Both Apple tablets have been rumored to make public debut next month. Rumor has it that the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2 will be sporting a sapphire crystal home button and perhaps sharing the limelight with an iOS 7.1 update too!

It has long been reported that Apple will be releasing both the fifth generation iPad and the iPad Mini 2 on an event October 15. The pegged release date is based from Apple's previous release date for the iPad Mini 2's predecessor which was also October of last year.

A recent report from Digitimes cited by Yahoo News claims that Apple's Taiwan-based component makers are integrating sapphire crystal material onto the tablets. Specifically, both the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2 will reportedly be launched with a sapphire crystal home button just like the iPhone 5s.

The home buttons of the current models of both tablets make use of plastic material. The switch to sapphire crystal-made home buttons for the iPad 5 and the iPhone Mini 2 is most likely due to the possibility of both tablets sporting the iPhone 5s' Touch ID feature.

A home button made with sapphire crystal material reportedly costs five times more the costs of a plastic home button. If the tech giant is investing on lucrative home buttons for their upcoming new generation tablets, it would seem logical for fingerprint sensors to be part of the deal.

BGR reports that Apple's alleged October event will not only unveil the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2. The limelight will be shared with an iOS 7.1 release. The report also hints on possible Mac upgrades and some "Apple TV" news.

Rumored prices for Apple's new generation tablets have also surfaced. DesignNtrend reports that the iPad 5 will most likely be priced at par with its predecessor: $499 for the 16GB, $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. The iPad Mini 2 will also most likely be priced like the iPad Mini which is tagged at $329, $429 and $529 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models respectively.

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