The Amazon Kindle Fire hasn’t even touched down on UK shores yet but already a string of rumours are hinting at the release of a new and improved Amazon tablet, dubbed the Amazon Kindle Fire 2.

It will be the online retailer’s second jump into the tablet market, and with a bout of Apple iPad Mini rumours circulating around the web too, it’s safe to say that an ugly battle between Amazon and Apple is about to pursue.

But what can we expect from the rumoured device and, more importantly, should Apple be scared? We take a look at the rumours...

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: UK release date

Update: Amazon has distributed invitations to the media for an even, set to be held in Santa Monica, California, on 6 September.

However, the firm is keeping hush about what they're planning to announce - all the invitation says is: “Please join us for an Amazon Press Conference”.

Speculation is mounting that the online retailer will use the occasion to announce the follow-up to its Kindle Fire tablet, dubbed the Kindle Fire 2, according to reports.

The original Kindle Fire is yet to arrive on UK shores, however, it is expected to finally hit shelves in autumn – although others claim Britons won’t see the original Kindle Fire, but will get its follow-up.

Meanwhile, others claim the company could be releasing its first ever smartphone to take on Apple’s rumoured iPhone 5. It was previously reported that Amazon would launch the Kindle Fire 2 in spring 2012.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: Specs

It was originally rumoured that the Kindle Fire 2 would be available in two sizes: as a 7 and 9-inch tablet, however, according to fresh rumours, the slate will done a bigger 10.1-inch screen than its predecessor, putting it in line with the industry-standard 10.1-inch screen most tablet adorn. Oh, and it'll come in glorious HD, apparently.

Rumours are also rife that a second model with an 8.9-inch screen is set to follow.

In terms of the innards, some experts believe the second-generation tablet will come loaded with higher spec in-bits than its predecessor, including a quadcore processor.  It's also believed the Kindle Fire will come running on Google's Android operating system, however, the Google Play store will be replaced with Amazon's own store.

We don’t have any further information on the Amazon Kindle Fire 2's supposed specs yet but will post them here as and when we do.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: Price

There have been so many price-points chucked our way we can't even begin to seperate fact from fiction. Then again, seeing as these are all rumours, we've rounded up rumour estimates for each, individual rumoured deviced.

The 7-inch Kindle Fire 2 will cost around $249, while the 9-inch version of the tablet will yield a price tag of $299, according to the Kindle-devoted website fire2.net.

However, it is believed that the pricing will be increased on the Kindle Fire 2 – the original Kindle Fire landed in the US with a $200 (£125) price tag - due to an increase in quality of the specifications inside, notably, the 10.1-inch HD screen.

Amazon, which famously sells its Kindle devices at a loss, will have to watch its competitors closely. With a rumoured miniature iPad expected to hit shelves in the third quarter of 2012 – and supposedly with a $250-$300 (£156-£187 respectively) price tag - the retailer won’t be in for an easy ride.