Although its predecessor was released in September last year, the iPad mini 5 may not see the light of day this month like what fans of the small tablet have anticipated.

According to the latest reports, the iPad mini 5 might be held off until early next year. There is no solid information as to why this is the case, but it may have something to do with Apple's imminent plans.

The Cupertino-based company is expected to conduct another launch event next month, this time, for the refresh of the Mac line including the MacBook Pro, the iMac, and an all-new 5K standalone display.

If Apple wants the event to be centered to its Mac upgrades, the iPad mini 5 might not be included there as it will obviously be out of place.

Apple will have new iPads coming in next year, though, as per reports, which could be why the iPad mini 4 successors won't be released this year.

There are some reports that the iPad mini 5 does not exist at all. This is because of the lack of concrete updates and leaks that indicate it is in development.

The device is also curiously missing from research notes of experts like Ming Chi-Kuo, who made no mention of an iPad mini when he made his claims about the iPad Pro 2, the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro as well as Apple's iPad-related prospects for 2018.

There are media outlets that are reporting about an iPad Pro mini, which could be a new name for iPad mini 5. This suggests that Apple could be adapting the Pro moniker for its tablet releases.

As far as specs go, the iPad mini 5 will reportedly don a Series 7000 aluminum casing, which will make it thinner and light while making sure it stays durable. An 8-megapixel and 1.5-MP camera combo is expected as well.