Mini iPod: Size, Style Do Matter
Feb. 20, 2004
The iPod mini, it is smaller, sleeker and more portable than the original iPod from Apple Computer Inc.
CBS) I was totally underwhelmed when Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPod mini at the MacWorld Expo in January but now that it's actually on the market, and after playing with the new device, I'm starting to understand its appeal.
My first reaction was "big deal." Apple had already impressed me and much of the world with its first three generations of iPod music players. After all, creating a device that enables music lovers to carry not just "a tune," but up to 10,000 in the palm of their hand is indeed an impressive accomplishment - perhaps the biggest contribution to portable music since Sony invented the Walkman back in 1979. But the latest iteration seemed like a tiny step backward.
At 3.6 ounces and measuring 3.6 by 2.0 by .5 inches, the new iPod is about 40 percent smaller and 35 percent lighter than the 15 and 20 gigabyte iPods. But, at $249, it's only $50 cheaper than the ($299) 15 gigabyte model that holds more than four times as much music. Apple's 20 GB model costs $399 and the whopping 40 gigabyte - 10,000 song - version sells for $499.
But, after installing the iPod, filling it up with music and taking it on a couple of long walks, I'm starting to see what all the fuss is about.
Specifications don't tell the whole story. You have to see and feel this machine to truly appreciate it. A half-inch thick and otherwise the same dimensions as a business card, the iPod mini is a truly elegant accessory.
It's not just smaller than its predecessors. It's prettier, more elegant and even a bit easier to use. Instead of a white plastic case and silver colored aluminum back, the iPod minis are surrounded by an anodized aluminum shell in your choice of five colors: silver, gold, blue, green and pink.
Personally, I'm not all that picky about the appearance of my portable electronic equipment, but I recognize that a lot people are. Deservedly or not, possessing an iPod has become something of a status symbol and the prettier and more elegant the status symbol, the better.
To me, the size of a portable music player doesn't matter much because I mostly use it on airplanes and in the car. The larger iPods and the even larger music players from Dell, Gateway, Rio and others are still small enough when carried in a briefcase on an airplane or sitting next to the cup holder on my car's center console.
Size matters a bit more when I take the music player on a walk. I'm not a jogger but I can see how it would matter even more to those who like to listen to music while running up the street. Fitness buffs who jog, walk or take to the treadmill will appreciate the optional ($29) arm band that puts the device, literally, at arm's length yet out of harm's way. The iPod mini comes with a belt-clip.
Apple also improved the interface just a bit by taking a positive step backwards. Like all iPods, there is a scroll wheel that you control with your thumb to select options and play the music. The current generation of larger iPods also has four buttons - menu, back, forward and pause/stop - but these are now built into the scroll wheel, as they were on previous generation iPods that are no longer available.
Like all iPods, the mini plays MP3 files as well as the AAC files created by Apple's iTunes music downloading service. Music players from other companies typically play MP3 as well as the WMA format endorsed by Microsoft.
I don't have a preference between WMA and AAC but it's worth noting that there are numerous download services that offer WMA while Apple is the only major vendor offering AAC files. In other words, once again there is a tower of babble between Apple and the rest of the world.
Other than file format issues, the only drawback of the new iPod is that it won't hold my entire digital music collection - which at the moment adds up to about 12 gigabytes. All other iPods have more than enough capacity, as do hard drive portable music players from Dell, Gateway, Rio and other companies.
Speaking of other company's machines, for the last several months I've been using a 20 gigabyte Rio Karma (street price about $270) which works and sounds great but every time I use it, I have to take a few minutes to re-familiarize myself with the controls. I haven't used an iPod in about three months yet it took me no time to re-adjust. Apple has developed an incredibly intuitive interface that makes every other system feel clunky by comparison.
If the iPod cost $199 instead of $249, it would be an excellent value despite its relatively low capacity. At its present price, it's definitely an expensive alternative to lower capacity memory-based music players as well as some hard drive systems from other companies.
Still, as buyers of luxury automobiles have long demonstrated, there are plenty of people who are willing to pay a bit more for elegance and style.
New iPod mini a good deal By Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press
By Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press
SMALLER, sleeker and even more portable than its big brother from Apple Computer Inc., the new iPod mini is awonderful choice if you can live without as many songs.
While the regular iPod has models capable of storing up to 10,000 songs, the 4-gigabyte iPod mini holds a mere 1,000 tracks and is only $50 cheaper than the $299 iPod model, which stores 3,700.
Still, the iPod mini -- available in silver, gold, blue, pink and green -- offers a sensible alternative to some of the market's most popular flash card MP3 players, giving you a lot more space than any of them can offer.
After I carried the iPod mini around for a few days, it became clear this device is made for portability and convenience.
About 85 percent the size of the regular iPod, the mini is only a little larger than a business card (3.6 inches by 2 inches) and one-half of an inch thick. It weighs less than any cell phone available in the United States (3.6 ounces, or about two-thirds of a regular iPod).
The mini's trendy, too: My green mini is a far cry from the boring, old, white iPod.
The only thing you sacrifice is the amount of storage -- the sound is as pristine, and the software is as easy to use.
Mini includes a few aesthetic alterations, like its solid piece of anodized aluminum that's not only durable, but also scratch and stain resistant. IPods combine separate metal and plastic components.
The mini also showcases a change in the iPod family's interface. A set of four buttons used to navigate the menu and playlist on the larger iPod disappears from the mini. Instead, the controls are built into the touch-sensitive dial, which also manages volume. The change is nice, and managing the controls quickly became second-nature.
In conjunction with Apple's iTunes software, PC and Mac users alike can take advantage of the mini. Seconds after docking the iPod mini, iTunes recognized the device and helped with initial setup.
Firewire-less PC users running Windows 2000 or XP can take advantage of mini's USB 2.0 connection. It even comes with a cable, something that costs extra for the iPod.
Like the original iPod, mini allows you to store contacts, play games and keep to-do lists. It doubles up as a hard drive for data storage. Mini does not, however, allow for voice recording or digital photo storage using software that comes with iPod.
Mini also offers 25 minutes -- yes, read that again, 25 minutes -- of skip protection (more than any other product on the market) and up to 8 hours on a single battery charge, comparable to the regular iPod.
How, you may ask? Mini uses the same technology in other MP3 flash players to cache 25 minutes worth of music from the mini's hard drive into flash memory. Since flash memory is solid state, it can't skip.
Every iPod mini comes equipped with headphones, charger and belt clip.
But you can splurge on a $29 armband (made exclusively for the iPod mini), $39 in-ear headphones or a number of different car adapters.
If you're looking for a small, lightweight MP3 player to carry around with you to the gym, work, or anywhere you please, take a serious look at the mini. It offers a great amount of storage space in an adequate size -- I certainly don't have 1,000 songs that I listen to on a regular basis.
AI
