Amazon has heated up the tablet war with rival Apple with introducing the Kindle Fire HD at a Sept. 6 press conference in Santa Monica, Calif.

This is exciting news, but many believe that Apple's highly anticipated iPad Mini still would top the new Kindle.

"While there were some interesting new features and upgrades from the original version that could provide increased competition for non-Apple tablets, we walked away from this announcement with even greater confidence that the iPad will continue to dominate the tablet market at the mid-to-high end," said Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, in a note to clients, according to ComputerWorld.

"The 4G version ... will have a difficult time gaining traction, while the November 20 dates are much too far into the future," White added.

Brian Marshall of the ISI Group -- like White, one of many analysts who have Apple stock as a "Buy" recommendation -- was just as certain that Apple had little to worry about.

"While Amazon's new products look impressive, we believe Apple remains the dominant vendor/platform of choice for smartphones/tablets," said Marshall in his note to clients.

Their reasons centered around several factors, including Apple's App Store, which offers hundreds of thousands more apps than does Amazon's, Apple's iCloud storage and synchronization service.

The Kindle Fire HD ranges from $199, $299 (16 GB) to $499 (32 GB) for the 4G LTE Wireless. It has an 8.9-inch screen, which has 25 percent less glare, two antennas for Wi-Fi, which gives a stronger signal. The Kindle HD will also have MIMO, which adds up to Wi-Fi that should be way faster than the competition, 41 percent faster than the iPad and 54 percent faster than the Nexus 7, according to Amazon.

The HD starts at 16GB of local storage, up from the 8GB of the original. It weighs 20 ounces and has 1920 x 1200 resolution with 254 ppi. It has longer battery life. It also has two speakers, one at the top and bottom of the device in portrait mode. It has an OMAP4470 processor.

The Kindle Fire HD also features Whispersync for Voice, which Amazon syncs all your books across all your gadgets, that syncs your words-book with your audiobook. You can also sync up your progression in games. Another feature will be Immersion Reading. You can listen to the narration of your book while you read it.

There is also X-Ray for movies and a camera. Shipping will start Nov. 20.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claimed that with the Kindle Fire's $49.99 annual data package, consumers will see "more than $400 in year-one savings" compared to a similarly equipped 32GB iPad and a comparable data plan.

However, some critics see a win for Amazon's new Kindle.

"One instant win over the iPad is the pricing for data. A data package only costs $50 per year and offers 250 MB per month of data, 20 GB of cloud storage and an incentive $10 Amazon Appstore credit," iPadBlorge.com said.

"Apple will likely release a 4G version of its iPad Mini, but consumers will be forced to use a cellular provider and pay roughly $30 per month for data."

Many are speculating the price of the new iPad Mini. Apple may price the little tablet at $299 or $249 for a 16 GB version.

Reports say that the iPad Mini will feature a 7.85 inch IGZO display with 330 pixels/inch. It will be more affordable. It is also assumed that the new tablet will feature Apple's upcoming operating system, iO6, which includes a new, Google-free Maps app, and Passbook, and promises better Facebook integration, better maps, and better video conferences that use cellular data, according to Entrepreneur.com. It is also said to have a smaller dock connector and thinner bezel. It will have FaceTime, and it may have Retina Display.

PC Mag reported that performance is not certain and there needs to be a lot tested for hte Kindle Fire HD.

"Performance is up in the air right now. The 1.2-GHz TI OMAP4470 chip the Kindle Fire HD uses isn't quite as powerful overall as the Nexus 7's Tegra 3," PC Mag wrote. "The real test will come with high-end games, especially games designed for the high-res screen, and with complex Web pages."

"There's a lot that needs to be tested about the Kindle Fire HD. What does that HD screen mean for battery life, for instance, and how does the performance really compare to the Nexus 7? The Fire is still still extremely easy to use, though, and its high-res screen offers a plus you probably won't see on any other 7-inch tablet any time soon."

What do you think? Can the Kindle Fire HD stand up Apple's iPad Mini? Share your thoughts below!