Apple’s iPad Mini Event Likely Happening October 23

Apple’s iPad mini event was rumored to be happening sometime around October 17, but this week brought no invite. Now, however, there’s a very good sign that we could see it on October 23, thanks to a report from AllThingsD and a confirmation from one of the best-connected bloggers in the Apple ecosystem.

First, John Pacszkowski reported this morning that an event will be held October 23 at which Apple will reveal its iPad mini, according to “people familiar with the matter.” He notes that it’s unusual to have this on a Tuesday (Apple generally holds these kinds of events on Wednesday during the past few years), but he suggests Microsoft’s impending Surface launch could be a driver.

Information about what we’ll see are slim, but the new report says we’ll probably see the expected 7.85-inch display and Lightning for cable connectivity, plus a slimmer design than on the current iPad. That doesn’t answer any of the big questions around Retina resolution or cost, however.

Pacszkowski has a good track record on his own, but The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple posted one of his famous monosyllabic blog entries shortly following the appearance of the report, with an affirmative “Yep.” Generally speaking, if Jim feels its worth weighing in, then that’s as close to an official confirmation as you’re going to get before the actual press invites go out.