There are just a few days left until Apple’s October 16 event, and new photos of components said to be from an iPad Air 2 have been published via Apple.club.tw (Google Translate). The images include a logic board, home button flex cable, front panel, and a volume control flex cable.
The home button flex cable appears to contain a space for a Touch ID home button, complete with the stainless steel ring. Previous reports claimed that Apple’s forthcoming iPads would receive Touch ID functionality, and these newest pictures likely confirm that the feature will at least be on the iPad Air 2.
The logic board image shows what appears to be an A8X enhanced processor, RAM Chips, and other components. At first, the processor was believed to be an A8 processor, the same one that powers the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. However, a MacRumors reader enhanced the image, and, as seen in the photo below, the chip is apparently an enhanced A8X chip.
The logic board also contains a different layout than last year’s board from the iPad Air. The SIM slot appears to be mounted directly on the iPad Air 2’s logic board. Last year’s model had the SIM slot located in a separate compartment.
The front panel of the iPad Air 2 contains cutouts for the Touch ID button and front-facing FaceTime HD camera.
The volume control flex cable sports volume buttons, and what may be a microphone.
Apple is expected to debut the iPad Air 2 – and likely an updated Retina iPad mini – alongside updated iMacs, including a 27-inch model sporting a Retina display, at their event, coming up on Thursday, October 16. MacTrast will be live-tweeting the event, with all the information about the announcements immediately following the event.
