iPad Air 2014 Rumors: Tablet to Feature Touch ID Based on iOS 7.1 Code
The iPad Air 2014 model could feature Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, according to the latest rumors.
Evidence for this actually being the case was presented by French iOS developer Pierre Blazquez who found it in a BiometricKit bundle in iOS that serves as framework for the Touch ID functionality. The Bundle is listed as compatible for both the iPhone and iPad families.
Apple's classification of device families places the iPhone and iPod in the 1 category with the iPad in 2 and Apple TV in 3. The BiometricKit will be compatible with both 1 and 2 families.
The iPad Air 2014 model surfaced this week in new pictures posted up by a Dutch website.
The pair of photos, leaked by this site named One More Thing display the front and back panels for this next-gen model. The part appears to include an integrated display instead of the separate panel and display parts found on the current version. This type of design would reduce overall thickness and would create a device that lives up to its name even more than the previous model.
The iPad Air is expected to launch sometime later this year alongside the next iPad mini model. Both are rumored to be integrating the iPhone's Touch ID technology.
Apple is also rumored to be working on a 12-inch iPad model.
Digitimes stated last month that the 12.9-inch iPad now known to some as the Pro will not hit the market until at least the beginning of next year. The publication claims that Apple is having issues with the larger tablets form factor since it is not compatible with existing ecosystems. This forced manufacturers to scale back on their plans.