ABC News September 30, 2013

Purported Photos of the iPad 5 Leak Before Apple's Unveil

Sonny Dickinson
Purported photo of the iPad 5.

The iPhone and iOS 7 craze might be behind us, only to be replaced by new iPad madness.

Numerous purported photos of Apple's thinner and lighter tablet have leaked in the past month, signaling that the company is getting ready to announce the new products in October.

The most recent leak comes from Chinese supplier website sx-box.com, which has posted a video showing off the purported next-generation iPad shell. With a very similar design to the current iPad Mini, the casing looks slimmer, thinner and lighter.

According to the video, the iPad 5 measures 7.2 mm thick -- 2.2mm less than the current iPad. While the front of the tablet is not visible in the photos, according to the dimensions of the back case the tablet is also narrower, meaning Apple likely cut the screen frame size down. Additionally, the speaker has been moved to the bottom of the tablet and the microphone has been moved from the bottom to the top.

Sonny Dickinson, the Australian blogger who leaked the first iPhone 5s and 5c shots, has also posted photos of the purported iPad 5 with a design that matches the photos leaked on sx-box.com. Dickinson has also reported that the tablet will come in space-gray and silver colors.

There are also rumors that the iPad will come with Apple's new TouchID or fingerprint sensor, which is found in the iPhone 5S' home button. In addition, there is speculation that the new iPads will have the same 64-bit A7 processor as the new iPhone 5S. It's also said that Apple will release the iPad Mini 2 with a higher-resolution display.

When reached by ABC News Apple would not comment on the iPad leaks, but according to other reports, the company is expected to hold an event in October to announce the next iPads.

And with the holidays coming, it is certainly good timing. Microsoft has already released its newest Surface tablets, and Amazon announced its newest Kindle Fire HDX tablets last week.