What the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 will be on release date - their actual build plus the specs and features - this 2014 largely remains a mystery.

But the iOS 8 revelation at the WWDC 2014 indirectly painted a picture of the upcoming devices, which will have to exceed the performance of their very successful predecessors.

Now due to the host of unveiled iOS 8 killer features, there are at least five tablet function upgrades that the Air 2 and Mini 3 will likely show off later in the below. They are provided below:

Touch ID on iPad

Apple has indicated that Touch ID fingerprint scanner will be an across-the-board deployment for 2014 iOS devices. This means the biometric reader that was introduced with the iPhone 5S will also be featured in the two iPhones 6s and the successors to the iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 last year.

Touch ID will offer tougher security protection for iPad users, boosting their confidence to conduct online shopping using the slate. PayPal fans, for instance, will be shopping their way over the Web with while comforted by the notion that Apple's technology makes the experience more fun, easier and safer at the same time.

Smarter iPad lifestyle

With iOS 8 on the iPhones and iPads, Apple is aiming to redefine the mobile device lifestyle - safer, as mentioned above, cooler, healthier and smarter. According to CNET, this will be made possible with the entry of HomeKit and HealthKit to the iOS ecosystem.

Also, the M7 co-processor that came with the iPhones should get significant steps ups both in the iPhone and iPad, vastly improving the sensors that are embedded with the devices.

Killer camera

Apple is proud of the iPhone camera specs and features despite its insistence not to play the megapixel game. For the 2014, the iPhone 6 is predicted to merit the upgrade treatment both in hardware and software.

The bottom line is, the next iPhone will be a handy tool to produce high-quality clips and images and it's highly unthinkable that the same will be withheld from the 2014 iPads.

Gaming to the next level

In iOS 7 last year, gaming became one of the core iPhone and iPad features. Now in iOS 8 and with the intro of Metal development kit plus compatibility with third-party gaming accessories, the service is poised to take the centre stage this 2014.

Seamless functionalities

Apple is blurring the line that separates iOS and OS X, stopping short of marrying the two platforms. This will be replicated in the iOS 8-powered iPhones and iPads, in which functions of the smartphone will be extended to the tablet and vice versa.

For the end-user, one prime benefit, CNET said in a report, is the iPad will be equipped to process calls paired with or independent of the iPhone 6.

The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 release date this 2014, according to Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities, will happen earlier this year, likely between October and November.