Drainy is correct. We run private betas. Talk to your account executive about whether the beta program is right for you.
Splunk will publicize beta versions on the blog or the main pages when they want to open up to a larger audience for testing. Otherwise most details are kept secret, especially timescales. The adage that it is done when its done is generally true, given the nature of the product they need to make sure its right before launch 🙂
As for your rumor, you should be pleasantly surprised in the next major version.