14 DAY TRIAL // iOS is a treasure trove of information if you know where to look. Developer types have been at it since day one, trying to guess what Apple is working on next, and now it seems one programmer has made another tantalizing discovery.
According to a French developer using the Twitter handle @bp_unicorn, the Touch ID framework inside iOS 7.1 has ties to the iPad family, in what would indicate that Apple is laying the groundwork for supporting the fingerprint sensor in its tablet devices.
This means that the next round of iPads may very well have the Touch ID sensor built in their home buttons. Current-selling iPads have regular home-sending buttons with no extra functionality built in them.
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which acts as a security lock as well as an authorization key for downloads and other stuff, is exclusively available to the iPhone 5s. The next wave of iPhones is sure to inherit the feature as well.
Apple has been having problems building enough of these fingerprint-sensing home buttons, so it remains to be seen how soon it will be available for iPad. In related news, another developer has found code strings referencing Siri support in the upcoming Apple TV.