Yesterday there were rumors swirling that Apple was planning on hosting not one, but two (!) events this fall. Now we know it's true, and why. We're getting an iPad mini. 

AllThingsD's John Paczkowski reports Apple will be announcing the long awaited new iPhone at a yet-to-be-announced event on September 12. In October, Apple will come back and announce the new, smaller version of the iPad. The device will have a screen that's slightly less than eight inches, according to Paczkowski. Rumors of an iPad mini have been around for a while, but recently the evidence supporting the rumors really started to take shape. The picture above is a mock up 9to5Mac did earlier this month. 

The talk of two events began yesterday when John Gruber theorized on Daring Fireball that the iPhone and iPad are too big to share a single stage. Each device is so cool and so important that sharing an event would take away from the following news cycle. Why fight yourself for headline space when you can hold two events a month apart, maximize your news coverage, and get two shots at attacking the catering table. Now that we know they're announcing the iPad mini, something that's been in demand for a while, the move to two announcements makes even more sense. 

And now they have an extra $1 billion to really go long on the hors d'oeuvres. 

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