iPad Mini "in mass production"

Asian factories have begun manufacturing the long-rumoured iPad Mini, it is claimed.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the still unconfirmed device has a 7.85-inch display with an as of yet unspecified resolution, although it is lower than the Retina display found in the iPad 3.

Apple will position the device as a rival to newcomers such as Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire series, both of which are significantly cheaper than the iPad.

The iPad as we know will continue, too, with the aim of maintaining Apple’s iron grip on the luxury tablet sector.

Talk of the iPad Mini is nothing new. In fact, we think we’ve even seen pictures of it. An October launch for the device was being touted as far back as May of this year.