Are you one of the consumers waiting for another device from tech giant Apple? This time, Apple is rumored to release its first 7-inch tablet this month.

The long wait may soon be over. According to Fortune, Apple will start sending out invitations for iPad Mini media event on October 10. If Apple follows its usual invite-event-availability model, the iPad Mini will be unveiled on or about Wednesday, October 17.

This is supported by prediction of the Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. "By October 10, Misek said he predicts an invitation for an iPad Mini launch event will be mailed out to the media, followed by the formal announcement of the device by mid-October and culminating with the launch of the iPad Mini at the end of that month," Misek told tech website eWeek.

Moreover, it is speculated that iPad Mini will hit the stores on November 2. As usual, Apple is tightlipped about the details of the upcoming device.

On the other hand, Japanese blog Macotakara reports that it has received information from a source indicating that Apple's assembly partner Foxconn has begun production on the forthcoming "iPad mini" at its facilities in Brazil.

Last month, a set of purported photos of the rumored iPad Mini surfaced online. The new alleged photos of the device came from French site NoWhereElse and the Chinese site Bolopad. The iPad Mini looks almost exactly like Apple's latest iPad, only smaller.

The iPad Mini is reported to be the new little iPad will feature a 7.85-inch IGZO display with 330 pixels/inch, 1024 x 768 resolution. It will be more affordable. It is also assumed that the new tablet will feature Apple's upcoming operating system, iO6.

Putting iOS 6 in the mini tablet will include a new, Google-free Maps app, and Passbook, and promises better Facebook integration, better maps, and better video conferences that use cellular data, according to Entrepreneur.com. It is also said to have a smaller dock connector and thinner bezel. It may also feature a music service similar to Pandora radio, WiFi, and Retina Display.

Rumors claimed that iPad Mini will cost around US$299, which is more expensive than its rivals Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD that starts at US$199.

Below is a video of the alleged mock-up of iPad Mini.

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