Apple, Samsung now in 'Mini' race

BANGALORE, INDIA: World leaders in gadgets-- Apple Inc and Samsung-- are taking their fight to a new level next week. This time it's not about patent violations but about launching mini versions of their popular tablet and smartpohone.

While Apple is widely expected to launch a mini version of its top selling iPad 2, its rival Samsung is coming out with a mini version of its top selling smarpthone, the Galaxy S III.

"Something small will be really big" was the tagline of Samsung press invites sent out to media in Germany on Wednesday.

While Samsung is expected to launch Samsung Galaxy S III Mini on October 11, Apple's iPad Mini could be launched at an event on October 13.

But why are the two gadget giants going for mini versions?

RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani says the new iPad Mini can help Apple to accelerate iPad adoption in verticals like education.

The analyst is quoted by BGR as saying: "We estimate 40M units could be sold over the first 12 months yielding $10B in revenue and $1.15 in EPS. Fundamentally, we believe investors should remain ahead of multiple catalysts including iPhone 5 refresh in fall, potential new iPad products this fall, and iTV launch in 2013."

The rumors of Galaxy S III Mini first surfaced in August, when a report indicated its release in Q4 this year. The report also stated that the S III Mini will feature 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display, dual-core processor, and a 5MP rear camera. Other specs and the Android version on-board are still unknown.

The announcement comes within weeks of Galaxy Note II announcement in Germany itself. The company has seen great success with its Galaxy series and the latest numbers from comScore indicate that it has helped the company stay on top in the US smartphone market.