IN PICTURES:

Apple is the so-called iPad Mini, which is expected to boast a 7.85-inch screen, on Oct. 17.

The iPad Mini (sometimes called the iPad Air) would fit in a category with devices like the new 7-inch, $199 Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7. The regular iPad's screen is 9.7 inches diagonally.

The latest reports, such as those from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, are that the iPad Mini's design could dazzle. As reported by The Wall Street Journal's All Things D, : "Apple did not skimp on the aesthetics of the much anticipated 'iPad Mini.' In fact, we believe the 'iPad Mini' could outshine the new iPad in terms of how the device feels in a consumer's hands."

According to The Wall Street Journal's report, Apple's order for iPad Mini units with suppliers is about double that of Amazon for Kindle Fire tablets this quarter.