Despite being labeled an “iPad killer” prior to hitting the market, Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire never really gave the iPad anything to worry about. However, it’s going to come back and take a second shot at Apple’s hugely popular tablet, and this time its chances could be improved by a larger display. If a recent FCC filing is anything to go by, the Kindle Fire 2 will be significantly larger than its predecessor.
Published yesterday, the FCC filing you see above is registered to a company called Harpers LLC. If you’ve followed Kindle rumors in the past, you may be aware that this is the “front company” Amazon uses for all its FCC filings in an effort to prevent their specifics from leaking ahead of their official unveiling. It doesn’t work very well.
Amazon has done the same thing since the original Kindle. In fact, for the Kindle Touch and the original Kindle Fire, the company used three different front companies for its FCC filings.
It seems reasonable to assume, then, that the FCC filing above is for the second-generation Kindle Fire. Although there are no specifics mentioned, it’s a noticeably different shape to the first-generation Kindle. As noted by The Digital Reader, who first stumbled across it, it’s shaped a lot like the iPad:
I don’t have anything beyond the label, but after looking at the dimensions I’m guessing that this is a 9.7″ or 10″ tablet. The general screen geometry is likely going to be 4:3 (like the iPad), and not widescreen like many Android tablets. And since some of the hidden parts of the FCC paperwork will be revealed in December, this device will clearly be launched this fall.
So it seems Amazon feels its second shot at the iPad will be a more successful one if it matches some of the iPad’s specifications — like its screen size. If the company can keep the pricing low, it also gives the tablet a great advantage over the $199 Google Nexus 7, which recently blew the original Kindle Fire right out of the water.
Source: FCC
Via: The Digital Reader
