Is this the iPad mini?

Tecca

If Apple's announcement of the iPhone 5 last week didn't include any surprising revelations, that's because nearly every aspect of the new smartphone was leaked online in the months leading up to its debut. Now it appears that we're headed for a similar situation with the rumored iPad mini. A blog in China has posted what it claims are photos of Apple's new smaller tablet assembled from parts being manufactured in the run-up to its launch.

The purported iPad mini appears very similar to the new iPad, albeit with a slightly thicker body. The edges where the back of the case meets the tablet's front also appear to be more round. Like the 10-inch iPad, the device in these photos has both front- and rear-facing cameras. It also sports what appears to be a 9-pin Lightning connector, which has also taken the place of the original 30-pin iPod dock connector on the iPhone 5. Two speaker grilles on either side of the port indicate that the 7-inch iPad could have stereo speakers rather than a single speaker like previous iPads.

Originally expected to be announced alongside the iPhone 5 this month, the iPad mini is now rumored to see its unveiling take place in October with a release planned for that month. If this is indeed what it'll look like, we can still expect a few more weeks of rumors surrounding what sort of hidden surprises it'll pack inside its smaller frame.

[Image credit: Bolopad]
[via BGR]

This article was written by Randy Nelson and originally appeared on Tecca

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