Leaked pictures appear to reveal Apple’s new pocket-sized tablet, the ‘iPad mini’

THEY are pictures that may displease Apple’s notoriously secretive PR department, but devotees of the company’s highly sought-after products will be happy to catch a glimpse of what appears to be Apple’s latest gadget - a miniature iPad tablet.

• Pictures surface of what is claimed to be the ‘iPad mini’

• Apple’s latest tablet to be launched in October

Pictures leaked on a technology blog have given an early insight into what Apple’s ‘iPad mini’ might look like.

Apple.Pro has claimed that it has used and photographed the new product, which Apple say will be launched in October.

The tablet is believed to have an eight-inch screen; two inches smaller than the iPad. The fansite also says the tablet is 3G-ready, meaning prospective users can browse data on the go.

The smaller iPad - an innovation that Steve Jobs had spoken out against - is widely expected to compete with rivals who have released pocket-sized tablets, Google’s seven-inch Nexus and Amazon’s Fire among them.

The launch of the iPad mini will come one month after the arrival of another highly-anticipated product, the iPhone 5.

The latest iPhone, which is rumoured to have a larger four-inch screen and 4G capability, is due to be unveiled on September 21.