Oct 23 the launch date for Apple’s iPad mini?

Smaller, faster and thinner than the iPad? Getty images

Is October 23 to be the date that Apple will launch its latest iPad mini?

According to a report in All Things D, the consumer giant is set to announce its latest product in an invitation only event on 23 October in the Apple Town Hall auditorium, the same place it launched the iPhone 4s, next generation Macbook Air and the OS X Lion.

Speculation has swirled for months that Apple was planning a smaller, less expensive version of its popular iPad to take on cheaper competing devices, like Samsung’s Note and other devices which bridge the gap between smartphones and the larger tablets.

Not surprisingly there has been no confirmation of the event from Apple spokespersons.

The timing of the device launch is also noteworthy since Microsoft launches its latest ‘Surface’ tablets on 26 October, and will be powered by its Windows 8 software.

The new model of the iPad is expected to have a smaller 7.85-inch display and much speculation continues about what other features it will have. All Things D predicts that it will have the new lightning connectors that it introduced in the iPhone 5 and will be thinner. Everything else, as expected with Apple, is a mystery for now.