iPad 5 in Gold: three color SIM trays appear in repair shops

Now that the iPhone 5s has been unveiled, the 5th generation iPad is up for the big leaks show, appearing this week with three different color SIM card trays. These parts appear to be popping up in a manner not unlike the parts we saw earlier this year that indicated the Gold iPhone 5s as well as what we'd assumed was Gunmetal – that turned out to be called Space Gray. Now the iPad 5's SIM trays are showing up in the same three tones: Gold, Space Gray, and White (silver for white, that is).

These SIM trays appear with C Tech coming courtesy of parts stores where these pieces have arrived upstream. These parts have also appeared direct off-the-line, as it were, as many iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c parts did in the months leading up to the release of the new iPhone family. The iPad 5 is expected also to be joined by the iPad mini 2.

NOTE: Above and below you're seeing renderings – illustrations, that is – of what the iPad 5 and iPad mini may look like. These are not photos – the images of the SIM card trays are real photos, while the full-sized units in this article are artificially rendered by Martin Hajek, a fellow who has fooled the public more than once with his top-quality near-real images.

The iPad mini 2 is rumored to be coming in two tones this time around despite what the rendering above would have you believe. This note is also according to leaded photos of SIM trays, for what they're worth, with silver for white for the smaller slate – aka the same tone as the original white – and Space Gray. The iPad mini 2 is not expected to be undergoing major changes in its physical build, but will be getting a processor upgrade alongside the iPad 5.

Both the iPad 5 and the 2nd generation iPad mini are expected to be unveiled at an Apple event this October. Rumors point towards an October 15th event, but it's all conjecture until we heard substantial insider confirmation or see an Apple invite for ourselves. Normally invites such as this are sent one week before an event.