Samsung, Apple working on devices with 12-inch and above screen size: Report

More rumours are now pointing to Apple and Samsung working on devices with 12-inch or larger displays.

According to a new report by Digitimes that cites sources from the upstream supply chain, Samsung is developing tablets with a 12-inch or larger display. It says the sources believe that "vendors are trying to create a new market segment to get away from competition from small-size devices." The sources also mention that the move could have an impact on the notebooks segment. The report adds that other vendors are not considering entering the segment as 9-inch and 10-inch devices are suffering from poor sales.

In July, @evleaks had posted the specifications of Samsung SM-P900, a 12.2-inch device that would boast of a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels and be powered by an Exynos Octa 5 processor. It's also expected to support the S-Pen, Samsung's stylus solution for its Note series tablets and phablets.

Earlier, a report by Korean website ETNews.com, had mentioned that Samsung Display and Sharp will supply about 2.5 million 12.2-inch panels to Samsung Electronics for a new device. The report had claimed that the displays would be made by Sharp and will be based on IGZO (Indum-Gallium Zinc Oxide) technology. They'll sport a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels and will come with an S Pen stylus, which is usually bundled with devices under the Galaxy Note series. It said that Samsung was likely to launch the tablet in the third quarter of 2013.

Previously, the same Korean website had reported that Apple was working on a new larger iPad with a 12.9-inch diagonal screen that would be called iPad Maxi. It had said that this iPad variant would launch in the first half of 2014 and would take on Ultrabooks. It would also target the educational market with digital textbooks. The website had cited industry sources to report that Apple was in talks with display and component manufacturers in Korea for supplies for this tablet.

In July, a new report by The Wall Street Journal had also suggested that Apple was indeed testing larger screens for iPhones and iPads. It cited officials at Apple's suppliers to report that the company had asked them to supply prototype smartphone screens larger than 4-inches and screen designs for a new tablet measuring slightly less than 13-inches diagonally.