Apple's October Surprise May Boost Its Tablet Market Share Apple will reportedly debut new versions of its iPad and iPad Mini tablets at the end of the month.

Apple is giving its fans a delicious October surprise, with the company set to debut new versions of its iPad and iPad Mini tablets at the end of the month.

The unveiling is scheduled for October 22, according to AllThingsD. The devices are expected to feature several improvements over older models. The iPad, now in its fifth iteration, will reportedly be thinner and lighter than ever and boast a better camera. Meanwhile, the second-generation iPad Mini will get a crisp retina display.

With its new iPads, Apple would no doubt love to claw back some of the market share it has recently lost to Android-powered tablets. During the second quarter of this year, sales of tablets running Google's operating system surpassed sales of Apple tablets for the first time ever, according to ABI Research, an intelligence firm that focuses on the technology market.

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During the same period, Apple's share of worldwide revenue dropped to 50 percent – an all-time low. Global tablet sales for the three months ending in June totaled $12.7 billion, with Apple pocketing about $6.3 billion.

Apple will be hoping its new iPad Mini, especially, captures the imagination of consumers, because its full-size iPad is looking a little too large these days. According to ABI's senior practice director Jeff Orr, 7-inch tablets were the most popular size in the second quarter of 2013, and the 7.9-inch iPad Mini accounted for 60 percent of all iPad shipments.

For those who aren't keen on tablets at all (or who just can't get enough of Apple products), Apple reportedly will also reveal a new Mac Pro desktop computer and the latest version of its desktop operating system at the invitation-only event later this month.

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