Submitted by Frank Macey on
Like clockwork, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system has been spotted by developers. The company routinely tests new versions of iOS ahead of release, and iOS 6 is no different. Some reports claim Apple will announce some of the firmware's features at WWDC in early June.
Apple is planning some significant changes to iOS 6, including replacing Google maps with its own software. Another reported change would allow developers to create applications that interact with Siri.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple tests new versions of iOS with high profile applications. Developers have started seeing the operating system in their App Store usage metrics, which means the firmware is official. The graph pictured shows a staggering three hits for iOS 6, right between iOS versions 4.2 and 4.2.5.
The metrics are a great way for developers to know how many people are accessing their applications with what version of iOS. Here, most iPhone owners are running iOS 5.0.1 on their devices. Apple is unlikely to make major changes to the iOS interface with iOS 6, however it's possible a four-inch screen could add one row of icons to the home screen.