iPhone 5 Specs: Why Samsung's Galaxy S3 Could Beat Apple in Mobile Gaming Market
The iPhone 5 may be one of the most anticipated electronic releases of the year, but Apple may be excluding one target audience: gamers. Competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 may surpass Apple’s next generation smartphone in the mobile gaming community. Apple

Fresh evidence has emerged suggesting that despite high consumer interest, Apple chose to cut development of the iPhone 5 mid-project, choosing to place its eggs in the iPhone 4S' basket.

According to Business Insider, an unnamed industry source revealed that Apple had scrapped its plans for the iPhone 5 "as the last minute."

Business Insider reported that Apple was set to unveil the iPhone 5 but instead chose to go with the iPhone 4S. The "insider" went on to allege not only that the decision to scrap the iPhone 5's development was made just three months before Apple's planned October launch, but also that they had used a prototype version of the device.

Being vague on the details, Business Insider's source went on to report that the iPhone 5 would have been a completely redesigned iPhone -- perhaps referring to the previous rumours that the iPhone 5 would feature a wider edge-to-edge display and curved back metal case.

Screwing the Pooch

The news that Apple potentially scrapped plans to release a truly next-gen device has led certain research groups to speculate that Apple may have backed the wrong horse.

Before its release, numerous research groups had issued reports suggesting fans were more interested in the iPhone 5 than the iPhone 4S. The reports received some backing when, following the iPhone 4S' release, Apple suffered a backlash by fans, all of whom expressed disappointment at Apple's decision not to release a truly next-generation device.

The slew of negative responses to the iPhone 4S began the moment Apple unveiled the device. The comments generally appeared on a number of social networking sites. Within them there was a common theme indicating they would only be interested in upgrading to the iPhone 5, not 4S. "Where's the iPhone 5?" Read one fans' comment, followed by "wow no iphone 5 ? ..... disappointed :("

Following the initial comments, a number of more direct messages appeared indicating previous fans of the iPhone series would not buy the new iPhone 4S. "Apple Inc. should be kidding right? iPhone 4S (for ASS)," read one commentators' comment. "Just lost 2 customers from my household..." promised one slightly more articulate consumer.

Despite the slew of negative comments, Apple's iPhone 4S certainly hasn't done badly. According to reports from Apple the iPhone 4S broke Apple's previous pre-orders sales records, boasting one million pre-orders in its opening 24 hours before scaling up to break the three million mark by the end of its first week. Following its strong pre-order sales Apple confirmed Monday, 17 Oct. that the 4S had sold over four million iPhone 4S units, just three days after release.

This said, Apple could release a teaspoon and as long as it had the Apple brand -- iTeaspoon -- Apple fans would probably buy it. The only real question is, would the iPhone 5 have sold better than the 4S, to which the answer is undoubtedly a resounding, yes, it probably would have.