iPhone 5 rumors may be in full swing right now, but that hasn’t stopped people from jumping even further ahead. Speculations about the iPhone 6 have now made themselves visible on the Web, as reports of an A6 processors come to light. This could mean not only the extension of Apple’s iPhone line in the coming years, but also the future of smart phone technology.

The report, from a prominent Apple insider internet source, sites Apple as developing an A6 chip that will ship in 2012. This, however, is purely speculation as we’re not even entirely sure that the iPhone 5 will sport the A5 chip when it ships in September. If it does, this could provide more validity to the A6 rumor as we see it now.

It’s likely that the A6 chip wouldn’t just be used in the iPhone 6 however, but also the iPad 3. While little is known about the iPad 3 as well, it has been confirmed that source code within iOS 5 indicates the probability of one. If Apple continues on with it’s current product lines, it’s likely that both the iPad 3 as well as the iPhone 6 could be hot commodities in 2012.

So what’s the buzz over an A6 chip? The simple answer is ‘power’. The A6 chip has the potential to be the next game changer in the smart phone market. Where the A5 chip has a duo-core processor, the A6 could sport a quad! For users, this means lightning fast responses, increased usability and the power to handle more at once.

It’s likely that we’ll have to wait for some time to hear anymore about the iPhone 6 or an A6 chip. In the meantime, we can set our sights to the iPhone 5 as we approach the release this fall. From there, we can make speculations about what’s to come in the future.