We’ve been hearing all about a smaller iPad for a few months now. The “Mini iPad” is taken by some as being virtually guaranteed. That doesn’t include us. If last year’s iPhone 5 fiasco taught us anything it’s not to believe any rumors – not even when you see leaks, or cases from third party manufacturers. So, we post these images with a cautionary notice: just because it looks real doesn’t mean we’re going to see one.

Firstly, any third party manufacturer would love to build up knowledge of its brand, and there’s no better way than to “accidentally” release images of cases designed for a mythical device. That’s exactly what DesignWear has done, and promptly taken them back offline. (Once other sites get hold of them, it’s job done.)

With Apple, product dimensions and details are not supplied to case manufacturers until it’s almost time to launch, so anything that’s being manufactured or designed now is based on schematics leaked by someone who may or may not know any of Apple’s plans. The strongest likelihood is that this is a prototype device that may never be released. Anyhow, enjoy these images. They don’t confirm anything, but they’re certainly interesting.

Via: 9to5Mac