Is it a smaller iPad or a bigger iPod Touch?  I’m still wondering what Apple will be soon unveiling at their upcoming event, but whatever it is, I’m sure people will buy it, even if it’s just an iPod Touch labeled as an iPad mini.

It’s been quite a while since we’ve featured rumors regarding the iPad mini so I think it’s just about time to tickle your fancy and keep you awake at night, wondering, “What in the world is Apple going to unveil?”

Launch date

First off, when will Apple unveil the rumored smaller iPad?  Contrary to earlier reports, Apple will have two events; one in September, the other in October.  The September event will be iPhone-focused while the October event will be iPad/iPod focused.

Production line

The latest reports for the iPad mini states that the device will be using screens from AU Optronics Corp. and LG Display Co. and that Yeh Cheng Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group, will supply the lamination coating for the device that will measure 7.85 inches diagonally, said the people familiar with the matter.

Price

Reports suggest that Apple will offer the smaller iPad for only $249.  Though priced a bit higher priced than other smaller tablets like the Google Nexus 7, Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire, people would likely pay $249 for an iPad rather than $199 for an Android tablet.

iPad mini sighting

So how do we know that what we keep reading about isn’t just a hoax or a mean prank just to keep people talking about Apple?  Marco Arment, developer of Intsapaper, discovered two new device stats for the app: one  iPad2.5 and one iPad2.6.  He believes that the iPad2.5 pertains to the WiFi version of the iPad Mini and the iPAd2.6 refers to the GSM version.

“These device models, as reported by the OS, could be faked by a jailbreaker with enough free time,” Arment said on his blog.  “But I’ve never had a device show up there that didn’t end up being a real, about-to-be-released Apple device.”