[Update] Apple announces the iPad mini - check back at 6pm GMT for our liveblog

Apple has "a little more" to show us before the year is out. And we know exactly what it is.

Unless months of rumours, leaked photos, and tech industry gossip has been wrong, Apple is set to unveil a 7-inch version of its iPad tablet.

Yeah, we know that Steve Jobs once said that "7-inch tablets are going to be dead on arrival" and that smaller-screened tablets would have to include sandpaper "so that the user can sand down their fingers".

It's a small world

But, in a world of Nexus 7s and Kindle Fire HDs, Apple looks to have changed its tune. Come back at 6pm GMT to find out exactly how many crows Apple has had to eat since Jobs's comment.

In the meantime, how about reading our iPad mini rumour round-up, or finding out what our editor-in-chief reckons over on PocketGamer.biz.

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19:14 - I want Foo Fighters! I want Foo Fighters! Give me my damn money back. 19:13 - Tim Cook returns to the stage with a genuine spring in his step. Well, not literally. You know what I mean.

Tim runs through all of the Apple products that have been accidentally leaked onto the interwebs in 2012.

Then, he says 'farewell'.

19:11 - The iPad mini will go on sale in a number of countries, incidentally. 34, I believe. One of which is Iceland. 19:09 - ANOTHER video. A short one, though, this time. Read me like a book, Philly. 19:05 - Huzzah! Hurrah! Huddah!? Starting price for iPad mini is $329. That's the base model, yo. To wit, 16GB and wi-fi only. Want more? Here's more...

32GB iPad mini (wi-fi only) = $429
64GB iPad mini (wi-fi only) = $529

If you want the wi-fi + cellular configuration, get ready to pony up an extra $130 across the board.

You can pre-order one (or 12) from this Friday. The wi-fi flavours will be shipped from November 2nd.

19:03 - Have you ever seen Jony Ive and David Beckham in the same room? I know I haven't.

Will the price be right for iPad mini? I. Am. Waiting. Impatiently.

19:00 - Apple has knocked together a video about the new iPad mini, which will be available in black 'n' white. This trail may or may not contain flashing images. 18:57 - Some more details about the iPad mini...

• Dual-core A5 processor
• LTE version
• FaceTime HD camera on t'front
• 5-megapixel camera around back
• Lightning connector
• Ten-hour battery life
• Smells like pure lavender

18:54 - The iPad mini weighs 0.68 lbs, and sports a 7.9-inch display. Same resolution as the iPad 2's (1024x768 pixels).

*FAVOURABLE COMPARISON WITH ANDROID SLATE ALERT! FAVOURABLE COMPARISON WITH ANDROID SLATE ALERT!*

18:52 - ... iPad mini! Whoop. Holler. Whoop. Holler.

Should one be inclined, one can hold one iPad mini in one hand.

In Phil's own words, "It's as thin as a pencil." In my words, "It's ruddy thin."

18:51 - A smaller iPad is now visible on the big screen. It's... 18:49 - This fourth-gen - WTF?!? - iPad is a "powerhouse". Faster performance from the A6X chip is guaran-damn-teed. *Courtesy of HHH. (I owe you one, big man.)

Ten-hour battery life. FaceTime HD with 720p. Expanded LTE compatibility. 2x faster wi-fi performance. Lightning connector. I can't stop typingffffkggggggggggggggkgkgkgkg.

There we go.

18:48 - Just to remind you, The Big A launched the third-generation iPad in March.

Just to let you know, The Big A is introducing the fourth-generation iPad now. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa-?!!??! Woof.

18:46 - In summary, Apple is delighted with the way in which iPad has been embraced by all manner of educational, governmental, business, and drinking institutions.

But, there's more to come...

18:44 - Educaytion, edukation, educashion. I can see precisely where this keynote is going.

I also see I need to enrol on a spelling course.

18:43 - "People love their iPads." Not like that, dirty boy. 18:42 - Money shot: the iPad. Timmy reveals that Apple has now sold over 100 million iPads.

iPad accounts for over 90 per cent of tablet web traffic. I won't dispute that. I can't dispute that.

18:40 - The new 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,299, and will be available next month.

The new 27-inch iMac debuts in December. You got $1,799? Blimey, you are doing well for yourself. That's the starting price for a new 27-inch iMac, by the way. Figured, eh.

18:37 - New iMac comes with a wireless keyboard, a mouse, and a cookie. White, of course.

If you love optical drives more than life itself, you can order one of those, too. An optical drive, that is. You only get one life, don't you know.

18:35 - The Apple Fusion Drive makes its short-awaited debut.

'What is this Fusion Drive thingybobbytobby?' I hear you ask. You don't need to know. (It's a hard drive option. Apple has basically fused a 1TB hard drive with 128GB of flash storage. Google it.)

18:32 - Apple's engineering team has outdone itself with this new iMac (available with a 21.5-inch or 27-inch screen). It is thinner than a wafer. Being eaten by a svelte dragonfly. Perched on a very skinny thing. Yep, that's right. 18:30 - "Return of the Mac, it is; Return of the Mac, once again." Whatever happened to Mark Morrison??

Anyway, say 'hallo' to the next generation of iMac. It's mind-boggingly thin. Size zero thin, you know.

18:27 - Next, the Mac mini. Oooo, Phil cracks a 'mini' joke. Teases an iPad mini unveiling later doors. Ledge.

New Mac mini model ships today. Just when you thought you couldn't get enough stats on hardware innards, you can't.

18:25 - Sutin about the environment. Don't ask me. No, don't. 18:23 - If you have a predilection for hardware specs, prepare yourself for an orgy of 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display numbers...

2.5GHz dual-core i5 CPU
128GB of flash memory
Standard 8GB RAM
Intel HD Graphics 4000
7-hour battery
$1,699

18:21 - Right, I need some more 'minis' to keep me entertained.

• PlayStation minis.

Dang, my mind's gone blank.

18:18 - Phil is proud to introduce a brand-new 13-inch MacBook Pro. It's light, thin, and has a Retina display. Oooo, and loads and loads and loads of pixels. Pixels everywhere, I tell you.

I swear they're gonna take over the world. Mark my words.

18:17 - Phil Schiller's in the house! He's my fave. Can't wait to see what Phil has in store for me regarding Mac updates.

Hit me, Phil. Hiiiiiiiiit me.

18:15 - Over to the Mac... Hello, Mr Mac! #1 in customer satisfaction and reliability. Unlike this particular video stream. Cruel, cruel irony. 18:13 - iBooks is one of the most popular apps on iOS - 400 million books downloaded through iBookstore since it opened for business.

New version of iBooks announced by Cooky. Available today.

Facebook and Twitter integration. Tweet that now. Or post it to your Wall. I don't mind. I'm easy.

18:11 - There are now over 700,000 apps on Apple's digital emporium. 275,000 of them are bespoke iPad apps. "Custom designed for iPad's big, beautiful canvas." Indeed.

*NEW MILESTONE ALERT! NEW MILESTONE ALERT!*

35 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store. Groovy Tuesday.

18:09 - Documents in the Cloud, iMessage, Barcelona vs Celtic, 300 billion iMessages, Lionel Messi, 160 million Game Center accounts, Shared Photo Streams.

Just checking that you're paying attention. Good. Back in the room.

18:07 - 200 million iOS devices around the planet are already running iOS 6. After just one month. You can't argue with the facts. Well, some can. But, hey. 18:05 - Shout-out from Mr Cook to new fifth-gen iPod touch.

The Big A has already sold over 3 million new iPods (fifth-gen iPod touchs + seventh-gen iPod nanos). I own none of them.

18:03 - Here's an iPhone 5 stat: It's proving popular. Suck it, Bieber!

Apple's latest blower is the fastest-selling phone in history.

Cue video of Apple punters queuing up for the 6th-generation iPhone. And screaming. Like banshees. Or John Cena fans. Who cares.

18:01 - Good morning, Tim. Lovely to see you. What a swell presentation pointer you have in your pocket. 18:00 - And fade to black... Hang on. 17:57 - "Ladies and gentlemen, the feature presentation will begin in a few minutes." Boom. (That was for you, Steve.) 17:54 - 'Houdini' by Foster the People is currently reverberating around the Italian marbled walls of the California Theatre, San Jose. The cameraman appears to be drunk, mind. 17:52 - What an exquisite ceiling. Such intricate and ornate design. Splendid.

Yes, the stream is now live.

17:50 - Ahhhhhhhh, Minnie Mouse. Get in! 17:49 - If YOU, though, have a favourite 'mini', please let us know in the comments below. Don't be crude. 17:48 - Mini-Me. 17:47 - The mini-skirt. 17:46 - The Mini Cooper. 17:44 - While we wait for Tim and the Boys to saunter onto stage and proceed to disappoint the watching billions by announcing a new Mac mini and ONLY a new Mac mini, I've decided to list a few of my favourite 'minis'. Updated on October 23rd, at 14:20: Apple will also stream the keynote live. You can watch it on Apple TV, or here if you've got a Mac or iOS device. We'll be liveblogging the event, too.