According to sources in the Taiwanese supply chain, Sony is preparing to enter the ultra-size tablet market, as are a selection of other unspecified mobile vendors. Sony is apparently set to launch a 12-inch tablet in the first quarter of 2015.

Being such a large size, it’s likely that Sony will pack the huge tablet with a high resolution display and will have to accompany that with a beefy processor and other high-end specifications. This will be the case according to the sources, and Sony will be targeting the 12-inch tablet at markets with a high demand for graphics-related applications.

However, this tablet isn’t expected to experience very high demand, as only a limited supply is apparently heading through the supply chain. Instead, Sony could be testing consumer appetites for larger tablets with a smaller roll-out before deciding if it’s a market segment it would like to commit to in the long term.

Sony’s 12-inch tablet will likely be targeted at laptop users looking for something a little more portable. Think Microsoft’s 12-inch Surface Pro 3 or Samsung’s 12.2 inch Galaxy Note PRO. It will be interesting to see how successful Sony’s tablet turns out to be.