( CNN ) -- When it comes to tablet computers , size matters -- a lot . But these devices are definitely not one-size-fits-all . And like Alice in Wonderland , the `` right size '' for tablets keeps shifting . That 's making the tablet market curiouser and curiouser . Many iPad users treasure the Apple gadget 's approximately 10x7-inch expanse , and I 've seen some bristle at the suggestion that this size might be unwieldy . Meanwhile , users of the Kindle Fire or Nook Color often prize having a tablet that slips easily into a pocket or purse for half the price ( or less ) of an iPad . There is a large and fast-growing consumer demand for tablets across a wide range of sizes and price points . In February , analysts at iSuppli estimated that 3.9 million Kindle Fire units were sold in the last quarter of 2011 . That 's only about a quarter of the number of iPads estimated as being sold during that same quarter , but it 's still pretty respectable for a new device . The diversifying tablet market also includes the oddball Samsung Galaxy Note -- a moderately pricey , stylus-bearing smartphone/tablet hybrid . Initially greeted with skepticism , this device ended up selling five million units in its first six months . And soon it might come with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed . Could the iPad shrink ? Rumors have long been swirling that Apple might be preparing to launch an `` iPad mini '' model that 's closer in size to the Kindle Fire . CNET Asia reported this last week : `` According to Japanese Apple news site Macotakara , Apple 's working with LCD suppliers to get a 5-inch panel with a pixel density high enough to be able to call it a Retina Display . That 's according to ' a reliable Chinese source , ' the site said . ... That smaller device would arrive sometime next year , Macotakara suggested . '' Of course , before we learn the truth of the elusive mythical iPad mini , the next version of the Kindle Fire , which could be released as soon as May or June , might feature a model with a larger screen as well as upgraded specifications . This week , Fire2.net claimed that `` newest reports from Taiwan suggest ... that there probably wo n't be a 10-inch Kindle Fire 2 , but two different 8.9-inch tablets and a smaller 7-inch model . '' Yes , I know , these are all just rumors , based on information allegedly leaked from Apple 's and Amazon 's supply chains . But when it comes to upcoming tablet models from highly secretive and competitive electronics giants , that 's all we 've got to go on . One thing is clear : the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Note are runaway market success stories , despite their smaller screens . Perhaps even because they 're smaller . Many consumers clearly want and will use smaller tablets -- both cheaper , simpler models and costlier , more fully featured ones . Certainly , Apple has noticed this development even if , as usual , they wo n't talk about it . So for this reason , I would n't be surprised to see Apple eventually launch an iPad mini . Maybe not this year , but perhaps some time in 2013 . However , it might not necessarily cost much less . Apple might decide to take the `` small is beautiful '' approach and market an iPad mini as providing extra , or at least different , value -- not as a compromise . That might be totally appropriate , since the perfect size is a matter of preference . As Alice told the Caterpillar : . `` I should like to be a little larger , sir , if you would n't mind , '' said Alice . `` Three inches is such a wretched height to be . '' `` It is a very good height indeed ! '' said the Caterpillar angrily , rearing itself upright as it spoke ( it was exactly three inches high ) . '' The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran .
With tablets , there is now no ` ` one - size - fits - all '' market . Windows is on top , but smaller , sometimes simpler competitors , have made in - roads . Rumors say Apple may counter with ' ' Android , '' while Amazon ##s might get bigger .