This has not prevented them from being partners in other areas, since Samsung has supplied a number of key components for the iPad, including its touch panel display.

However, ETNews reports that the strain on the relationship between the two companies has become impossible to ignore, which has caused Apple to turn to a different manufacturer when sourcing the touch panel displays for its next-gen iPad models.

Samsung was not the only supplier of display tech in the past, with Sharp and LG also playing their part, so it is expected that they will have to take up the slack, now that it is out of the picture.

Although for many companies it would be disastrous to lose a deal with Apple, Samsung is in a seriously strong position and is not likely to miss the money too much.

It will be interesting to see whether the new iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 are any different as a result of Samsung's lack of manufacturing involvement.

This is because the small LCD area will be able to scan fingerprints, allowing only registered users to access some of the iPhone's features.

It is reported by China Times that this second touch panel will not just help users keep their phones locked against unauthorised access, but will also help them to authenticate payments carried out via the NFC chip that the iPhone 5S will apparently feature.

NFC has become a common feature of rival handsets, but Apple has so far failed to add it to the mix for its flagship range.

If this changes, analysts believe that NFC could really become a mainstream technology rather than something that only a small percentage of smartphone owners actually use on a day to day basis, for payments and data transfer.

The jury is still out on whether the iPhone 5S will have a larger primary touch panel display, which could push north of the four inch screen that arrived with last year's iPhone 5.

There have been rumours about this kind of hardware in the past and it would make real sense for smartphones to integrate solar panels, since their displays are getting larger each year and the demands on internal batteries are also becoming greater.

From an environmental point of view, it would be great to see Apple embrace solar technology, particularly since this company does not have a great track record when it comes to caring for the planet, in spite of its clean and modern image.

The patents also hint at the arrival of an official stylus system for future iPhones and iPads, which would be an indication that Apple believes it needs to play catch-up, in the wake of Samsung's launch of the Galaxy Note range with its S-Pen accessory.

Of course, Apple could simply be protecting its ideas with patents that it never actually puts into action, but it is interesting to envisage the kind of products that this company might release in the future.

However, rumours suggest that Apple is actually going to create an even bigger iPhone for launch later this year, with China Times reporting that it will launch alongside the iPhone 5S and sport a 4.8 inch screen.

Referred to as the iPhone Math in recent media coverage, this device will clearly be designed to compete with other big screen smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy S3.

It will be interesting to see whether Apple sticks with the Retina Display resolution for this next touch panel, since it might be better off going with a more standardised 720p or 1080p pixel count.

The iPhone 5S, on the other hand, will presumably stick with the four inch touch panel of its predecessor, acting as an incremental upgrade.

What makes these rumours slightly hard to believe is Apple's track record. It tends not to go out of its way to keep up with the Joneses for the sake of it and, instead, tends to pre-empt what consumers really want.

The Wall Street Journal cites insiders as stating that Apple is scaling its purchasing of iPhone 5 components, including the display, along with other hardware elements, as a result of weaker than expected demand.

Many see the iPhone 5 as being yet another incremental upgrade, since it looks like an elongated iPhone 4, with a design that is getting on for three years old and an operating system whose interface has barely changed since 2007.

An alternative view of the alleged touch panel order reductions is that Apple will actually be preparing to release yet another new iPhone, presumably titled the 5S, within the first half of 2013.

If this is the case, then it would also follow that Apple is using a different type of display for the iPhone 5S, or at least not using the same suppliers.

Much of this is speculation, but if the rumours turn out to be true, we could be seeing the end of international iPhone obsession.