8.9-inch Kindle Fire to launch in Q2 of 2012, says DigiTimes
DigiTimes cites supply chain sources in claiming that Amazon's followup to the 7-inch Kindle Fire will measure 8.9-inches and launch at the end of the second quarter of 2012. That's a bit more specific than its original report …
Context & Ripple Effects
DigiTimes is firming up an earlier claim: its November 3 report that Amazon's next Kindle Fire would carry an 8.9-inch display now comes with a timeline — end of Q2 2012, again sourced from the supply chain rather than Amazon itself. The rumor lands while the 7-inch Fire's launch economics are still being parsed: an IHS iSuppli teardown put build cost at roughly $202 against its selling price, and ChangeWave polling found it the first non-iPad tablet to generate meaningful buyer demand.
The timing matters because Amazon has been scaling the device aggressively — DigiTimes separately reported in early November that Amazon was increasing Kindle Fire orders — and released the Fire's Android source code to developers within days of launch. A larger model would extend that hardware-plus-content play beyond the 7-inch niche.
First-order effects
- Amazon's tablet roadmap gains a second screen size aimed squarely at the iPad's display class, while its component suppliers get a concrete volume signal for mid-2012 production.
Second-order effects
- Apple and Android tablet rivals would face a sub-$200-class large-format competitor subsidized by media sales, pressuring them to respond on price or bundle their own content.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, tablets bifurcate into Apple's premium hardware tier and Amazon-style near-cost devices that monetize through content and commerce, with screen-size tiers becoming the main segmentation axis.
The trend: Tablets are splitting into a premium Apple tier and a media-subsidized Amazon tier that scales one hardware platform across multiple screen sizes.