iPads Running iOS 6.0 at Apple's Campus Showing Up in Web Logs

With iOS 5.1 apparently sitting in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of the iPad 3, it should be no surprise that work is well underway on iOS 6.0, the next major update which should appear to the public later this year if past history is any indication.

ipad ios 6 user agent
Ars Technica server log entries showing iPads running iOS 6.0 visiting from Apple's campus

In support of the notion that work on iOS 6.0 is progressing, Ars Technica reports that browser user agent strings appearing as iPads running iOS 6.0 are indeed showing up in their server logs. While user agent strings are easily faked, Ars Technica filtered its logs to isolate only those entries coming from IPs assigned to Apple's corporate facilities and found a number of visits from devices reporting themselves as iPads running iOS 6.

[W]e 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.

The report also cites a separate observation of a 2048x1536 screen resolution showing up in Google Analytics. The entries are not specifically linked to the iPad, but there are few other reasonable displays on the market that would be likely to yield such a resolution.

The problem with speculation about these resolution entries representing the iPad 3 is that the new device should still report 1024x768 as its resolution. With the higher pixel density intended to increase sharpness rather than screen real estate, web content would appear far too small on the device if it reported itself at its true 2048x1536 resolution. This situation can be seen with Retina-capable iPhone 4/4S and iPod touch models, which report their resolutions as 480x320 instead of their actual 960x640 resolutions.

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...

Top Rated Comments

troop231 Avatar
166 months ago
seriously......this is the most ****** rumor ever. I would rather believe the drop on the 64gb ipad 3 then to believe this.
You know how relativly easy it is to make such a website report trick youre visitting the site wich those settings?

Now who's going to fake iOS 9.3 and visit a website? ^^

easy traffic now for that article.

Did you even read the article? It came from Apple's corporate IP...
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mad Mac Maniac Avatar
166 months ago
Wait you mean Apple is working on iOS 6!!? :eek:

:p
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrxak Avatar
166 months ago
Obviously the 2048x1536 screen is really a 4096x3072 ultraretina display on the prototype iPad 7.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
166 months ago
seriously......this is the most ****** rumor ever. I would rather believe the drop on the 64gb ipad 3 then to believe this.
You know how relativly easy it is to make such a website report trick youre visitting the site wich those settings?

Now who's going to fake iOS 9.3 and visit a website? ^^

easy traffic now for that article.

"While user agent strings are easily faked, Ars Technica filtered its logs to isolate only those entries coming from IPs assigned to Apple's corporate facilities and found a number of visits from devices reporting themselves as iPads running iOS 6."

Did you read the article?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
paulrbeers Avatar
166 months ago
so you think thats not fakeable?
it is. everything digital is fakable.
So, i call this rumor BS.
Why would this even be faked? Seriously? What is Apple NOT working on iOS 6.0? Are they really logging into websites with iPads/iPhones faking their OS for what point? So that investors think they are working on iOS 6 when they really aren't? So they can surprise us with iOS 7 instead? What gains do they have? Seriously, some people just want to believe the entire world is one big conspiracy....
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
marcusj0015 Avatar
166 months ago
seriously......this is the most ****** rumor ever. I would rather believe the drop on the 64gb ipad 3 then to believe this.
You know how relativly easy it is to make such a website report trick youre visitting the site wich those settings?

Now who's going to fake iOS 9.3 and visit a website? ^^

easy traffic now for that article.

... It's not a rumor, it's a fact. it's an update on the iOS 6 devolepment, calm down.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)