Apple could currently be testing the next iteration of its mobile operating system. Several sources have been recording activity by browsers from iOS9, and the number of devices appears to be increasing slowly as time passes.
The evidence comes from website analytics that appear to record iOS9 visits. It was first noticed by Apple Insider earlier this week, and the website noted that this is still months ahead of the expected June 2015 unveiling. This new was corroborated by Macworld who also noted several visits by devices claiming to be running the new OS. Most recently, mobile app marketing platform Fiksu noted that it had logged 145 devices running iOS9.
Fiksu noted that 63-percent of these devices happened to be iPhone 6 and 6-pluses, with the rest being older iPhone and iPad models. It would have been more exciting to have an iPhone 6S or 7 turn up, but Apple wouldn’t be that sloppy in an age where nothing can be kept a secret anymore.
It should be noted that Macworld is not entirely convinced that the reports of iOS9 are really the experimental operating system. The Apple news site believes that it might just be a case of errors in recording information, or perhaps even jail-broken devices spoofing their version number to avoid detection. The second theory was backed up by the fact that an iOS10.9.5 also turned up in the analytics.
However, with so many sites now noting iOS9 visits, we are inclined to believe that this is a sign that Apple is taking to external testing for OS test builds. Or at least we’re hoping that this is the case because it would be nice to catch a glimpse of what Cupertino is up to before anything is announced.
[Source: Techcrunch, Macworld, Apple Insider]
