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

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...

Top Rated Comments

troop231 Avatar
172 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
172 months ago
Wait you mean Apple is working on iOS 6!!? :eek:

:p
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrxak Avatar
172 months ago
Obviously the 2048x1536 screen is really a 4096x3072 ultraretina display on the prototype iPad 7.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
172 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
172 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
172 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)