Apple plans iPad event on Oct 16

Apple trackers believe the company will pull back the curtain on thinner iPads with ramped up capabilities

SAN FRANSISCO: Apple sent out on Wednesday invitations to an October 16 event expected to spotlight updates to its line of iPad tablet computers.

The gathering is set for an auditorium on Apple's main campus in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino and comes on the heels of a major launch of large-screen iPhones.

Apple trackers believe that the company will pull back the curtain on thinner iPads with ramped up capabilities including Touch ID fingerprint recognition that could work with mobile wallet software introduced along with iPhone 6 models that recently hit the market.

The iPad event will take place a day before Apple begins selling its latest iPhones in China.

Apple launched the large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 19 and has rolled the smartphones out to an array of countries.

Apple, which popularised tablets with its iPad, remained the largest single global vendor in the second quarter but its market share fell to 26.9% from 33% last year, as Android makers boosted their share, according to the research firm IDC.