The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are likely to feature Touch ID fingerprint sensors, according to new reports.
The Touch ID fingerprint scanning technology, which is currently only available on one Apple device – the iPhone 5S – could consequently be featured on the entirety of Apple’s upcoming tablet range.
According to the latest rumours, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), produced and sent the first batch of Touch ID sensors in mid-April.
The information comes from sources within the Sazhou Semiconductor Technology Co, a manufacturer to which some iPhone and iPad back-end services are given.
TSMC is a company regularly used by Apple for key iPhone and iPad parts and is rumoured to be working with Apple on the iPhone 6 A8 processor.
Some have speculated it seems a bit early for Apple to start production on components for their upcoming products, especially seeing as the iPhone 6 launch isn’t expected until September and the iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 Retina successors shouldn’t arrive until November.
However, seeing as iPhone 5S stock delays at launch were in part due to issues in producing enough Touch ID sensors to match demand for the 2013 flagship, it may be a case of Apple trying to get ahead of the game this year by ensuring it has enough components to build plenty of new products going forward.
This Touch ID report also fits well with the report that Pegatron (one of the third party manufacturers responsible for assembling iOS devices) has received an order for around 15 per cent of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 handsets, as Apple starts preparing for a September launch well ahead of time.
Additionally, the fact that this isn’t the first rumour of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 featuring the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, makes it more of a likely outcome. Still, there is no official word from Apple itself as of yet.
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