Have Apple employees already loaded up iOS 6 on the unreleased iPad 3? Apple certainly tests protypes and beta software well before unveiling it to the public and it looks like Apple is currently testing iOS 6 on the new iPad 3.
During a monthly stat check, Ars Technica discovered that their site had been browsed a couple of times by a device using a 2048×1536 screen resolution, which is the exact resolution for the rumored retina display iPad 3. Their stats also showed devices claiming to be running iOS 6. After hearing about their discoveries, we got curious about our own statistics and unearthed some similar findings.
I checked CultofMac.com’s stats and discovered that we too have had 12 visits from devices using that 2048×1536 resolution. There aren’t many displays on the market that use this screen resolution, but they do exist. Because the resolution by itself doesn’t tell us if it was an actual iPad 3 I kept digging.
The next thing I checked for was to see if any devices told our servers that they’re running iOS 6. While I didn’t find any devices that are running iOS 6, I did find a couple visitors running iPad iOSX, and iPad iOSU.
To be perfectly honest I have no idea what that means. It could be a new version of the iPad’s iOS software, or it could just be an odd glitch with our analytics. There were only a couple of visitors that were using that screen resolution with a weird iOS title. As Jacquie Cheng of Ars Technica points out though, the iPad 3’s running iOS were not running the older WebKit 534.46, and neither were these.
We began looking at iPad user agents coming from Apple’s corporate IP block in Cupertino and discovered that Apple appears to be surfing the Web using iPads running what looks like iOS 6.0. The whole listing shows iPads running iOS 5, iOS 5.0.1 (the current public release), iOS 5.1 (the upcoming release currently available to developers), and iOS 6. The iPads that appear to be running iOS 6 are also using a slightly newer build of WebKit—the older OSes all show WebKit 534.46, while the ones claiming to be iOS 6 show WebKit build 535.8.
So what does this mean? Is the iPad 3 going to come preloaded with iOS 6? Don’t count on it. Apple’s latest beta os iOS 5.1 hasn’t been released yet, but we’ll probably see it come out whenever the iPad 3 hits store shelves. It seems fairly clear though that Apple is making a lot of progress on iOS 6 and we might even see a preview of it on Wednesday with a full release later this summer.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
23 responses to “Apple Employees Are Surfing The Web On iOS 6 Enabled iPad 3s”
Can’t wait to upgrade to iPad 3 and Apple TV 3, but I seriously doubt Apple will Give a sneak peek of IOS 6 next Wednesday.
Really? Because they always do that. IOS is always previewed first and then released months later
Is that default WordPress stats or a plugin?
Interesting article
More than likely 5.1 will be released next week and iOS6 will be demo’d at WWDC in the summer before launching with the new iPhone in the fall.
My prediction is that we will hear about the following:
iPad3, Apple TV3, iPod Shuffle, iOS6, and Mountain Lion. With a bit of luck, maybe a new Mac Pro too.
Well I’m not upgrading to the iPad 3 I am happy with my 2 + I think spending money for a little upgrade is kinda wrong when you have a perfectly working device…But what would I know
Not to mention no jailbreak for the iPad 3 in the short term future, id give it a few months before I upgrade just because of that
A little upgrade? Wow. I love my iPad 2 but reading on it blows. The pixelation burns my eyes. Reading is a better experience in m 4s
it’s Woopra
I fully realize that Apple announces the next major version of iOS before releasing it to the public, but unless I am completely mistaken Apple didn’t announce the details of a new major version of iOS with either of the previous iPad releases.
I’ll bet you $100 virtual Internet dollars that there is no mention of the iPod Shuffle next Wednesday. I’ll bet another $100 virtual Internet dollars there is no major details announced regarding iOS 6 next Wednesday. Same goes for Mac Book Pro.
UPDATE: I’ll collect my virtual Internet dollars now.
You are not mistaken at all. Generally at the iPad events, they usually announce the following;
State of the Ipad – how well iPad is selling
iPad hardware
Apple apps designed to take advantage of the new hardware
accessory
that’s as far as I remember.
i’m going to upgrade just for the retina display. i love my ipad 2 but i read on it a ton and the crisper text and graphics alone will be enough to have me pulling out my credit card
The device in the invite has a resolution of 2048×1536!!! (google it) which a retina display does not advertise (but displays in). This device is physically much larger than the iPad. Look at the size of the finger compared to the device (try it on your iPad; i did and this device is much larger than my iPad). The icons are much large for distance viewing (remote control). It is an Apple TV.
wow frank, you are taking this a little too seriously. You should go take a coffee break.
He was talking about the Mac Pro, Apple beast tower, not the MacBook Pro. I also don’t think its going to be called “iPad 3”, because if you look at the iPhone line, you have the original, the 3G with a different back, the 3GS that looks exactly like the 3G just faster, the 4 that looked completely different, and the iPhone 4S that is just a speed bump. I have a feeling, based on the iPhone line, that this iPad is going to be called either iPad 2S or iPad 2HD (maybe even iPad HD2). Who knows? I’m excited because once the new ones announced, I’m going to be ordering my refurbished 2 at a deeply discounted price (for Apple, at least).
The only upgrade I’m making is to the 2. I had the 16GB Wifi Refurbished iPad 1 that I bought when the 2 came out, sold that, got almost all my money back, and I’m ordering the 64GB Wifi 2 when the the new one comes out.
I don’t really think a new screen is an upgrade. Slap a new processor and cameras on there and you have an upgrade. I don’t know what your talking about on the reading, my iPad 1 worked great for reading and never had issues reading it.
Sorry but this is a NSS
There wont be a mention of the Mac Pro either. Apple is very firm on these events being iOS hardware or MacOS hardware but not both.
Exactly.
Get your eyes checked. I’m serious.