Rumours are rife that Apple is out to uncage the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 on Oct 15 and release date for the two refreshed iOS 7 slates are due to follow, if not by end of the month or by early November.

As speculations fly on the actual make and capabilities that Apple will serve with the devices, the expected specs and features are mostly hinted by the iPhone 5S and 5C outings, together, of course, with the power-packed iOS 7 unleashing.

Listed below are the iPad ingredients that most analysts regard as virtually confirmed - all of them simply reflecting the possible upgrades from the previous builds.

High-resolution Retina on 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch screens

Retina display panel on the iPad 5 is a given as the iPad 4 carried the same screen attribute. It is simply a matter of the exact enhancement that the exclusive Apple screen technology will bring to the table. Perhaps, a denser pixel rendering will reflect the core jump, making for an immersive iOS tablet experience for the original iPad.

It is the Mini 2 that offers the most excitement as Retina on this compact tablet will surely sustain the strong showing seen in the first iPad Mini. For sure, owners of the 2012 edition will be compelled to move up as the mediocre resolution of the initial build is bumped BIG TIME, probably equalling the iPad 4's 2048 x 1536.

Sleek, slim and sexy become the iPad profile

Tablet users love them small, not too small but compact enough to carry around and use in a stretch without straining a hand. The iPad Mini proved that the small tablet class - from 7-inch to 8-inch - sells in big numbers and on that account, the Mini lorded it over in the worldwide tablet, beating even its bigger brother.

Taking the cue, Apple revised its iPad model and consumers can expect the upcoming slates to flash lighter and thinner builds while keeping their respective screen sizes.

Faster processing chip in A7X

Apple ushered the 64-bit mobile device computing era with the iPhone 5S and it's only logical that the same chip architecture will find its way to the two iPads. With A7X, which analysts said is more likely to be deployed with the bigger iPad, tablet shoppers can look forward to a more efficient tablet performance, thanks to this new instruction sets from Apple.

Optimal battery performance

As experts would always assert, killer features on gadgets would be for nothing on gadgets if battery life is below par. Besides adding a few more hours to the two iPads in a single charge, Apple watchers are expecting faster charging time, which should provide higher productivity and increased moments of enjoyment.

No price hikes

This is the best news for the millions of Apple fans across the globe - that the iPads, with superior upgrades will keep the prices seen in the iPad 4 and iPad Mini. That means starting price for the iPad 5 is $500 while the iPad Mini 2 is $330.

With this expected move, Apple is also dangling a major bonus - significant price cuts for the 2012 models, which should attract hordes of iPad fans looking to get the same experience but with some kind of bargains.

As mentioned, the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 release date is happening next month at the earliest or by late November 2013.