Future iPhone, iPod touch Hardware Found in iPhone 3.0 Software

Ars Technica reports that further evidence of unreleased hardware is lurking in the iPhone 3.0 beta software. While exploring the iPhone's updated system files, a developer has found references to two new iPhone models and what may be another iPod touch model. Two other unknown pieces of hardware are also referenced as "iProd" and "iFPGA."

The unreleased devices, iPhone2,1, iPhone3,1, iPod3,1, iFPGA, and iProd0,1, are named in the "USBDeviceConfiguration.plist" property list found in /System/Library/AppleUSBDevice/. Also listed are the two current iPhone and iPod touch models.

iPhone2,1 was initially spotted in iPhone 2.0 builds and subsequently referenced in PinchMedia's server logs.

Ars' Chris Foresman explains:

In addition to these references [to current models], USBDeviceConfiguration.plist in iPhone OS 3.0 beta contains references to iPhone3,1; iPod3,1; iFPGA; and iProd0,1. All of the products are assigned unique productID numbers, though all are assigned a productString of iPhone. These details are reported to Mac OS X when the devices are plugged in via USB, and would show up in System Profiler, for instance.

Although the references to iPhone2,1 and iPhone3,1 are likely products that Apple intends to release, the iFPGA and iProd0,1 are new to the mix. Some speculate that iFPGA "could be a prototype device that uses field-programmable gate arrays, a type of programmable microchip," and, due to its lack of a standard naming convention (e.g. iPhone1,2), is likely not a product which Apple intends to release.

Boy Genius is reporting similar information:

“Apple normally makes their device IDs in chronological order, from first released to last released. Here is what I found very interesting for you. Quick, here is an example of the past devices:

iPhone First Gen - 0×1290
iPod touch 1G - 0×1291
iPhone 3G - 0×1292
iPod touch 2G - 0×1293

Then, here is what is found in the ramdisk:

iPhone2,1 - 0×1294
iProd0,1 - 0×1295
iPod2,2 - 0×1296
iPhone3,1 - 0×1297
iFPGA - 0×1298
iPod3,1 - 0×1299?

If and when more clues surface from the 3.0 software, we'll be sure to report on them.