The Amazon Kindle Fire 2 may be released as soon as August, according to reports from China Times.
While the new iPad remains the market leader in the media tablet segment, the Amazon's Kindle Fire has begun to steal a little of the spotlight.
Of course, Cupertino-tech giant Apple has long been rumored of eventually minimizing the sizes and prices of their hot-selling iPad and launch a new tablet Apple iPad Mini with a 7-inch display, in an attempt to capture the entry-level tablet market which Amazon Kindle Fire dominates. However, Amazon is not giving up without a fight and is reportedly prepping the launch of a new Kindle Fire, dubbed Kindle Fire 2, to challenge the Apple camp.
Recent reports from China Times suggested that Amazon might unveil the Kindle Fire 2 tablet on August 7.
According to the report, the updated 7-inch tablet will be built by Taiwanese ODM Quanta, however the plastic case will be replaced with a more durable metal chassis and the battery will be manufactured by an unnamed Chinese company.
Analysts believe Amazon is playing a big shot this time, as Kindle Fire 2 is expected to heat up the competition against the recently unveiled Google-branded, Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet and the highly rumored Apple iPad Mini.
Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, said Amazon will bring out at least three new Kindle Fire models.
Shim got the information from sources in the "supply chain" -- a collection of companies that manufacture components and assemble products.
In his report, Shim claimed that supply chain data pointed to a 7-inch Kindle Fire 2 with a 1,024x600 display and no camera, and another featuring a 1,280x800 display and a camera, both of which would be ready for August. He also suggested that another 7-inch Kindle Fire 2 tablet featuring a 1,280x800 display, camera and 4G will begin production in September, followed by larger 8.9-inch Kindle Fire 2 variant kitted out with a 1,920x1,200 display, which Shim revealed is set for production later in the year.
According to Shim, the new Kindle Fire 2 tablets will have displays that feature a pixel density of 216 pixels per inch (PPI), identical to that of the Nexus 7 but lower than the 264 PPI found on the iPad 3.
The original Kindle Fire had a screen density in the region of 170 PPI.
There was no information immediately available from DisplaySearch on pricing or processors. However, a past report said that the device may come powered by either Texas Instruments OMAP processors or Nvidia's widely used quad-core Tegra 3 chip.
Reports from BGR sources also mentioned that the original Kindle Fire's plastic body will be replaced by matte black metal, with a shiny, chrome-like "rib" on the back that would give a sharp and enhanced look and feel to the tablet. Furthermore, Amazon's new Kindle Fire 2 tablets will be thinner and similar in appearance to the first-generation Apple iPad, but without any buttons on the front.
Earlier reports have also claimed that the new Kindle Fire will boast a camera with physical volume control buttons, but there was no information on whether Bluetooth will be added or not.
Citing anonymous sources, CNET reported lately that Amazon's Kindle Fire 2 will be announced on July 31. The device will be priced at $199, but the reports have not confirmed, whether the price tag mentioned is for the 7-inch version or other versions. However it's logical to assume that the price point is for the 7-inch device.
Meanwhile, industry watchers had speculated in the past that Amazon was planning to launch the 7-inch tablet at the beginning of the third quarter and the company is also expected to reduce the price of the existing Kindle Fire to $149. If that happens, Amazon will be following the steps of Apple, which brought down the price of its iPad 2 by $100 when it introduced the new iPad.
This is an interesting turn of events with the latest set of speculations, as it would mean Amazon going head-to-head with both Google and Apple.
Amazon certainly caused a few ripples in the tablet pool with its $199 Android-based gadget. And now, with all these rumored reports hinting at the Amazon Kindle Fire launches lined up for 2012, one wonders how far all this competition could go.
