It may be the industry's worst kept secret--since the iPhone 5, anyway--but that doesn't mean we won't all be glued to our respective screens next Tuesday when Tim Cook and Co. unveil the newest member of the iOS family. While we're pretty certain the shrunken iPad will clock in at just under 8 inches--with a screen resolution equal to the iPad 2--there are actually quite a few things we don't know about Apple's new tablet (including its name, though smart money's on iPad mini).

So, let's try to figure a few of them out, shall we?

Storage

Conventional wisdom says that Apple will stick to its 16GB, 32GB, 64GB model with the mini, but this is a bit of a different animal. Apple is in the unusual position of following in the footsteps of its competitors and it has had ample time to study the landscape: Google's Nexus tablet is offered in 8GB and 16GB models, and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tops out at 32GB. I expect Apple to offer a similar range of models, starting at 8GB.

Amazon and Google both offer virtual storage to compensate for the relatively sparse internal drives, but Apple has thus far denied iCloud users any sort of storage beyond backups and Photo Stream. I think that's going to change with the launch of the iPad mini.

There are a few directions Apple can go here. Since the iPad mini will most likely be marketed as a consumption-heavy device, a streaming iTunes service is certainly a possibility, though recent rumors have thrown a bit of cold water on that prospect. There's also the return of iDisk, with five or so gigabytes of virtual, stash-anything, Dropbox-like storage for all iCloud users.

But I think Apple's strategy will land somewhere in the middle, with a solution that lets us stream purchased movies and TV shows through iTunes, and a smaller allotment in our iCloud accounts for other media files.

Weight

Let's try to not weigh our bags down, okay?

It's pretty clear that the main selling point of a smaller iPad is extreme mobility, a significantly lighter tablet that won't weigh you down throughout the day. The iPad is certainly portable, but at 650 grams, you definitely notice when it's in your bag. And if you look at Apple's iOS lineup, you'll see a fairly large gap between it and the ridiculously light iPod touch:

iPod touch (5th): 88g
iPod touch (4th): 101g
iPhone: 112g
iPhone 4S: 135g
iPad 2: 601g
iPad 2 (3G):610g
iPad: 652g
iPad (3G): 662g

If the iPad mini comes in exactly between the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2, it'll weigh about 370 grams, a bit heavier than the 340-gram Nexus 7, but lighter than the 395-gram Fire. I don't think Apple will settle for "as good as" here, and I expect the iPad mini to weigh significantly less than either of these, likely somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 grams.

Price

The million-dollar question. Apple's iOS product matrix runs the gamut from $199 to $849, with not much room in between:

iPhone 16GB: $199
iPod touch (4th) 16GB: $199
iPod touch (4th) 32GB: $249
iPhone 32GB: $299
iPod touch 32GB: $299
iPhone 64GB: $399
iPod touch 64GB: $399
iPad 2 16GB: $399
iPad 16GB: $499
iPad 2 16GB (3G): $529
iPad 32GB (3G): $599
iPad 32GB: $629
iPhone 16GB (Unlocked): $649
iPad 64GB: $699
iPad 64GB: $729
iPhone 32GB (Unlocked): $749
iPhone 64GB (Unlocked): $849

Here's where things get tricky. The iPad mini will obviously be smaller than the iPad and bigger than the iPhone and iPod touch, but likely with a lesser display and less storage. Google and Amazon set the bar extremely low with their $199 entries, but I would be surprised if Apple joined their race to the bottom. In fact, none of Apple current iOS offerings can be had for less than $299, save the 16GB iPhone (which actually costs $649 without the long, expensive contract) and last year's touches.

So $199, I think, is out of the question. Apple's old iOS devices generally coat $100 less than the new ones (iPad 2 vs. iPad; iPod touch 5th gen vs. 4th; iPhone 5 vs. 4S, etc.), and even though it's not necessarily old, based on the specs floating around it seems to be based on older tech, so I think we can safely assume the iPad mini will cost at least $100 less than the iPad 2.

So that brings us to $299, which would be a perfectly fine price point. But if you take a closer look at Apple's product lineup, you'll see that Apple generally tries to give a little more value for that extra money; for example, the new iPad has a better screen than the iPad 2 and the new iPod touch has a larger display and more storage.

So if the iPad 2 has the same display as the iPad mini (albeit bigger), $299 doesn't seem quite right. Plus there is already a somewhat successful market out there, Apple needs to play by the rules that have been written.

So my best guess is $249 for an 8GB WiFi-only only, with the usual step-up increments. And if I'm right, you'd better order one quick, because they're going to fly off shelves.