A customer pores over tablet computers at a Sam's Club
A customer looks over the selection of tablet computers at a Sam's Club in 2014. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

The speculations and rumors surrounding the Apple iPad Mini 3 are rife. According to a recently leaked image, the upcoming iPad Mini 3 will feature a Touch ID Fingerprint scanner. Also, the other Mini tablet in news is the rumored Microsoft Surface Mini, which was accidentally leaked by none other than Microsoft itself.

Apple iPad Mini 3

The leaked image shows the next generation iPad Mini, the iPad Air 2 and the iPhone 6. Another significant feature expected in the iPad Mini 3 is the split-screen (multi window) functionality.Other salient features of the rumoured iPad Mini 3 include a 7.9 inches display with 2,048 × 1,536 screen resolution. The Mini will be powered by Apple's A8 processor and it will run on the recently launched Apple iOS 8. In addition, it will house an 8 MP camera unit, and a waterproof exterior, says Ecumenical News.

Other than the aforementioned changes and enhancements, there will be no additional change to the exterior of the device. If the rumors were true, Apple is planning on slashing the price of the current iPad Mini 2 device. This news is again a confirmation that the heavily rumoured launch of iPad Mini 3 is nearing.

Apple's iPad series of tablets sold a whopping 3 million units within three days of its launch in 2012. In 2013, Apple launched its iPad Mini with the much-loved retina display and this device was well received as well. The retina display takes the viewing experience to a whole new level with its sharp and clean image quality.

Also, these devices are expected to be launched around the month of October, this year. Interested readers can check out the leaked image of iPad Mini 3 from Apple Club TW.

Microsoft Surface Mini

When Surface Pro 3 debuted, rumors were rife that Microsoft will also announce its upcoming Surface Mini tablet. However, the tech giant did not make any announcement regarding the existence of the Surface Mini tablet.

But according to BGR, Microsoft accidentally confirmed the existence of the much-awaited Surface Mini tablet and the device is slated for a future release. A user manual pertaining to the recently launched Surface Pro 3 tablet cited the name 'Surface Mini' by mistake. In addition, the same PDF manual confirmed that the upcoming Surface Mini will feature a Surface Pen/ Stylus.

Apparently, the manual had the following words, "Before you use your Surface Pen the first time, you'll need to install the AAAA battery. You'll pair your new pen with Surface Mini a little later during setup." It is worth noting that, the downloadable manual is not accessible right now. Nevertheless, a screen grab was taken before Microsoft took it down.

What do you think of the Mini tablets? Feel free to leave a comment