$. Sorry.



    And I did grab a 32gb one for $150. Only took 3 hours of my life trying to get through their online form, which would error out constantly!
  • Reply 13 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac.World View Post


    Little problem, not mentioned in the article. Currently, the Fire uses apps designed for phones using Froyo (at least I think it's Froyo, but might be Frodo or some other hobbit), and the app is simply enlarged to fit the screen. Moving to a larger screen is going to cause issues, unless ICS has somehow magically cured this. Not to mention, if Amazon uses apps designed for Android tablets, they won't have many to choose from.



    eh, not really a problem.



    Solution? Don't buy an Android tablet...at least not yet anyways.



    Get an iPad 2...even an old semi broken iPad 1 is better than a majority of Android tablets today.
  • Reply 14 of 39
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    <..>...even an old semi broken iPad 1 is better than a majority of Android tablets today.







    It's now or never, didn't you get the memo? There won't be any Android tablets as of 2012:



    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...n_in_2012.html
  • Reply 15 of 39
    what will the jews think?
  • Reply 16 of 39
    geekdadgeekdad Posts: 1,131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    At 7" and $200 I think they have a strong product, but if they want to fly closer to the sun they make sure their OS isn't made of so much wax.



    Maybe at $300 for an 8.9" they would still be until the radar for those unaware of what you can get a used or refurbished iPad first from Apple. Right now, a refurbished 1st generation32GB iPad with Wi-Fi+3G 32GB is $400.



    I agree...those are great selling/marketing price points.
  • Reply 17 of 39
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Retracted
  • Reply 18 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post






    It's now or never, didn't you get the memo? There won't be any Android tablets as of 2012:



    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...n_in_2012.html



    Nah I saw that...I just think those companies need to stop.



    Just like with phones there seems to be two clear winners in the Android race I think the same might happen with tablets.
  • Reply 19 of 39
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    Nah I saw that...I just think those companies need to stop.



    Just like with phones there seems to be two clear winners in the Android race I think the same might happen with tablets.



    The race has hardly begun, it's too early to be calling out the winners.
  • Reply 20 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    What the hell does that mean?



    I believe it is in reference to the story below this one. A UK Rabbi blames Apple for the ego-centric attitude of our culture.
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