Is the iPhone 6 already out there? App developers claim new Apple handset spotted online

  • Rumours claim Apple could launch iPhone 5S or 6 within months
  • Developers claim the phone has been 'spotted' electronically downloading and testing apps

Apple's next iPhone is already being tested at the firm's secretive Cupertino campus, it has been claimed.

iPhone app makers say they have spotted the device downloading and using their software, raising hopes it could be released within months.

They also claim to have spotted a major new version of the phone's software on the device.

Pictures claiming to show the internals of a new iPhone 5S surfaced late last year on French website Nowhereelese.fr, with the differences in internal attachment points suggest an update to the latest Apple phone

Pictures claiming to show the internals of a new iPhone 5S surfaced late last year on French website Nowhereelese.fr, with the differences in internal attachment points, highlighted here, suggesting an update to the latest Apple phone

iPhone app developers claim to have spotted new iPhone's and a new version of Apple's iOS software being used within Apple's headquarters (shown) in Cupertino

iPhone app developers claim to have spotted new iPhone's and a new version of Apple's iOS software being used within Apple's headquarters (shown) in Cupertino

Developers told blog The Next Web they had spotted an entirely new version of the iPhone's operating system: iOS 7.

'One developer showed us that Apple has been testing hardware relating to a new ‘iPhone6,1′ identifier, powered by a device running iOS 7, which is expected to be released by Apple in the middle part of this year,' the site said.

However, it said the developers had been unable to find out what new features could be included in either the phone or the handset.

One technology analyst at Gartner, Michael Gartenberg, pointed out all the major technology firms would be testing products.

'Breaking. Apple, Google & Microsoft are all likely testing new products. #OMG #scoop' he tweeted in response to the news.

The gadgets spotted used a web address believed to be used on Apple's campus in Cupertino in California, leading the site to believe they were real.

A Chinese site claimed in November the firm is set to begin trial production of the new model in December, although had no details of what new features it may contain.

The Commercial Times estimates that full commercial production of the rumoured iPhone 5S will begin as early as Q1 2013, with the December run expected to have made between 50,000 and 100,000 units.

Apple is also rumoured to be developed a second generation of its iPad mini with a higher resolution screen that could also go on sale this year.

Apple's next iPhone and a major overhaul of its software have reportedly been seen online at Apple's California, with rumours the phone could launch within months

Apple's next iPhone and a major overhaul of its software have reportedly been seen online at Apple's California, with rumours the phone could launch within months

The new products are likely to be the first where both software and hardware is overseen by Apple's British born design chief Sir Jonathan Ive.

The computer giant last year revealed a major overhaul of its executive team, believed to have been triggered by the poor response to its Maps apps, which forced CEO Tim Cook into an embarrassing apology.

The executive changes handed substantially more responsibility to Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's celebrated industrial design chief, who will now oversee both hardware and software design.

'Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design,' the firm said at the time.

'His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.

Sir Jonathan Ive, known as Jony, will oversee both hardware and software design for the new iPhone

Sir Jonathan Ive, known as Jony, will oversee both hardware and software design for the new iPhone