There have been rumours circulating that smartphone and tablet computer  manufacturer, Samsung, could release the third incarnation of their popular Galaxy S device as early as the first half of 2012…

The speculation was sparked by comments made by Eldar Murtazin, who believes that Samsung will not be resting on their laurels, and could be planning to roll out the next-generation Galaxy S III as soon as the end of 2011.

Although this seems unlikely, many industry analysts agree that Samsung will probably be increasing their production cycles in order to combat the effects of the impending release of Apple’s latest iPhone. Although Mr Murtazin has not always been right concerning every single one of his smartphone industry related forecasts, he has become renowned for pinpointing crucial events. His achievements include successfully predicting Nokia’s departure from the Symbian operating system, towards Microsoft and their Windows 7 Phone concept.

Some critics have refuted the prediction, highlighting the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S II is still not available in all markets globally, and the prospect of the Samsung Galaxy S III’s release being so close behind could serve to drastically dampen sales of the second model.

The confusion was not helped by Samsung’s President of Mobile Communications, J.K. Shin, who declined to clear up the matter in a recent interview with Dow Jones. Despite this, Mr Shin did inform Samsung fans of the company’s future business plans, which include aspirations to improve their hold on the Android tablet market. It is not thought that Samsung’s plans for Android tablet domination will harm their smartphone sales, with a whopping 60 million unit sales expected from this year alone.

The rumours have also instigated ideas for possible improvements for the samsung galaxy s, which have included longer battery-life or possible display enhancements.