Samsung and Apple working on 12 inch slates?

A published report on Monday morning reveals that rivals Samsung and Apple are both working on tablets with screens measuring 12 inches or more. The information comes from the upstream supply chain and states that both companies are looking to move into an area not full of competition like the small-screen tablet niche is. Other manufacturers have been burned by slower demand for 9 and 10 inch tablets and are waiting to see how other producers, like Apple and Samsung, do before sticking their toes in the 12 inch waters.

Tablet shipments globally dropped 9.7% sequentially to 45.1 million units in the second quarter. During that same time period, shipments of the Apple iPad slumped from 19.5 million to 14.6 million.

As the line blurs between smartphone and tablet screens, Samsung says that consumers will choose smartphones because of their better features, so the Korean manufacturer is turning to the 12 inch or larger tablet market where the demand for smartphones can't be felt. And since Apple still has the 11.6 inch and 13.3 inch MacBook Air in its lineup, the Cupertino based tech titan isn't expected to be in as much as a rush as Samsung is in developing the new slates and getting them out the door. We still have no idea when the first foot long slabs might see the light of day.

source: DigiTimes