14 DAY TRIAL // The creator of an iPhone navigation app has been tipped off on the existence of Apple’s fourth iPhone model. Pandav tells MacRumors that it has spotted usage records for the next-generation iPhone thanks to PinchMedia records. PinchMedia is an analytics firm that provides just that for Pandav and its iBart application. This allows the developer to see which apps are running on which devices.
Pandav reports seeing the magical iPhone 3,1 hardware ID showing up in logs, a reference previously spotted and identified as being the next-generation iPhone model or, as some have speculated, Apple’s forthcoming tablet device. However, it makes sense to pinpoint iPhone 3,1 as a revision to the current iPhone model.
The device is said to have been spotted as early as March 2009, about the time Apple was also testing iPhone OS 3.0. The device now appears to be in live testing over the Internet, which falls in line with Apple’s final phases of testing before mass-producing a product like the iPhone or iPod touch. Some, however, believe there is more waiting to be done than just a couple of months. And if the iPhone 3GS is any indication, identified late last year as iPhone 2,1, the new iPhone 2010 model will be quite the major update.
In what is perhaps the last piece of the puzzle regarding Apple’s latest efforts, the company has put up a job posting for an iPhone Software Engineer. The posting specifically states that Apple is looking to upgrade the interface and underlying code for the iPhone OS built-in Maps software. “We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things,” the description reads. “We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started,” Apple adds.
Navigation is sure to be an iTablet-specific feature as well, so Apple may be looking to also carry out tests in this area, should it be working on such a device.