iPad 5 Internals Leak Makes Touch ID All The More Likely

When the redesigned iPhone 5s home button flex cable first appeared with a slightly different configuration from the cable for the iPhone 5, it was suggested to have been to make way for Touch ID. Apple's Touch ID does indeed exist on the iPhone 5s – that's fingerprint sensing technology for iDevices, if you did not know – and a redesigned 5th generation iPad home button flex cable has appeared here via CTech today. The 5th generation iPad is said to be appearing in full as imminent as mid-month here in October, complete with a redesigned body to reflect the new wave with the iPad mini.

With a fingerprint scanner embedded in the 5th generation iPad, Apple would become the first company to create a large-run tablet with such technology ready to roll on a global scale. Though Apple wasn't the first company to embed this sort of technology in the smartphone, they've (thus far) seemed to have some grand success with the feature sticking as a selling point.

ABOVE: A 3D rendering from Martin Hajek of what the Touch ID sensor would look like from the outside on the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.

With Touch ID on the iPad, Apple would have another point of distinction to sell the device on for those users looking for a higher level of security. With Touch ID in place, users would be able to lock their devices down to only the appearance of the finger of their choice – before this, there's only PIN-number logins and the other recent solidifications to login choices in iOS 7.

Above you'll find several photos of the supposed current edition of the 5th generation iPad five in all its glory. This device has been shown to be thinner than the 4th generation iPad (with Lightning connector) while both its left and right-hand-side bezels are pulled in significantly. The top and bottom bezels are pulled in slightly, while the full tablet is visibly smaller than its predecessor.

The flex cable here for the iPad 5 suggests that a more robust system is in place. At least one more connection point along the way from the base of the button up to the main gold plug suggests Touch ID is indeed in order. Have a peek at the timeline below for additional glimpses of the iPad 5 as we edge ever-closer to the final reveal and eventual release.