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

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...

Top Rated Comments

troop231 Avatar
181 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
181 months ago
Wait you mean Apple is working on iOS 6!!? :eek:

:p
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrxak Avatar
181 months ago
Obviously the 2048x1536 screen is really a 4096x3072 ultraretina display on the prototype iPad 7.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
181 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
181 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
181 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)