Canon followed Nikon's footsteps and made a confession to Reuters:
Maeda also said the company was working on a smaller version of its upmarket single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras in a bid to compete with the new breed of mid-range so-called “mirrorless” cameras launched by Sony Corp, Olympus Corp, and Panasonic Corp. “It’s not a question of whether or not you have a mirror. There is a consumer need for good-quality cameras to be made smaller,” Maeda said. “We will meet this need.”
Image credit: flickr/Mike Caine | More about the Canon EOS IX can be found here