iPod Mini Reviews
Our Review | Other Reviews
Trust Apple to step into a new market and instantly
become the cool operator. They've done it in the mp3 market with the
revolutionary hard-drive based iPod, and now they are set to do it again.
Only smaller.
The
iPod
Mini. It is (naturally) smaller that the original. It's less expensive.
It will almost certainly become the must have item of the year. However,
it is a pricey alternative compared to other portable players
on the market. But then cool has seldom been the cheapest option.
Let's take a closer look.
Size:
The iPod Mini is roughly 3.6 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches, and weighs in at 3.6
ounces. That's about half the size of a deck of cards. You could lose this
thing behind the couch if you're not careful!
The iPod Mini has a miniature 4GB hard drive which can
hold approximately 1,000 songs, or one song by Genesis (extended drum solo
version).
Battery Life:
Apple claim the battery will last around 8 hours on a standard
charge. Various tests indicate that battery life can often exceed this figure.
One note about
the battery: this is a sealed unit, so the battery isn't user serviceable.
Well,
not easily anyway. Also, the battery may eventually wear out. This can be
replaced at an Apple service
centre for around $99.
Ease-of-Use:
The ease-of-use is very good, especially considering Apple
have shrunk the screen
size to fit
such
a tiny
unit. The
controls consist
of
a scroll
wheel which also incorporates the buttons for the play, pause, menu,
and forward and back commands.
Colors:
The iPod Mini comes
in five metallic colors, blue, pink, silver, green and gold. The Mini
ships with a belt clip and both a FireWire and USB 2.0
cable. You can charge the unit over the USB cable.
Conclusion:
The real question about the iPod Mini is the price. At only
$50 less than it's larger cousin, it has considerably less capacity (iPOds
can fit around 3700 songs). So, if you want to hold a lot of songs, the iPod
is going to be the better buy. However, if you want something small, and most
certainly cool, it's hard to go past the iPod Mini.
Click for price comparisons...
Other reviews & tests:
From Mossberg Solution "One of the reasons for the phenomenal
success of Apple's iPod digital music player has been its small size. The original
iPod,
introduced
in 2001 with
an advertised capacity of 1,000 songs, was smaller, lighter and thinner than
any other high-capacity portable player. And the current iPod model is even
sleeker, although it can now hold up to 10,000 songs." more....
From Dev Hardware: "So what has led the way to the popular
demand of iPod minis? Who in their right mind would buy a US$250 4GB MP3 player
when
15+ GB
jukeboxes
exist for nearly the same price? Described in short as "The world's smallest
1,000 song player. Five new colors" more...
From ZDNET Australia: "The iPod brand has become synonymous
with excellent portable audio players, and the 4GB Apple iPod Mini carries
on the
tradition
with its
fashionable, intelligent design".more...
Click for price comparisons...
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