Apple has already pushed the slimmed down iPad Air in wide-circulation and supplies are aplenty but no doubt many more consumers are waiting for the one big thing in a smaller package - the Retina iPad Mini2 release date.

Per Apple, the Mini 2 grand rollout is late November 2013 but the tech giant skipped on the specifics, hence the excitement or anxiety for some as the device's actual availability remains in uncertain terms.

Fortunately, folks at Gotta Be Mobile offer a credible guesswork. Release date of the Retina-toting iPad Mini should fall on Nov 22, the tech site stressed.

The date is a Friday and Apple normally lets out its new devices on Fridays. So far, this release cycle remains in place so the likelihood of the Mini 2 outing on the day is quite strong. Plus Nov 22 is exactly a week before the Black Friday sales feast really explodes.

So seven days ahead of Nov 29 should be the sweet spot for the much-awaited iPad Mini 2 rollout and before heading out to score a unit, read first the four important things to know in owning the gorgeous-looking and compact iOS 7 slate.

Be quick

Straight from Apple, the Mini 2 stock inventory is not to high and while the tech giant hates to admit it, there will be long queues on D-Day and perhaps longer wait times for those not quick enough to grab the first unit that becomes available.

Analysts predict that millions will want to own the second iPad Mini build and they speak the truth. Reports have estimated that for November and December, the most Apple can ship out is around two million Mini 2s. Surely that will not be enough if even half of the existing first Mini owners are looking to upgrade.

Note that by end of December 2012, Apple cleared more than 20 million iPad Minis.

What happens when you missed the first day rollout? Forget toying with the device for Christmas as experts insist that normal shipment levels will only be achieved by Q1 2014 or January of the same year, at the earliest.

Deals and price cuts are scarce

As always the case, new Apple devices are hot items and consumers are buying with or without attractive deals. Apple and its retail partners do not see the need to further sweeten the already alluring iPad Mini 2 package.

But there will be deals coming down given the Mini is coming out a week prior to Black Friday. Buyers should scour the promos coming from the usual suspects: Best Buy, Target and Walmart. Online seller like Amazon will also play game but one thing is sure - no hefty discount for the Mini 2.

Maybe eBay will offer some units but take note that would be for those who ran out of luck in securing the Mini build number two. So prepare to pay a higher price if you really are dying tinker with the Mini 2 for the holidays. Price tags could double from the starting price of $399 on third-party options.

Get the best model configuration

This would be the 128GB build, which comes in Wi-Fi only or cellular radio signal with possible LTE connectivity. The former is priced $700 and the latter $830. Why pay a few more hundred dollars when you can enjoy the Mini 2 for as low as $400.

Future-proofing is the answer. All iOS devices are without memory expansion slot, for one, so buying the models with the biggest storage space offering would at least ensure that enough room is there when needed. In time, 32GB or 64GB of flash drive would prove inadequate as Mini owners start accumulating digital files - movies, music and books that they want and need to move around with.

The first iPad Mini remains a viable option

If there are power users, there are more average users out there and the original iPad Mini will do just fine for them. Now at a discounted price of $300, the Mini build number one is definitely a good buy. In exchange users will be getting good battery life (industry-leading, in fact, per numerous experts) and a sexy-looking portable computer that delivers amusement and productivity, almost in equal terms.

One big bonus is access to the vaunted iPad ecosystem, which according to analysts remain miles away from Google's Android, boasting of near half-million applications that are fully-optimised for tablet use.