Apple already testing major iOS 8.x updates

We already knew that there would be an iOS 8.1, because every single version of iOS has gotten at least one major update. The interesting part of this news is that Apple is reportedly also testing iOS 8.2 and 8.3. Previously, only iOS 4 received two major updates after its initial release (ending on 4.2.1). These version numbers have been confirmed by the visitor log from 9to5Mac, which shows devices running iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 visiting the site recently. 

There are a couple possibilities when interpreting this information. First, the evidence of iOS 8.2 and 8.3 may be meaningless. Second, 9to5Mac posits that Apple may be moving towards a more continuous update cycle, similar to OS X which usually gets about 8 updates in the year between version changes. This would allow Apple to fix and add features more quickly, but it sounds a bit out of character for iOS. Not even Google does that with Android. 

Our theory is a twist on the first idea. We wonder if maybe iOS 8.2 and 8.3 won't actually exist, but those numbers are being used right now as Apple works out fixes for big issues with iOS 8. For example, maybe the devices running "iOS 8.1" are focused more on improving the performance, devices with "iOS 8.2" are working on Wi-Fi and security issues, and "iOS 8.3" is targeting Apple Watch features. But, once all the issues are sorted out, maybe the first two be packaged together as iOS 8.1 as the major bug fix update, and if there is an iOS 8.2, it would be a feature release to compliment the Apple Watch. 

Whatever is happening, it may be a couple months before we see any major update to iOS, so we'll just have to keep an eye out. 

source: 9to5Mac via pocketnow