Pictured above: the Acer Iconia B1

Gearing up for a hot summer season for tablets, Taiwanese company Acer is pushing up its schedule for its tablet releases this year. Observers view this as an aggressive move on Acer’s part, which could be in anticipation of other competitors launching their tablets within the same time frame.

First on the line is Acer’s update to the Iconia B1 tablet. According to sources cited by DigiTimes, Acer is moving its launch schedule from end-2013 to June this year, in anticipation of the second-generation Google Nexus 7, which is seen as a significant threat to brand vendors like Acer.

Apart from the Iconia B1, Acer is also moving up its scheduled production and launch of its upcoming budget-friendly 10-inch tablet. The 10-incher, whose model name is yet to be announced, will compete squarely against offerings from Lenovo and HP in the budget space and will be launched by August.

DigiTimes says Taiwanese OEM Compal has won the bid for the budget 10-incher, edging out Wistron. Compal also produces the sub-$150 7-inch Iconia B1, but orders for the 7.8-inch Iconia A1-810 are going to Wistron, a company that actually traces its roots as Acer’s manufacturing arm before being spun off to a separate firm.

Will releasing its tablets earlier in the year help Acer get a headstart over its competitors?