Sony is apparently planning to launch a large 12.9-inch tablet in the first quarter of next year, if a new report turns out to be accurate.
It seems that Apple may not be the only company to bring a large-screen tablet to market next year, as Sony is now rumored to be working on a 12.9-inch slate as well.
A new report out of Taiwan, courtesy of DigiTimes, claims that Sony will launch a large-screen tablet sometime in the first quarter of 2015. Citing unnamed supply chain sources, the publication reveals that Sony's upcoming tablet will enter mass production "shortly," but gives no exact time frame. The report further claims that this 12.9-inch Sony tablet will target the high-end segment of the market and will come with a hefty price tag of over $1,000.
In terms of specifications, the large-screen Sony tablet is rumored to boast a high resolution of 3480 x 2400 pixels and pack a Qualcomm processor under the hood (unspecified). The slate will reportedly have an 8-megapixel camera as well, and rock a sleek profile with just 8.6mm in thickness.
The sources further revealed that Sony's supply chain has already finished manufacturing the components for the tablet ahead of the device's imminent mass production. Moreover, the report states that Pegatron Technology will most likely manufacture this upcoming Sony tablet. As a reminder, Pegatron also works with Apple and Microsoft.
Sony will reportedly adopt a more aggressive strategy for the tablet market next year, as the company suffered losses earlier this year in its PC business and decided to exit that segment.
"Although Sony has withdrawn from the PC market, it remains aggressive about the tablet product line, the sources noted," adds the report.
At the same time, DigiTimes says that it also learned from its sources that more OEMs will go down the same path and launch large-screen tablets next year, which could in turn affect demand for notebooks.
It's worth pointing out, however, that this is all in the rumor state for now, and DigiTimes does not exactly have the best track record when it comes to the accuracy of its leaks. As always, a hefty grain of salt is recommended until official confirmation.
