Looking at web logs to see which iPhones are currently being tested, a prominent mobile marketing company says there is evidence for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus — but no iPhone 6c.
Rumors about a 4-inch, low-cost iPhone 6c have been ramping up as of late, with recent reports claiming that it has been spotted in Apple’s manufacturing facilities and may even be released as early as next month. Now Fiksu’s report suggests it might not exist at all.
What is this — iPhone product launches by M. Night Shyamalan?
In a blog post, Fiksu says that it “did a little digging in our data to see if we could spot any new Apple hardware.” What the company discovered were two unique device identifiers referring to an “iphone8,1” and an “iphone8,2.” Last year’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were, by comparison, tested under the identifiers “iphone7,2” and “iphone7,1”– suggesting that Apple is currently testing out its iPhone 6s Plus and 6s.
The majority of usage from these devices is reportedly coming from the U.S., but a few hits have also originated from Germany and Brazil. Apps being tested include those in the travel, games, and lifestyle categories.
Unfortunately for people waiting on a new iPhone 6c, however, Fiksu suggests that, “This data does seem to run counter to the suggestion that Apple will also unveil a 6c … as we’re not seeing a third device being tested.”
Yesterday, renowned leaker Evan Blass claimed that Apple plans to release three new iPhones — including the 6c — at its September 9 event next month.
Of course, the fact that Fiksu couldn’t find any evidence of such a device being tested doesn’t preclude the possibility that it exists, although it certainly puts a bit of a dampener on rumors.
Maybe the reports that the much-discussed iPhone 6c has been pushed back to the second quarter of 2016 was right on the money, after all?
