iPad Mini design to top Apple's earlier tablets, analyst says The device could be better looking than the latest iPad and improve on how the tablet feels in consumers' hands. Apple's iPad Mini will come with a design that bests the company's current slate, according to an analyst. "Apple did not skimp on the aesthetics of the much anticipated iPad Mini," Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White said recently in a research note obtained by All Things Digital. "In fact, we believe the iPad Mini could outshine the new iPad in terms of how the device feels in a consumer's hands." Although White didn't explain how the "feel" might be different, the iPad Mini is reportedly much smaller than the new iPad, making at least one differentiation somewhat obvious. Apple's current iPad comes with a 9.7-inch screen. The iPad Mini will reportedly ship with a 7.85-inch display, making the device itself much smaller. Earlier reports on Apple's iPad Mini have suggested that the tablet will come with the same design ideas as its bigger alternative, including a physical home button and thin bezel. White, however, seems to indicate that more features are coming. Rumors have been swirling for months over what the iPad Mini might offer and when it might finally ship. The latest reports suggest Apple could send out invites this week to a iPad Mini event, and then actually start selling the device in a couple of weeks. Although Apple hasn't confirmed that an iPad Mini will even launch, just about every analyst says that it is happening. And when it does, it could be a sales juggernaut. Just yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Apple has placed over 10 million iPad Mini orders for the fourth quarter. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57527729-37/ipad-mini-design-to-top-apples-earlier-tablets-analyst-says/