Are Microsoft and Amazon joining Apple in making a larger tablet?
Report from the Far East says 12in-plus slates are the next big thing
Are Amazon and Microsoft plotting huge new tablets? According to a report from Taiwan’s Digitimes, you can bet your butt they are.
There was a time we all thought 10in tablets were the perfect size for a slate. Then 7in and 8in models started coming out to cater for people who wanted something a bit more clutch-bag or one-hand-friendly. And now? Well, now tech companies think we’re all keen for tabs with screens of 12in or much, much more.
There’s the rumoured Apple “iPad Pro” (12.9in, apparently), which seems set for early 2016; and just a few days ago we heard that Samsung might be working on a giant 18.4in tablet.
According to Digitimes, you can add two forthcoming Microsoft Surface tablets to the mix: one with a 12in screen, and one with a 13-14in display. Both, sources say, will be high-end devices.
Amazon, meanwhile, is said to be readying a 12in tablet, but only in limited numbers. Digitimes sources claim that fewer than 100,000 panels for the tablet have been ordered, which suggests Amazon is testing the big tab market before going all in.
Fire in the hole
Amazon, meanwhile, is said to be readying a 12in tablet, but only in limited numbers. Digitimes sources claim that fewer than 100,000 panels for the tablet have been ordered, which suggests Amazon is testing the big tab market before going all in.
Perhaps that’s wise, given the poor reception to the Amazon Fire Phone which, according to an article on The Verge, has led to Amazon laying off dozens of engineers and either slowing or stopping other hardware projects. The piece mentions that work is still pressing ahead on a “glasses-free 3D tablet”, but given how popular 3D is with the public right now we’re not really sure that’s the best move.
Still, big tablets, eh? Whatever next? We’ll keep our ears to the ground for more news on any of these sizeable slates.
[Source: Digitimes; The Verge]
Now read this › The 10 best tablets on the market right now
Sam Kieldsen
Contributor 
