On June 2 this year, Apple unveiled the iOS 8, its latest mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch at the WWDC 2014 Keynote. Although there is no official announcement from the Cupertino-based tech giant regarding the release date of iOS 8, a recent report speculates that the software may be released for download by the public on Sept. 17.

iOS 8 incorporates several novel features and enhancements like Quick Type, Interactive Notifications, Messages and Siri improvements, third-party keyboard support and much more.

In fact, developers can download the iOS 8 right away, but others may have to wait a few months for the official release date, probably two months from now.

iOS 8 beta 3 is available for download now, but it's locked behind Apple's iOS developer program that costs $99 a year. While this is certainly a small price for app developers who are making money, it is not meant for Apple fans who are eagerly looking for an early upgrade to new features.

Techies have learned from the past that iOS updates exit beta the instant the new iPhone is ready to launch, and that has happened in September in last few years.

Although Apple is putting together a number of changes in its upgrade to iOS 8, there is no reason to believe that the operating system will not be joined by the iPhone 6 as well as other new products from the company, such as the iWatch this Fall.

As far as the compatibility of iOS 8 is concerned, Apple essentially needs an iPhone 4S or the even latest iPad 2 to update to the latest software. However, only the iPhone 4 is left out of this list.

In addition to the iPads mini and iPad mini 2 tablets, the iPod touch 5th generation will also work with the new iOS, similar to the way they did with iOS 7.