9to5Mac has discovered some interesting bits of information buried inside the latest iOS 5.1 beta.

As 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman explains, the numbering in this particular section of code in iOS 5.1 suggests that Apple will be shipping a quad core processor at some point in the near future:

Extremely reliable and knowledgeable people familiar with iOS’s inner workings explained to me that core references begin at “0.” For example: A single core device would be limited to ”/cores/core.0,” and a dual-core device would come in at ”/cores/core.1.” A “core.2″ (which is not referenced in iOS code) would be a triple-core processor according to this labeling method. iOS 5.1 beta 2 now includes core.3, a seemingly quad-core chip from Apple.

Apple’s A6 is rumored to be a quad core design slated for release in 2012, might we be seeing the initial support in iOS necessary for an A6-bearing iPad 3?

Stay tuned!