Leaked iPad Air 4 manual reveals Apple’s next tablet will have TouchID built into the power key 

Leaked iPad Air 4 manual reveals Apple’s next tablet will have a full-screen display and no home button – with TouchID built into the power key

  • Leaks claiming to be of the iPad Air 4 manual have been shared on social media
  • The images show a tablet with a full screen display and suggest a USB-C port
  • There is no FaceID but the manual says there is TouchID on the power button 

Leaked pages from the iPad Air 4 manual suggest the tablet will include Apple’s TouchID technology integrated into the top power button for the first time.

The leak originated on the Chinese social media platform Xiahongshu but was shared on Twitter by relatively new Apple leaker DuanRui. 

The four images appear to be from a Spanish language version of the manual and show an edge-to-edge screen similar to the iPad Pro.

There is no mention of Apple’s FaceID technology used on the iPhone, but it does show a picture of a longer than usual power button and instructions to use it to unlock the device through TouchID.

The leak originated on the Chinese social media platform Xiahongshu but was shared on Twitter by relatively new Apple leaker DuanRui 

Other pages of the manual reference a USB-C connector on the device rather than a Apple’s own Lightning port – and a Smart Connector to attach a keyboard.

No date has been confirmed, although several known Apple leakers have suggested a new iPad version is due for release before the end of this year.

Jon Prosser claimed to know that Apple will release an unspecified iPad in September via a press release – which could be this new iPad Air 4.

If the manual is real – and it has yet to be verified by another source – it points to one of the biggest updates yet for the iPad Air range.

It would not have a traditional home button, allowing the device to have a full screen similar to recent iPhones and the iPad Pro.

Rather than integrating an expensive TouchID camera system, Apple appear to have created a novel TouchID sensor integrated into the top button.

Only limited snippets of text is available on each of the four pages, but one piece clearly visible translated to ‘Touch ID with the top button to unlock the iPad Air.’

The iPad Air is the mid-range version of the Apple tablet family – above the iPad Mini and iPad but below the iPad Pro.

Other pages of the manual reference a USB-C connector on the device rather than a Apple's own Lightning port - and a Smart Connector to attach a keyboard

If the manual is real - and it has yet to be verified by another source - it points to one of the biggest updates yet for the iPad Air range

There is no mention of Apple’s FaceID technology used on the iPhone, but it does show a picture of a longer than usual power button and instructions to use it to unlock the device through TouchID.

Rather than integrating an expensive TouchID camera system, Apple appear to have created a novel TouchID sensor integrated into the top button

Rather than integrating an expensive TouchID camera system, Apple appear to have created a novel TouchID sensor integrated into the top button

No details have been revealed about the screen sizes but previous leaks have suggested that Apple is working on a 10.8-inch iPad Air due later this year.

Switching from Lighting to USB-C would be another major departure for Apple.

It would bring the Air inline with the more expensive iPad Pro and its Macbook range of laptop computers which already have USB-C ports.

An earlier rumour, shared by DuanRui claimed that Apple would be putting a Lightning to USB-C cable with iPhone 12 models – suggesting more of the firms devices would be moving to the globally standard connection.

The four images appear to be from a Spanish language version of the manual and show an edge-to-edge screen similar to the iPad Pro

The four images appear to be from a Spanish language version of the manual and show an edge-to-edge screen similar to the iPad Pro

It will likely come with the upcoming iOS 14 preinstalled but details of the internal chipset and camera are ‘hard to say’, according to Apple experts. 

The current iPad Air 3 was released more than a year ago – in March 2019 but instead of releasing a new iPad Air in March 2020 Apple released an iPad Pro.

So a new version of the mid-range tablet is overdue, according to Apple commentators – who say one is expected towards the end of this year. 

According to Trusted Reviews, it isn’t possible to properly predict the price of the iPad Air 4 until it is announced, but would likely be inline with previous models.

Leaker Komiya suggests the top end model of the device could be around $649. 

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