The rumor mill is at it again: according to the latest buzz, a 5-inch touchscreen-based Apple device will land on earth in 2013. For a long time, we've been hearing the chatter about an Apple device that is smaller than the iPad, but bigger than the iPhone. Apple watchers claimed it could be called iPad Mini, but there's nothing to back those claims. And, here we are again with another one, this time the information comes from a Japanese blog called Macotakara, which speaks of a 2013 unveiling of a 5-inch device with Retina display.

The Japanese blog cited a Chinese source as saying that "Apple LCD is developing a 5-inch Retina display with a screen resolution of either 1,600-by-960 pixels or 1,280-by-960 pixels." It is uncertain if this device would be a completely new device, a tablet, a phone, or a merger of both like the Samsung Galaxy Note. If this 5-inch display device from Apple is truly in the works, then our best guess is that it would be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note than anything else.

Recently, a Samsung executive leaked that Apple is planning to release a smaller version of the iPad in the coming months, but he failed to mention the display size, which would have made it easier for us to pinpoint what this rumored device is all about.

If Apple does rock the world in 2013 with a 5-inch iOS based device, Samsung and its Galaxy Note would have serious reasons to worry. The company is already engaged in a heated battle with Apple in the smartphone and tablet space, so having to compete with Apple on another front could be devastating for the company. The iPhone and the iPad are outselling everything Samsung came up with. So if Apple releases a competing product to the Galaxy Note, Samsung would have to prepare for the fight of its life.

There is no more Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple. Tim Cook, the new CEO, might want to try a few things to differentiate himself from the man who made it all happen. A 5-inch iOS device? It doesn't sound like something Steve Jobs would have done. So hopefully Tim Cook is up for the challenge. Well, that's if the rumors are true.

(reported by Vamien MacKalin, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)