Amazon missed the boat a bit when it pushed back the second iteration of its popular e-book reader. The Kindle's new model, coupled with a beaming endorsement from Oprah, could have made the device the big hit of the holiday season. The company, however, opted to push it back in order to issue "last minute changes" to the gadget's software.

According to TechCrunch, the new device is set to hit shelves in early Q1. The device is set to be thinner and longer than the original, with fixes to a number of button issues that plagued its predecessor.

A student version with a bigger screen is also set to drop the first half of next year, according to the site.