With the iPhone 5 release and the whole iOS 6 maps and Wi-Fi dramas, the iPad Mini has been left in the shadows for a while, but a new video has now surfaced.

This is not the first video of an iPad Mini mock-up, but it does provide another frame of reference for the scale and size of the rumored device, expected to debut sometime in October.

The new video comes from Japanese Apple-centric blog Mac Otakara, via Apple Insider, and shows yet another mock-up of the much-rumored iPad Mini. It features the company's new Lightning dock port and a thinner side bezel, as well as a black plastic band across the top, suggesting 3G or maybe even 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) connectivity.

These dummy iPad Minis are non-functional production mock-ups used by engineers and product managers to assess design, quality, fit and finish before manufacturing. Several slightly different iterations of iPad Mini mock-ups have been making the rounds, but nothing is official yet.

Just like the other videos before it, this new one-minute clip features a non-functional mock-up, foreboding the device's eventual dimensions. As Digital Trends points out, this model has a "questionable bezel side" and lacks the black insert on the back of the device, which serves as a window for cellular radio signals. The publication further notes that the mock-up highlights a "fabricated front panel glass."

According to rumors, the final unit will sport a 7.85-inch display with a 1024 x 768 resolution, an A5X CPU, a base model with 8GB of storage. The iPad Mini is also expected to run Apple's latest operating system, iOS 6.

Rumors that Apple is working on a smaller version of its popular iPad have long been circulating, and only intensified once Google launched its 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet made by Asus. The 7-inch tablet market is becoming increasingly crowded, biting into Apple's share. The iPad still dominates the arena, but with a smaller, more affordable version Apple could appeal to a wider audience.

Apple has not officially announced or even acknowledged working on an iPad Mini, but the company is rumored to release the device ahead of the holiday shopping season. When it comes to pricing, IHS iSuppli analyst Rhonda Alexander estimated that a $299 price tag would allow Apple to "sit in a comfortable place as far as profit" is concerned.