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We’ve already heard countless rumors suggesting Apple’s next crop of tablets will include the same Touch ID sensor introduced with the iPhone 5s last year. Now a new report from China Times claims to reveal how the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is working with Apple to improve its fingerprint scanner technology for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
According to China Times’s sources, TSMC plans to manufacture 120 million Touch ID modules this year, up 233 percent from 2013. The new sensors should start shipping as early as next month, and will reportedly feature a more durable design. Making its fingerprint scanners more resilient makes a lot of sense, since the Home button should be getting a lot more use once Apple opens Touch ID up to third-party apps with iOS 8.
Beyond Touch ID we’re still not sure what to expect from the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. Both devices are expected to ship with a new A8 processor, and KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple could also add improved 8-megapixel cameras for the new tablets. We probably won’t get an official look at these new iPads until September, though it’s likely they’ll leak online before then.
