A new video emerged on Wednesday showing parts that are said to be bound for the next generation iPad, and those parts appear to be perfectly suited for Apple to include its Touch ID biometric sensor.
The video, posted to YouTube by Unbox Therapy, takes the front panel said to be from a forthcoming fifth-generation iPad and compares the home button cutout against the same part for the current iPad. The so-called "iPad 5" is said to draw its design from that of the iPad mini, and the opening for the home button on the purported next-gen case is too small for the home button on the older model to fit through.
What will fit, though, is the Touch ID fingerprint scanner-enabled home button Apple built into the iPhone 5s. When removed from the handset, the Touch ID button sits flush inside the hole in the supposed iPad 5's facade.
Given Apple's typical secrecy with regard to unannounced products, it is impossible to say whether the components shown in the video are indeed from a forthcoming iPad. The components do, however, match previous leaks. Apple typically attempts to standardize technologies across its smartphone and tablet product lines, and the inclusion of a major component like Touch ID would be a logical next step.
However, Apple is also said to have encountered difficulties in producing Touch ID sensors in large numbers in the lead up to the iPhone 5s' launch. Those production woes are thought to have been behind a factor in the higher-end iPhone's lack of a preorder period. Industry observers have since speculated that Apple may have solved its production issues, but Cupertino has revealed no additional information on this front.
Current speculation holds that Apple will unveil the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 at an October 15 event, possibly alongside a refresh of its MacBook lineup.