Beta iPhone OS References Multiple Unknown Devices

Multiple sources have indicated that there is evidence of new Apple hardware within the iPhone OS 3.0 beta property list file.  The plist information seems to indicate multiple new hardware revisions of the iPhone, iPod touch, and possibly two other unknown devices. If you have a stellar memory, you may recall back in January when MacRumors first uncovered evidence of a mysterious iPhone model known only as iPhone2,1 hidden within the 2.2.1 firmware update.  Not much more information has surfaced regarding new hardware until now.  The newly discovered plist file contains all of the originally known identfiers such as iPhone2,1 while also referencing multiple never-before-seen identifiers such as iPhone3,1, iPod3,1, iPod2,2, iFPGA, and iProd0,1. Now, I know this all sounds very confusing so I will allow Ars Technica to explain it for you since they have already gone through the trouble:

The file, /System/Library/AppleUSBDevice/USBDeviceConfiguration.plist, lists details about the USB configuration of the various iPhone and iPod touch models, as well as the device ID and product names. The same file in iPhone OS 2.2.1 lists the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, and first- and second-gen iPod touches, referred to as iPhone1,1; iPhone1,2; iPod1,1; and iPod2,1 respectively. It also lists an unknown iPhone model, labelled iPhone2,1, which starting turning up in web server logs as far back as October 2008. In addition to these references, 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.

The first number in the identifiers usually signifies a major hardware change while the second number is usually a revision of current hardware. So, from this information we can conclude that it is possible Apple is planning multiple hardware updates to the iPhone and iPod touch while also working on two mysterious devices. Steven Troughton-Smith, the same developer that brought us the iPhone tethering news, is the one who stumbled upon this information as well.  He speculates that the iFPGA device could be a field-programmable gate array, something we shouldn't be too interested in, while the iProd0,1 could be a prototype of an unknown device. This is a lot of speculation to be sure, so until we find out more, keep your fingers tightly crossed. [via Ars Technica]