The Apple iPad, soon to be replace by the Apple iPad 2 sometime next year, but what about a smaller version of the Apple iPad? There have been rumours in the past that Apple might push out a mini version of the iPad, but those rumours were quashed by iPhone guru Steve Jobs right?

Maybe, however according to an article over on 9to5 Mac by Jonny Evans, the rumours just don’t want to die as apparently Jimmy Lin, a Taiwanese pop star has slapped a picture on his blog of him holding both the Apple iPad and what appears to be an Apple iPad Mini prototype.

Evans says it’s not though as the king of all things Apple, Steve Jobs is on record s saying 7 inch tablets are “dead on arrival,” having said that Samsung doesn’t seem to agree with Jobs when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Of course the real issue with this Apple iPad Mini image is just how would a Taiwanese pop singer be able to get hold of a prototype Apple device that no one else knows anything about? Perhaps it’s because Lin is a founder of a tech company and racing driver? Then again perhaps it’s just a photoshopped image what do you think?