Is Apple about to unveil the new iPad Mini?

Rumours are rife that technology giant Apple is about to launch the new iPad Mini after cryptic invitations were sent out for an event next week.

The invites, carrying the message: “We’ve got a little more to show you,” were sent on Tuesday for an event on October 23 in San Jose, California.

Reports have been swirling for months about the smaller version of the market-leading iPad, but Apple has made no comment.

Some blogs which closely monitor Apple say the new tablet could be priced from US$249 to US$399, which could pressure rivals such as the Amazon Kindle Fire.

The event comes a little over a month after Apple released the iPhone 5, the latest model of its iconic smartphone, which was greeted with record sales.

The October 23 gathering comes three days before the release of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet and two days before Apple reports quarterly earnings.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple has begun production of 10 million of the new iPads.

Various reports have cited the specifications of the new tablet and some pictures have also leaked. It is expected to have a screen of 7.85 inches (20 centimetres) compared with 9.7 inches for the current iPad.

The 10-inch iPad has long dominated the tablet market, but faces a growing challenge from smaller models such as the Kindle Fire, the Google Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy.

Some reports said Apple may also unveil a new version of its MacBook Pro notebook computer.