It's really happening. Apple will hold an event on October 23rd to announce the long-rumored, smaller iPad. At least, that's what an invitation just sent out from Apple PR suggests. An iPad with a smaller screen size has been rumored for months, and the company almost certainly wants to announce the product before the holiday buying season to compete with cheaper tablets like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 — and of course put the hurt on Microsoft's big Surface release.

We'll be covering the event live from the California Theatre in San Jose, bringing you the most stable, reliable, and entertaining live blog in the industry. You can also join us post-event for immediate analysis of all the news. Keep it tuned to The Verge on the 23rd — it will be the one thing in your life you don't have to feel regret about.

And in the meantime, keep track of everything we know about the iPad mini in this thrilling StoryStream!