Apple set to release new iPads

NEW YORK -- The iPad is due for a facelift.

Apple is set to unveil new editions of the iPad and iPad Mini at an event in California on Thursday, and could also provide details on the launch of its new Apple Pay system.

The company accidentally leaked photos and details on key features of the new iPads -- the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 -- in iTunes on Wednesday.

Discovered by 9-to-5Mac, the photos show that the new tablets will both gain TouchID fingerprint sensors, which are currently only available on the iPhone, and that the Air 2 will gain a burst photography mode. They also seem to verify that the latest update to the company's mobile operating system, iOS 8.1, is coming Thursday.

Overall, the physical designs of the new tablets appear to be largely unchanged from existing iPad models.

Beyond the iPads, there may be more details about the launch of Apple Pay, a system that will let iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners spend money at participating stores simply by using their phones' fingerprint scanner and holding the device up to the register.

Apple has already announced that a number of major retailers will support the system from its launch, including Bloomingdale's, Macy's, McDonald's, Staples and Whole Foods.

Apple may also unveil the latest editions of its Mac desktop computers and provide a release date for the OS X Yosemite operating system.