As the rumoured Oct 15 release date for the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 draws near, torrents of leaks hinting of their looks and capabilities continue to surface, the latest of which imply about exciting colours, reduced footprints and more.

That the bigger fifth-generation iPad is jettisoning its old look and build is pretty much a given for Apple watchers, thanks to the persistent whispers that the original is copying its smaller sibling in order to acquire a more irresistible allure.

In other words, consumers will get hold of new iPad 5 on launch date that is vastly different from the four previous editions. It will be sexier - less pounds and less girth - and such latest claim was supported by new iOS device schematics that Apple Insider has published this week.

In the diagram, the 9.7-inch iPad was shown sporting thinner side bezels, which matches earlier assertions made by numerous analysts. The device's length and width were slash respectively, from the iPad 4's 241.3mm/185.8mm to 240mm/169.48mm.

On the thickness side, the reduction is also quite significant - from 9.5mm to 7.5mm. It follows too that since the gadget is shedding some heft, the net weight will be reduced greatly though the report did not provide the exact numbers.

And to further sex up the already attractive tablet leader duo, newly-leaked photos pointed to eye-catching cases of the iPad Mini 2 - suggesting that the second build of the compact slate will be covered in metallic flavours of gold, silver and gray.

This possibility was first voiced out by popular iDevice leaker Sonny Dickson and got some solid support from photos posted on the net by Chinese tech site DoNews.

In the same leaked photos from China, the Mini 2 was also shown with the same revised Home button that Apple has introduced earlier in the month via the iPhone 5S - a circular key that houses an embedded fingerprint scanner. The tech giant dubbed the additional feature as Touch ID.

And if these Chinese leakers are to be believed, the same technology is also packed with the Mini 2 release date and most likely, with the iPad 5 too.

It's highly likely too that the expanded colour options connected for now with the second Mini version will be part of the whole iPad 5 package though it remains unclear if gold, silver and gray will be the new finish standards for the two devices. Or they will be added to the classic black and white shades.

Note that there were speculations too of the Mini 2 coming out of the box in bright colours, much like the iPhone 5C.

For now, the firm belief is the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 release date is a shoo-in between Oct 15 and Oct 31, both showing off major component upgrades, chief of them faster and mightier processing chips and high-resolution Retina display panel.