Normally when Apple releases a new version of iOS in beta there are often references to future devices from the company, but now it seems that Apple are removing these clues about future products from iOS.

As an article over at iDownloadBlog is reporting Tim Cook recently mentioned in an interview that the company would “double down on secrecy” in the future, and it has been noticed that the iOS 6 beta lacks certain references to future Apple hardware, and the USBDeviceConfiguration file in iOS is normally the place to look for such references to current and yet to be released devices.

In the iOS 5 betas there was a reference to an ‘iPhone4,1’ that hinted to an unreleased iPhone handset, which later leaded to the release of the iPhone 4S last October. Now with iOS 6 the USBDeviceConfiguration file is available, but there are no traces of yet to be announced hardware.

Late last year the company decided to play a joke on journalists that look through the file closely by placing lots of references to fake devices such as Apple TV8,3, iPhone11,3, iPod11,1, and iPad 10,1. Despite this there will still be people going through the beta with a fine tooth comb looking for clues to future Apple devices, and there will still be hints that can be found in other locations for those that know where to find them.

It seems that this is Apple’s way of letting us know that they don’t want to help the media discover what they are currently working on, and in turn keeps the competition guessing. This will also help keep the surprise factor that Apple has been famous for in the past, and the new iOS 6 Maps feature was leaked well ahead of its announcement at WWDC 2012.

Also the amount of rumours that surround new Apple products generate a huge amount of free coverage for the company and removing these references doesn’t really achieve much. There are many insiders throughout the company’s supply chain that often reveal credible information on upcoming Apple hardware.

Do you think Apple will be able to keep a lid on all leaks in the future?