The iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display are powerful devices. And yet they lack the signature feature of their small brother, the iPhone 5s. That feature is none other than the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

Mashable reports that the second generation Air and third Mini will be welcomed to the biometric party come next fall. The article also states that this should come as no surprise, even going as far as saying that the latest rumors surrounding this hardware and software feature inclusion are "obvious."

Many iFans, analysts and pundits were shocked to find out that the redesigned tablet would lack the scanner when it was revealed on Oct. 22, 2013 by Apple CEO Tim Cook during a Keynote address. It turns out that there was a good reason as to why the tablet didn't get that feature. The iPad team had no idea what Touch ID even was until it was too late to integrate the feature.

Why is the inclusion of Touch ID so integral to the iPad's continued success? It's so easy to use, "a caveman can do it." Instead of logging into your device by laboriously typing in your four digit pin over and over again, you can just rest your finger on the sapphire glass-plated home button.

But that's not all Touch ID does (or is scheduled to do) for iPhone 5s users. Your credit and debit card information can be tied to your encrypted fingerprint. That way, you can make one touch iTunes purchases with the scanner. Bam, you just bought a movie, with your finger. Eventually, other non-Apple retailers will be able to utilize the Touch ID's eCommerce abilities, perhaps as soon as iOS 8 drops.

Have you held out on buying an iPad Air or Mini with Retina Display because it lacked this feature? Or do you just find tablets reprehensible? Either way, let us know in the comments section below.