An intriguing post from the folks over at WeiPhone.com, a Chinese tech forum, is making the rounds on the internet this morning. The post claims to contain a list of official download links for iOS 6 beta and other unreleased software.
With WWDC starting tomorrow, we definitely expect to see developer betas released sometime in the next 24 hours (happened with iOS 5 last year). But if these links are legitimate, then we’re all in for some big surprises…
The purported links to iOS 6 beta include versions for the second and third generation Apple TVs, the fourth generation iPod touch, the iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS, and — get this — third and second generation iPads only. No original iPad support.
Also interesting about the links is that they appear to contain both ‘Consumer’ and ‘Enterprise’ versions of the software. This would be the first time Apple has forked its mobile OS specifically for the business sector. And, if true, could spell some serious trouble for RIM’s BlackBerry business.
MacRumors, who was first to point to the post, notes that:
“The accuracy of the claim can not be confirmed given that the links are not yet pointing to the files, but clicking on the links does take users to an error page stating “Your session has expired.” Altering the URLs to reference a different build number or making other changes yields an “Access denied” error message, suggesting that there is indeed something unique about the URLs.”
Links, courtesy of MacRumors:
Third-generation iPad
– Consumer: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi + Cellular (GSM), WiFi + Cellular (CDMA)
– Enterprise: Wi-Fi, WiFi + Cellular (GSM), WiFi + Cellular (CDMA)
iPad 2
– Consumer: Wi-Fi, WiFi + 3G (GSM), WiFi + 3G (CDMA), Revised Wi-Fi
– Enterprise: Wi-Fi, WiFi + 3G (GSM), WiFi + 3G (CDMA), Revised Wi-Fi
iPhone
– Consumer: 4S, 4 (GSM), 4 (CDMA), 3GS
– Enterprise: 4S, 4 (GSM), 4 (CDMA), 3GS
iPod touch
– Consumer: 4th Generation
– Enterprise: 4th Generation
Apple TV
– Consumer: 2nd Generation, 3rd Generation
Other iOS
– iOS 6 Beta Guide (PDF)
– Installing Apple TV Software (PDF)
Safari 6
– Consumer: Safari 6 Developer Preview for Lion, Uninstaller
Tune in tomorrow for our full coverage of Apple’s WWDC keynote, which should be starting around 10 AM PST.