So the media invites are out, which confirmed earlier reports that Apple will host an event set for Oct 23, most likely to enthrall the world again of new products to be pushed in time for the 2012 holiday rush.

For the market, the modest expectation is the unveiling of a new MacBook Pro, this time around sporting Retina display aside from the almost-default upgrade on hardware and software specs, another iteration of the Mac Mini.

But the digital card came with a tease not too subtle to ignore, according to BBC, and it read: "We've got a little more to show you."

Not surprisingly, Apple then fell silent and experts said it will be case until the D-Day next week when key company executives pulled the curtain down to let the world know what the buzz was all about.

The popular guess, of course, is Apple will roll out another version of its market leading iPad, which research firm IHS iSuppli said in a recent report is pacing other brands with more than 60 per cent of cut in the global pie.

It will remain on top over the next four years and will easily trounce existing and upcoming rival from the Android and Windows ecosystem, the same report predicted, yet even so Apple will tweak the product a bit if only to add new flavours with the hugely popular tablet, now not only a mass consumer product hit but also becoming an essential tool for business purposes.

In spite of the unbreakable code of silence being observed by Apple over the matter, analysts, tech watchers and Apple fans (regular and hardcore) are in agreement that another iPad will wow the world next week.

It will not be a fourth version of the regular-sized Apple tablet, which experts said will be updated early next year, but the so-called iPad Mini, specs of which have been flooding the tech world too attuned to any news related to the long-rumoured trimmed-down edition of the electronic slate.

The new iPad Mini, analysts said, is Apple's answer to the recently emerged tablet segment, comprised of 7-inch plus screen size tablets, where Amazon and Google have been making a killing.

It's only logical, market observers said, that Apple will issue a gadget that pretty much will meet up with the competition, meaning the iPad Mini will likely be deployed within the same screen size category and price range that will not exceed the $US350 mark.

Apple's confirmation has again elicited positive reactions, with many forecasting that the company's new offering would once again lead to record sales for the last quarter of 2012 and the immediate quarters ahead.

But these remarks will remain as speculations until next week, with almost everyone clueless on Apple's definite plans while some even doubt that the iPad Mini will even materialise.

According to Reuters, the place chosen by Apple for the Oct 23 event was not exactly known for product launches by the tech giant. The California Theatre in San Jose, Reuters said, was included in Apple's history because it hosted the Apple-sponsored U2 gig in 2004.

That same show saw the release of the special edition U2 iPod, a surprise by itself because the late Steve Jobs was famously known not to easily deviate from the plans and designs of Apple's carefully crafted product lines.

Using the significance of that event, which represented one of the few times that Apple had conceded for commercial compromise, the company may yet again pull off a big surprise by finally showing off the iPad Mini, product that is totally contradictory with Mr Jobs' solid product development principles.