In a move that should surprise no one, Apple is testing iOS 5, the next version of its iPhone operating system, ahead of a big reveal in June.
App Store developer FutureTap discovered a mention of iOS 5.0 while looking over crash reports, according to 9 to 5 Mac. After a bit more digging, FutureTap found that an iPhone 4 and first-generation iPad running iOS 5 had accessed the developer’s Where To application.
Of course, none of this tells us much about iOS 5 itself. But given that Where To is a location-based service, and that the crash was related to GPS functionality, it’s possible that Apple will have some new features related to mapping and location.
Apple plans to show off iOS 5 — and for that matter, “the future of iOS and Mac OS” — at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Rumors suggest that this will be a big update, bringing long-awaited cloud services such as an online music locker and a location service that helps track down friends and family. I’m personally hoping for better multitasking and built-in voice-guided GPS navigation, like the kind that Android users currently enjoy.
But one thing I’m not counting in is new hardware. The rumor mill seems to have settled on a September launch for the next iPhone, which seems even more likely with the white iPhone 4 just hitting stores now. Hopefully iOS 5 is substantial enough to keep Apple junkies satisfied until then.