Apple's rumoured latest device - expected to appear on the shelves during the Autumn - is believed to be a seven-inch tablet which will take on the bestselling Google Nexus tablet.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was apparently set against a smaller iPad, but apparently relented in the months before his death last year, according to emails discussed in the ongoing Apple vs Samsung patent dispute.
A leaked picture purported to show the iPad Mini implies there is no rear camera on the portable device
Little is known about the specifications of the iPad Mini, but it is believed to launch around September 21st along with the new iPhone 5.
The removal of the rear-camera reflects a growing trend in the tablet market. Most models have contained a reasonable camera of around the five megapixel range, but the majority of users do not use their tablet as a portable camera.
Smaller and smaller: Steve Jobs introducing the Apple Nano in San Francisco in 2007
Google removed the camera from the just-released Nexus 7, which was seen as a cost-cutting move to bring the seven-inch tablet down to the £159 range. Previously, most tablets cost £300-plus.
With Google's Nexus disrupting the market, prices are likely to be lower for future tablets, and Apple may be trying to get the Mini down to a similar price point.
Alternatively, they may be reflecting the lack of demand for a rear-camera on a tablet.
During testimony during the ongoing Apple vs Samsung trial, submitted court documents suggest Steve Jobs was tempted to enter the seven-inch market.
He presented an email from Apple vice president Eddy Cue, who said: Having used a Samsung Galaxy Tab [a seven-inch Android tablet], I tend to agree with many of the comments below…
'I believe there will be a seven-inch market and we should do one.
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