iPad 5 Video: Touch ID Sensor Fits, But Feature Up In The Air

With iPad 5 rumors coming at full speed a new video claims to show proof that the iPad 5 will come with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that debuted on the iPhone 5s last month.

The Touch ID sensor allows users to train the iPhone to unlock with up to five fingers, offering faster access while providing security against an average thief or pranking roommate. Many users skip putting a pass code on the iPhone and iPad due to the inconvenience of unlocking the device, with Touch ID, pressing the home button to wake the iPad could unlock it as well.

Read: iPad 5 Release and Rumor Roundup

While many Apple rumors originate in the Apple supply chain and make their way to our ears through analysts, known leakers and asian newspapers, this latest iPad 5 rumors comes from UnboxTherapy who has purchased alleged iPad 5 parts and decided to pull apart the iPhone 5s to see if the Touch ID sensor fits in the iPad 5.

In the alleged iPad 5 video below we see a Touch ID sensor slide into the home button placement on what appears to be a new iPad 5 front panel with thinner bezels. The home button from an old iPhone and one from a current iPad do not fit.

This is exciting for users like us who have after using Touch ID on the iPhone 5s for a week are already trying to unlock the iPad and iPad mini with a long hold on the home button.

According to well-known Apple information leaker Sonny Dickson the iPad mini 2 will feature a Touch ID sensor, and photos appear to show the iPad mini 2 with a Touch ID sensor in a gold iPad mini 2. Dickson did not comment on the possibility of Touch ID on the iPad 5.

And Yes Touch ID is coming to the iPad Mini 2

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) September 27, 2013

If Apple plans to add Touch ID to the iPad mini 2, the iPad 5 would also make sense, but as Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac points out, there are potential roadblocks for Apple.

“- Exclusivity to iPhone 5s could help with sales for Apple’s flagship phone. Notice the iPhone 5c doesn’t have it.

– Supplies for Sapphire Crystal are obviously tight.

– Touch ID would be better suited for an iPad capable of multiple users; is the OS even ready for that?”

Reports indicate Apple’s iPad mini 2 supplies will be severely limited this holiday season thanks to a Retina Display upgrade, and adding a Touch ID to the iPad 5 could also threaten supply of the larger iPad. According to Peter Misek, analyst with Jeffries & Co, the iPhone 5s fingerprint sensor yields in Apple’s supply chain are, “terrible.”

If Apple needs to choose between keeping the iPad 5 in stock in the holiday shopping season and adding a fingerprint sensor they could opt for sales over a Touch ID, especially if the iPad mini 2 supply will be constrained into 2014 and iPhone 5s shortages continue.

While the Touch ID sensor in the iPad 5 would make sense without support for multiple users on the iPad, for convenience, Gurman is right that the feature would make more sense if family members or co-workers could share an iPad 5. So far there is no evidence that iOS 7 or iOS 7.1 will support users switching between profiles. Jason D. O’Grady of ZDnet believes Apple won’t allow this so that the company can sell more iPads, one for each member of your house.

Read: iPad 5 Launch Date: What to Expect

The iPad 5 should arrive at an event in October with a release soon after according to several leaks. The iPad 5 could come with an Apple A7X processor and a thinner and narrower design thanks to re-design that borrows from the iPad mini.