Apple likely to unveil iPad mini on October 23: report Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:41am EDT (Reuters) - Apple Inc is expected to take the wraps off its highly anticipated mini iPad at an October 23 invitation-only event, reported tech blog AllThingsD on Friday, citing sources familiar with the company. The event would come before Microsoft Corp unveils its latest operating system, Windows 8, and its new Surface tablet on October 26. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. Speculation has been swirling for months that Apple was planning a smaller, less expensive version of its popular iPad to take on cheaper competing devices. Apple shares were down 0.2 percent at $626.51 in morning Nasdaq trade. Reporting By Jennifer Saba; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick