Amazon could launch up to 4 tablets this year with shipments of 20M

We’ve been hearing that Amazon is working on a powerful 10-inch tablet since before the Kindle Fire’s launch, but now it appears that the company may have many more in the works.

Amazon could launch between two and four new tablets this year, according to a Digitimes report citing the usual “industry sources.”Additionally, the sources estimate that Amazon’s tablet shipments could reach 20 million this year, up from 5 to 6 million units shipped in 2011.

Amazon’s 10-inch model is expected to be priced between $250 and $300 (I’d bet on it being on the higher end), with shipments beginning in July, Digitime’s sources say. The company also reportedly has a new $199 7-inch tablet, which will most likely replace the current Kindle Fire, in the works for shipment at the end of the second quarter. If true, that means Amazon could announce the new 7-inch Kindle by this Summer or early Fall.

We’ve pretty much expected those two models, but Digitimes also shed some light on two other tablets from Amazon, a potential 8.9-inch model, and a $169 7-inch model for the entry level. The 8.9-inch model “has not been confirmed by Amazon” due to price concerns, Digitimes says (and honestly, it seems like a waste of time if the 10-inch model is going to be under $300). As for the cheaper 7-inch model, I’m thinking that will just be the new price for Amazon’s current Kindle Fire, rather than an entirely new tablet.

Photo Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat