Apple Inc has been in stiff competition this year as, for the first time, companies like Samsung, HTC and Sony are making phones with a high enough caliber to rival the popular smartphone and tablet maker's devices. In order to stay competitive, the company is rumored to be testing iPhones and iPads with a larger screen size including an iPad with a 13-inch screen and an iPhone, likely the 5s, with a screen over four-inches diagonally.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news as a result of some inside information from sources who wished to remain anonymous. Rumors have been circulating for some time that the company wanted to compete with Samsung and other electronics companies who are building smartphones and tablets with larger screens such as the Galaxy S4 with its 5-inch display screen.
As the Verge points out, there is no reason to be surprised that these tests are being done. Apple tends to test a number of prototype phones before putting a final product into mass production. However, rumors from last week indicated that the iPhone 5s release would be pushed back from the fall to the end of the year in order to work in a larger 4.3-inch screen. In its trial with Samsung, Apple produced dozens of rejected iPhone designs as evidence in order to give average people some insight into the process.
The WSJ's sources say this year will see the release of a new iPad with the same 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 Retina display, but employing an in-cell touch technology that will make it thinner similar to what the company did with the iPhone 5. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s is expected to be out sometime later this year with a release alongside the iPhone Lite, the company's rumored plastic low-cost iPhone that will come in a variety of colors.
