Invites for iPad Mini event due next week, report claims
Apple's gearing up for one more thing -- a smaller version of the iPad -- and will send out invites to the press next week, according to Fortune.
Is the iPhone 5 Apple's last big product announcement of the year? Rumors have suggested there may be one more thing, including a new report that says invites for its unveiling will go out next week.
Citing an unnamed "major Apple investor," Fortune today says Apple's invites for an iPad Mini-specific event will be sent out October 10, presumably for an unveiling event the following week.
Apple has long been rumored to be working on a smaller version of the iPad to be sold alongside its 9.7-inch iPad. Numerous mock-ups of that device have been published over the last few months, as well as purported leaks of rear aluminum casing and other components.
It's not unusual for Apple to hold a press event this late in the year, especially if a product is due in time for the holiday shopping season, which typically kicks off near the end of November. Apple's last big move like that was in 2010 with the debut of new MacBook Airsas well as a sneak peek of its Lion operating system, which would ship the following year.
As for what to expect from the smaller tablet, you can get the skinny at CNET's iPad Mini rumor roundup.