Despite pictures indicating otherwise, KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo says that the Apple iPad 5 will not launch with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. A picture that we showed you on Saturday morning that included the next iteration of Apple's 9.7 inch slate, revealed the feature on the tablet. In addition, Kuo, who is said to have inside contacts at Apple, forecasts that the Apple iPad mini 2 will be equipped with a Retina display. That also contradicts information we passed along that basically said that the thinner form factor of the new iPad mini precludes it from sporting the higher resolution display.Kuo's information suggests that the Retina display, at 2048 x 1536, will add some heft to the new iPad mini 2, which will run on the same A7 processor that powers the Apple iPhone 5s. The larger iPad 5 will weigh in at 500 grams, lighter than its predecessor, and measure 7.5mm thin, thinner than the Apple iPad 4. The camera on the back of the tablet will be 8MP with a larger aperture for better photographs in low light conditions.
While the pictures we've seen show Touch ID for the Apple iPad 5, Kuo's information is that there has been too much demand for the iPhone 5s which includes the Touch ID feature. According to the analyst, this means that there are not enough parts to include it on the iPad 5. Also, Kuo says that there will not be a gold color option for either of the new iPads. The analyst forecasts 10.5 million iPad 5 units and 2.26 million iPad mini 2 models to ship in the fourth calendar quarter.
The two tablets are expected to be unveiled on October 22nd.
