New iPhone in the Wild — Perhaps With Revamped Maps?
Posted in: Apple, gps, iPhone, maps, Phones, rumors, Today's Chili
You’ve gotta love analytics. A developer has spotted a new iPhone model identifier in usage records of its iPhone app, which indicates Apple has begun field-testing prototypes of its next-generation handset.
IPhone developer Pandav told MacRumors that usage logs revealed “iPhone3,1″ — a device identifier that does not match up with any shipping iPhones. Apple’s current iPhone 3GS is distinguished by the identifier “iPhone2,1,” an internal device-identification number assigned by Apple.
Pandav’s analytics report was provided by PinchMedia, which in the past noted the device identifier for the iPhone 3GS prior to its release. PinchMedia in October 2008 spotted an unfamiliar device ID labeled “iPhone 2,1,” which turned out to be the string representing the iPhone 3GS that launched in June.
While it’s dead obvious that Apple is planning to release upgrades for its products, the timing offers insight into Apple’s workflow. If “iPhone3,1″ is indeed the next iPhone, the time between field testing and release is consistent with the iPhone 3GS (aka “iPhone2,1″) — about eight months.
MacRumors also discovered over the weekend a new Apple job listing that hints at Apple’s plans to deliver a major upgrade to its Maps app for the iPhone. The job listing seeks an iPhone Software Engineer to help take the iPhone’s built-in Maps App to “the next level”:
We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We’ve only just started.
With that listing it becomes crystal clear why Apple purchased the mapping company Placebase earlier this year.
See Also:
- IPhone Boosts Google Maps Usage
- GPS Hackers Blaze Own Trails With Crowdsourced Maps
- Apple Buyout of Mapping Firm Hints at Future Breakup With Google …
Photo: SteveGarfield/Flickr
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