Despite a number of competitors on the market, most notably the Android-powered Nexus 7 and Galaxy Tab, Apple’s iPad has remained at the head of the pack in terms of mainstream success.

That’s probably why it came as a bit of a surprise when, after the 10-inch iPad captured a huge portion of the market, Apple’s 7-inch iPad Mini appeared to be an even bigger hit among users.

Now, as rumors circulate around an impending update to the device in October, a popular iPad accessory is prepping its second act in anticipation of the release of the new device. The Seattle-based makers of the TouchFire iPad keyboard, a translucent, silicone rubber device that magnetically attaches to the iPad, are now introducing a modified version of the device for the iPad Mini.

“It took us eight months to develop the TouchFire for iPad Mini," said TouchFire co-founder Steve Isaac, a veteran of the tech industry who worked at Sun Microsystems, Microsoft and helped develop early tablet technology at a company called GO. "Since [the iPad mini] is about half the size of a full size iPad, it’s a much harder problem."

“The thing that’s probably the hardest to deal with on tablets is probably input, typing, getting data in,” Isaac continued. “The solution that we have is designed to be something that works well with a human being — we have fingers, we’re tactile. We like things that we can touch and feel. That's the angle we are coming at it from.”

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Like the original TouchFire, the new version will be framed by a Kickstarter campaign with an identical funding goal of $10,000, a figure the original campaign far exceeded, ultimately drawing in more than $200,000 from supporters.

With that level of enthusiasm and funding success for the original version of the device, it’s reasonable to ask why the two-man startup is returning to its Kickstarter roots.

“We have some product design issues that we want to get feedback on and Kickstarter is absolutely the best way to do that,” Isaac said.

The update will come with not only a keyboard, but also a separate case for the tablet. Early adopters will be able to purchase the new TouchFire keyboard and case for the iPad Mini via Kickstarter for $44.95 — assuming the campaign's success.

“We actually really like doing product development the Kickstarter way,” Isaac said. “It allows us to share the highs and lows of the whole process with an audience of actual customers and to get their feedback at critical junctures during the product development cycle.”

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Image: TouchFire