Smartphones, tablets, and now even phablets – there is no denying that mobile computing devices are hot items that have changed the way we work, socialize and share information.

Manufacturers are constantly working on creating newer, better devices that offer more features in a variety of different sizes. We have the iPhone 4s, the bigger iPhone 5, a wide range of Android phone sizes, especially from companies like Samsung, tablets like the iPad, iPad Mini and Galaxy Tab and even phone-tablet crossover “phablets” like the Galaxy Note.

With the emphasis on having a device that is both incredibly high-tech and still very portable, is there room in the market for larger devices? In years past the emphasis was on creating smaller and smaller cell phones, but now the opposite seems to be true.

In that regard, it is rumored that in addition to various iPhone sizes, the iPad and the new iPad Mini, Apple may be testing an even larger, 13-inch iPad. Could the super sized tablet be a reality? And is there a market for it?

According to reliable sources at the Wall Street Journal, a 12.9-inch prototype iPad is being tested by Apple at the moment. But before any Apple fans who’d favor the larger tablet get too excited, it’s important to keep in mind that the computing giant tests many different prototype devices before a select few make it into production and are launched to the public.

It is believed that, if chosen to be put into the marketplace, the “mega iPad” will feature retina display and in-cell touch technology, making it thinner and lighter. That would balance the larger overall size nicely. But despite the technology to make it lighter and thinner, would a big iPad be hard to handle? The current model is 9.7 inches, with the Mini at 7.9 inches.

Perhaps a “mega iPad” could be seen as a tablet-laptop hybrid, similar to the Lenovo Yoga. Apple CEO Tim Cooks believes that consumers are after, and even expect, larger screens, bucking that trend from the early 2000s for smaller and smaller devices. Having larger, yet portable, technology could provide the public with the proper photo color, white balance, reflectivity, brightness, longevity of display and battery life they’re after, according to Cook.

For Apple, a third size of tablet would be another step in the right direction towards competing with companies like Samsung, their main rivals. If the “mega iPad” is released to the public, it could be as soon as late Fall 2013, after the new iPhone 5s, the rumored iPhone “light” and possibly the Apple phablet device.

Only time will tell if Tim Cook and Apple decide to release the 12.9-inch iPad. In addition, only more time will determine if a bigger iPad will be as popular as the original, or anything else Apple has released in the last few years. While the iPad Mini has been fairly popular, there will still critics who questioned whether there was any point to it. It’s likely there will be those who question the usefulness of a bigger version as well.