We’ve barely got acquainted with the New Year but that isn’t reason enough to stop the Apple rumor mill as we are hearing that Cupertino is in the process of field testing the next generation iPhone running iOS version 7. The news comes courtesy of app usage logs that show references to a new iPhone identifier which showed up as “iPhone 6.1” by at least one developer.
The app requests reportedly were tracked back to an IP address on Apple’s Cupertino campus, leading many to believe that developers are testing the new hardware and operating system with existing applications already available via the App Store. It’s entirely possible to spoof such data but as TNW points out, that’s likely not the case as the IP address points directly to Apple’s headquarters.
If you recall, the iPhone 5 uses the identifier “iPhone 5.1” and “iPhone 5.2” to differentiate between the LTE and non-LTE models. Whether or not “iPhone 6.1” is the iPhone 6 or the previously rumored iPhone 5S remains to be seen.
Most expect Apple to follow their traditional release cycle with regards to the next generation handset which means we’ll likely hear something official from the company sometime this summer or shortly after.
With the recent management changes at Apple, it will be interesting to see what the company comes up with for their next iteration of the iconic handset. It was reported in October that Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will take on additional responsibilities, replacing Scott Forstall and John Browett.
