The New York Times has joined the news organizations that are reporting that an iPad mini is coming some time before the year ends.

Apple is working on a smaller version of the iPad that will sell for significantly less than the price of the current 9.7-inch screen iPad, sources familiar with the matter said, according to the report.

The smaller iPad has been reported by several outlets since the late June unveiling of the Nexus 7, a 7-inch screen tablet made by Google.

The latest report says a smaller tablet would be part of Apple's tried and true strategy to get its customers by offering a multitude of similar devices at various price points, just as they did with iPods during the last decade.

The smaller touch device may also be marketed as the next version of Apple's iPod Touch rather than a mini iPad, according to the report.

An iPad mini is a device that's been speculated about even before the Nexus 7 was announced. All these reports have been questionable due to comments made by the late Apple CEO and co-founder, Steve Jobs, who dismissed a smaller iPad as a device Apple would put out.