If you emptied out the contents of the HuffPost Style editors' bags, you'd find a mess of heavy Apple products: a Macbook, iPhone, iPod and iPad. So you can imagine our delight to hear that the company is considering lightening our load by making one of our beloved devices a little smaller.

As the tablet market race heats up, sources told the New York Times that Apple plans on releasing a new iPad with a 7.85 inch screen -- a significant size drop from the 9.5 inch screen of the iPad II. Even though Apple declined to comment, the re-imagined device, dubbed the "iPad mini" by bloggers, is expected to become a reality in the next year.

It seems that this change is geared specifically towards women, since the new size is too big for men's pants pockets and just the right size to throw into a woman's purse, Leslie Grandy, a former Apple manager, points out. The redesign is likely to lure new female customers who couldn't imagine lugging an extra pound and a half in their purses during their already laborious commutes.

While Apple still dominates the tablet world, we suspect this will help to cement their lead (and leave us more room in our bags for lipstick options and dry shampoo).

We're currently debating the relevance of the "iPad mini" here in the office. One of our Style editors is thrilled at the prospect of a smaller tablet (The ability to carry and read multiple fashion mags on the subway? Yes please!), while another seems to think that, as the device gets smaller and smaller, she can't see how it differs from her iPhone. So what do you think of the possibility of a more compact, purse-friendly iPad?

Quick Poll

I think that a smaller iPad is...

Click over to the New York Times for more information.

See what's inside HuffPost Style editors' handbags and see why we're looking forward to a lighter load.

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  • Stylelist Home Editor Brie Dyas, 4.5 lbs

    And here I thought that buying a smaller bag would mean that I wouldn't have a problem with messiness. All photos: Bobby Doherty

  • Stylelist Home Editor Brie Dyas

    Seriously, handfuls of receipts

  • Stylelist Associate Editor Brooke Bobb, 5.5 lbs

  • Stylelist Associate Editor Brooke Bobb

    We love the lip keychain, personally.

  • Stylelist Beauty Editor Dana Oliver, 8.5 lbs

    Dana's bag was the heaviest of the bunch.

  • Stylelist Beauty Editor Dana Oliver

    Dana pretty much lives out of her handbag.

  • Stylelist Home Deputy Editor Dickson Wong, 7.75 lbs

    He says, "That's what I weighed as a baby!"

  • Stylelist Home Deputy Editor Dickson Wong

    Can we point out the two-month old jury summons?

  • Huffington Post Style Associate News Editor Ellie Krupnick, 6 lbs

  • Huffington Post Style Associate News Editor Ellie Krupnick

  • Stylelist Intern Jada Wong, 5.25 lbs

  • Stylelist Intern Jada Wong

    She definitely wins "Most Organized."

  • Huffington Post Style News Editor Jessica Misener, 7.75 lbs

  • Huffington Post Style News Editor Jessica Misener

    Fun fact: Her bag weighed the same as Dickson's, tying their bags for second heaviest.

  • Stylelist Senior Editor Priya Rao, 4.75 lbs

    Her bag was deceptively lightweight.

  • Stylelist Senior Editor Priya Rao

    Priya sticks to the essentials. (And an extra lipstick.)

  • Stylelist Senior Beauty Editor Simone Kitchens, 6.5 lbs

  • Stylelist Senior Beauty Editor Simone Kitchens

    Both Simone and Dickson are still getting around to reading the November 28th issue of The New Yorker.

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