An alleged leaked image of the iPad Air 2 hinted that Apple's new tablet will pack the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

MobileFun first spotted the new iPad Air 2 cases from a Chinese case manufacturer which published a string of photos of the cases. The web site claimed that the semi-circle on the home button hinted the inclusion of the fingerprint sensor.

Although Apple announced and packed the fingerprint sensor when the company released the iPhone 6, which is a month earlier than the iPad Air launch, the company skipped the feature in its tablet line. The reason was undisclosed.

Meanwhile, some sources said that the upcoming iPad models will head to production this month to make it on the expected launch in the fall. 9to5Mac cited ETNews claiming that the production of the next generation of iPad Air started this month and the mass production of the display components will commence in the middle of the month, while the production of the device's processor and camera sensors will begin next month.

The report continued that new tablets will resemble the design of its predecessors and will pack the same screen display with upgraded pixel resolution. Moreover, the tablets will be equipped with a more advanced A8 processor, which will reinforce the efficiency and battery performance of the tablet.

Other rumored features of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are: iOS 8; Touch ID fingerprint sensor; upgraded camera and longer battery pack. iPad Air 2 will come with a 9.7 inches display, while the iPad Mini 3 will feature a 7.9 inches screen panel. Previous reports stated that the iPad Pro will come in two variants of resolution: a 2K variant and a 4K variant.

The tablets are set to arrive in October, which is the usual release date window of the company's tablet line. However, Apple has not revealed any official information about the iPad release date and features.