Timing is everything when it comes to leaks.

Samsung is launching its long-awaited Galaxy S III smartphone around the world this week, with people reportedly lining up in the street to buy it. But unfortunately for Samsung, its new Android superphone is competing for column inches with a phone which may not even exist.

The Apple rumour mill has gone into overdrive again, this time fuelled by supposed shots of the mythical iPhone 5. The leaked photos come just days after the Wall Street Journal unveiled details of Apple's upcoming improvements to iCloud. Despite Apple's legendary veil of secrecy, these iPhone 5 photos and iCloud details have managed to hit the headlines at just at the right time to steal Samsung's thunder. How unlucky can you get?

Let's not beat around the bush here. The intense rivalry between Apple and Samsung has turned ugly in recent times. By dragging Samsung through the courts, Apple has made it perfectly clear that it sees Samsung's Android gadgets as a real threat. But lawyers aren't the only way to inflict pain on your competitors. Strategically leaking information is a tried and true way of hitting your opponent where it hurts while being able to feign innocence.

Former Apple executives have publicly admitted that the company strategically leaks information about upcoming products. Considering such an admission, it's not much of a stretch to think that Apple would deliberately time a leak to steal the spotlight away from a significant iPhone rival. Apple has perfected the art of manipulating public opinion, knowing that even the slightest details regarding the next iPhone -- true or otherwise -- will whip the media into a frenzy and dominate the headlines for days.

This isn't to say that those who published the supposed iPhone 5 photos and iCloud details willingly colluded with Apple. They're just doing what any journo does when handed a scoop. But it's an amazing coincidence that such scoops fell into the right hands just as Samsung is launching the most anticipated iPhone rival of the year.