Image courtesy of Nowhereelse.friPad Mini Mockup

The iPad Mini release date is rumored to be in October as the device is expected to be unveiled on the 10th of that month.

Various tech publications are reporting that the Apple mini tablet has already gone into production and should be ready for shipping within the next two months.

The publications include Taiwan's Economic Daily News, who stated that a bulk of the device's production will be handled by the Chinese firm known as Pegatron.

The firm has secured almost 60 percent of the production orders from Apple, squeezing out the company's go-to manufacturer Foxconn who has been responsible for many of the older iPad models.

A new set of photos showing the new iPad Mini have been posted on the internet.

The pictures that surfaced display someone holding in the new 7-inch device in the palm of their hands as the screen can be seen in perfect view and resembles what one would see on the other iPad models.

They appear to be physical mockups of the iPad Mini made to demonstrate how easy it is to fit the device into someone's hand.

Other photos of the iPad Mini leaked earlier this month that show the device's rear shell.

They first appeared on a Chinese site known as NetEase and the device can be viewed in great detail in both photos. It is said to have originated from OEM, the original equipment manufacturer in Shenzhen, China.

The opening for Apple's smaller dock connector can be seen in the picture along with a rear camera hole, and the interior lip where the display and front panel will be attached. This back shell in the photo appears to be for the Wi-Fi model since it does not have a cutout area where the SIM card would normally be placed.

The rear shell in the picture features little tapering in comparison to the current iPad model.