Apple is already working on iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3

Apple has gotten us used to one big iOS release per year, followed by a ".1" update a few months later. The big one is tied to the company's new mobile device launches - like, for example, iOS 8 debuted this year alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Things, however, may be changing.

According to an unnamed iOS developer, as well as analytics data for an Apple-focused website, iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 are already in development.

In the past, after the ".1" release, there would only be bug fix iterations of Apple's mobile OS until the next big version hit. But this won't be the case for iOS 8. Although sources say we should expect all of the three aforementioned versions to hit the streets at some point in the future, it's still unclear what this all means.

It could be that Apple won't tie its iOS releases to hardware launches anymore. This will hopefully lead to less situations where the big new iOS version that comes alongside new devices is quite buggy at first. In this case, we may not see an iOS 9 next year, just these incremental updates. One of them might even be tailor made for an upcoming 13-inch iPad.

On the other hand, the company may simply be speeding up software development. If this is true, then there will be an iOS 9 next fall, and 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 will all be out before then. Earlier leaks about iOS 8 talked about it sporting big improvements for the Maps app, but those never came. Maybe they'll be part of one of these updates, which could also bring support for the Apple Watch when that goes on sale, as well as a new split-screen mode for iPads (which has been rumored before).

Finally, there's also a possibility that Apple has simply decided to stop incrementing the number in each iOS release, emulating what it's been doing with Mac OS - which has been at 10.x for years. If this pans out, then there will never be an iOS 9, just many more 8.x releases.

Source