More rumors hint at 8.9-inch Kindle Fire for spring 2012

Rumors of a larger Kindle Fire were already stirring before the 7-inch model even launched. Now, the same sources are claiming to have additional details on at least one model outside of the current 7-inch design.

Sources close to DigiTimes say that Amazon has already chosen 8.9-inch panels from LG and Samsung for a possible 8.9-inch Kindle Fire launch in Q2 2012. As to why not go even larger, Amazon may be avoiding the 9.7- and 10.1-inch sizes due to intense competition between available vendors. The iPad is a prime example of a 9.7-inch tablet and Apple may have already locked deals with major suppliers for the specific panel size. Foxconn is expected to assemble the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire tablets by mid 2012.

It would be interesting to see at what prices the supposed larger tablet will retail. Amazon would either lower the price of the 7-inch model in order to sell the 8.9-inch model for the attractive price of $199, or simply sell the new model for a higher price. The recent component breakdown by iFixit shows that Amazon may be practically breaking even with the 7-inch Kindle Fire as of this quarter.

Regardless, the high initial sales and ramped up production schedule for the Amazon tablet have been extremely promising, so it would be surprising if Amazon didn’t already have a second model in the works for a future release.

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