There is a rumor that tech giant Apple will launch the next generation of iPhone and iPad next year.

According to Nikkei Business, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo said that the company will be offering the new iOS devices next year. The Japanese network came to an agreement with the Cupertino, Cailf.-based company that it will launch the iPad 4G LTE next summer and the iPhone 4G LTE in the fall.

NTT DoCoMo is the predominant mobile phone company in Japan and holds more than 50 percent of the market. Nikkei Business reported that the upcoming iPad 3 and iPhone 5 -- both with LTE -- will be the new offerings for the company in 2012.

The news agency added that Apple CEO Tim Cook met with NTT DoCoMo president Kiyoyuki Tsujimura and VP Takashi Yamada earlier this month to work out the details of the arrangement, and the companies have reportedly reached agreeable terms.

It was reported that the two companies have already been in discussions before. However, according to the rumors, the Japanese mobile company was not too happy with the terms set by Apple with regard to the demand on the units as well as the refusal of Apple to allow mobile carriers to install their own apps on the iOS device.

Last April, wireless chip tracker Forward Concepts' Will Strauss said that Apple was looking for a solution where chips will support 4G and 3G on a single chip so that the 4G LTE iPhone is as thin or thinner than the iPhone 4 and doesn't consume too much battery life. Qualcomm has recently introduced the next generation LTE chip set -- Gobi 4000 -- that could be used in the 4G LTE iPhone and possibly 4G LTE iPad.

There is also the rumor that Apple is currently working on new devices, such as a small iPad and an iPhone with a larger screen, as reported by Computer World and The Korean Times.

According to The Korean Times, the rumor is from a reliable source in the industry. According to the insider, Apple and LG Display are in talks about the future iOS devices. This includes the iPad mini and iPhone 5. Another meeting between the two famous tech companies will take place in the next few days, and one of the agenda items in the meeting is the introduction of a tablet that has a 7.35-inch size.

Another agenda item is the new iPhone that will feature a 4-inch display by LG Display. The screen is half an inch larger than the current screen sported by the iPhone 4S. The retina display resolution will not be changed as LCD is a great alternative to cut the cost.

As usual, there has been no confirmation from the iOS device company. What will we be seeing next year?

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