Rumor: iPad Mini Press Event scheduled for October 17th?

A new rumor claims that Apple is preparing for a special press event on Wednesday, October 17th. The topic of the event? The iPad Mini. The rumor comes to us from a supposed major Apple investor who says that he has heard about the event from multiple different sources.
According to the investor-turned-tipster, the 7.85-inch iPad Mini (or iPad Air as some call it) will be announced at the as of yet unannounced press event and wil llaunch on November 2nd- just in time for all the holiday sales hype.
Should we believe this? As much as we have heard about the iPad Mini, I’d say yes. Generally a rumor that has been cited so many darn times is either forgotten and dismissed eventually, or proves to be accurate. No one seems to be letting this rumor go, at least not yet. If it doesn’t surface in time for the holidays? Odds are that the iPad Mini was never anything more than hype.
My bet is that the iPad Mini will be a holiday bestseller and is in fact a real product. What do you think? Real product or nothing more than a product of hype, rumors and speculation?