iOS 5 system files finger next-gen iPad, iPhone

Fanboys fantasise about new kit in the Fall

Apple's developer-only pre-release version of iOS 5 contains tantalising references to future iPhones and iPads.

Since iOS 5 launches to everyone in the autumn, some folk reckon that's when the new hardware will debut too.

The references to the future iDevice model codes "iPad3,1", "iPad3,2", "iPhone4,1" and "iPhone4,2" are buried deep within the iOS firmware files, TUAW reports.

The iPhone 3G was "iPhone1,1", and subsequent models have been coded accordingly, with the current model the "iPhone3,1" etc.

So the "iPhone4,1" seems certain to be the GSM version of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4GS - or whatever it'll be called.

With no iOS hardware announcement at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this week, rumours that Apple will launch the next iPhone in the autumn gained some credibility.

The consenus among Apple observers has the firm releasing a tweaked iPhone 4 at that point, with an entirely new model, the iPhone 5, out sometime in 2012.

Past rumour-mongering has also had it that Apple will release the iPad 3 in the autumn too - possibly with a much higher-resolution, "Retina" display, and a quad-core CPU - to capitalise on the Christmas market and to keep ahead of the rush of Android tablets that still hasn't quite materialised but probably will have by then. ®