John Paczkowski at AllThingsD has a scoop today on the date of the iPad mini launch, which he says will be October 23. Paczkowski does not yet know where the launch will take place, but he thinks it may be at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium, where it launched, among other things, the iPhone 4S. Unusually for Apple this means that it will be launching a major product on a Tuesday, rather than a Wednesday, but Paczkowski seems pretty confident that he has the right date.
Meanwhile, AppleInsider reports today that Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has actually managed to get his hands on a prototype of the iPad mini during his tour of Asia, and he said that it was very comfortable in his hand, and could easily be stowed in his sport coat pocket without any problem. Also during his Asia trip, White got to meet with more than 20 accessory suppliers who showed him the various iPad mini accessories that they have ready for the tablet’s launch, and which are already boxed, labelled and ready to be sold to customers.
Source: Asian companies already have 'iPad mini' accessories boxed, labeled and ready to order
Apple Likely to Unveil "iPad Mini" at October 23 Event - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD