Apple Reportedly Testing iPhone 6 and iOS 7

New reports suggest that Apple has started testing the next version of its popular iPhone. If these early reports prove accurate, both the iPhone 6 smartphone and Apple iOS 7 mobile operating system could arrive in the U.S. market a lot sooner than previously anticipated.

Rumors of the new offerings first emerged after application developers identified traces of a new iPhone in their app usage logs. The iPhone 5 would be recognized in such logs with identifiers like "iPhone 5,1" and "iPhone 5.2".

iPhone 6, iOS 7 Identifiers Spotted

As tech blog The Next Web speculates, "the app requests originate from an IP address on Apple's Cupertino campus, suggesting that members of Apple's software development and app teams are testing some of the more popular or well-known applications already on the App Store."

Of course, anyone wanting to create buzz around a seemingly new product could simply spoof an identifier.

However, The Next Web points out there's a unique IP address used by Apple's Cupertino headquarters. This provides further proof that the suspicious devices are valid and unique to the iPhone label. (Source: cnbc.com)

Developer Log Hints Historically Accurate

Interestingly, Apple has previously tipped off the existence of some new products through entries in the very same kind of developer logs.

Earlier in 2012, rumors of what was to become the iPad Mini sprouted as a result of usage logs that contained the identifier "iPad 2,5" and "iPad 2,6" (these specific identifiers referred to the WiFi cellular models of the device).

Past versions of the iPhone and iOS operating system have also been spotted in app developer logs. (Source: wired.com)

While many observers will argue that these new identifiers are a sure sign Apple is forging ahead with iPhone 6, there is no evidence regarding when the new device will be released to the public.

All this speculation and anticipation comes amid rumors that Apple will be adding a new kind of touch panel technology to their next iPhone offering. These "Touch On Display" panels would measure only 0.5 mm, front to back, making them the thinnest display panels yet seen.