Samsung Believes iPhone 5 Could Be Nexus S Copy

The iPhone 5 is rumored to be copying the Nexus S. Now Samsung demands to immediately get a sample for inspection.

What's the coolest device to be had right now? In select markets, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is. Apple is on the verge of reaching a point where the iPhone 4 needs a successor like the iPhone 4S as a bare minimum, and preferably the iPhone 5 with a curved glass display, to stay on top of the sales ranking.

Obviously, to be beaten by the Galaxy S2 doesn't sound that dramatic, but let's not forget that Samsung has an entire army of smartphones further down on the list as well. Apple, on the other hand, needs to rely on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS alone. If those phones fail, Apple will be forced to cut production. According to a recent report, Apple has cut the iPhone production this quarter.

Short-term, a production cut in Q2 2011 doesn't have to be a big deal when taking a closer look at the production level reached in the previous quarters. For a company with bigger ambitions than ever, and equally big expectations from the market, it would still be regarded as a setback.

One recent rumor has suggested that Apple is in the late stages before starting mass production of an iPhone 5 with a curved glass display, the same type of screen design found in the Nexus S by Samsung. According to ZDNet, Samsung's legal team on Friday demanded to receive samples of the next generation iPhone and iPad:

Pursuant to Civil L.3. 37-2, Samsung's reciprocal expedited discovery requests to Apple are set forth in full below:

1) a sample of the final, commercial version of the next generation iPhone that Apple will release, whether that product will be known as the "iPhone 4S", "iPhone 5", or some other name, along with the final version of the packaging in which this product will be delivered to retail customers and a final version of the insert(s) that will be included within such packaging; and

2) a sample of the final, commercial version of the next generation iPad that Apple will release, whether that product will be known as the "iPad 3", "Third Generation iPad", or some other name, along with the final version of the packaging in which this product will be delivered to retail customers and a final version of the insert(s) that will be included within such packaging.

It's worth noting that Samsung recently promised devices with an ultra-high resolution display, like many are hoping the iPad 3 will offer, to be released later this year. It remains to be seen whether Samsung will supply those screens to Apple or other manufacturers too, or whether they'll pull a "Super AMOLED" trick and make them exclusively available to Samsung products for a given period.

So, will Apple send iPhone 5 and iPad 3 samples Samsung's way? According to the motion, Apple has responded as following:

This lawsuit is about Samsung's unlawful copying of Apple's trademarks, trade dress, design and utility patents. This valuable intellectual property is embodied in products that Apple currently has on the market. A preliminary injunction motion will be based on Apple's current intellectual property rights, not on future products. Because Apple's future products have no relevance to a preliminary injunction motion, we reject your request that Apple provide samples of such future products.

Apple has reportedly already requested samples of devices such as the Droid Charge, Infuse 4G, Galaxy S2, as well as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9. The most juicy aspect of this case right now is regardless the fact that the iPhone 5 is rumored to be copying the look and feel of the Nexus S. While waiting for the next move in this case, check out our full review of the Nexus S 4G for Sprint.