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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > mini or nano

mini or nano
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zanyterp
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Jan 27, 2006, 05:07 AM
 
for those of you who have had both, or looked at owning one or the other, what pushed you over the edge to get the one you bought? (yes, i realize the mini is discontinued and was when the nano was released; however, there are still places ~new mini's can be purchased so the question is still valid.)

i've looked hard at the nano, and think that the black is pretty svelte and would be a marvelous item to own; however, the thinness makes me think i will break it. the mini, though older, has more depth to it and looks like it may be easier to not break.

does anyone have experience with the durability of either or both models?

thanks!
some people are like slinkys: they don't do much, but are fun to push down stairs.
     
JoshuaZ
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Jan 27, 2006, 08:05 AM
 
Mini is more durable by far. The nano is smaller. I think the real test for me would be price and hard drive size. Picking up a 6 Gig Mini, or a 4 gig Nano.

Plus hot pink is still all the rage.
     
MacallacaM
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Jan 27, 2006, 08:53 AM
 
Does anyone know what are the advantages/disadvantages of iPods over the multitude of other MP3 players? I checked CircuitCity.com and there are much more popular (and cheaper!) players there from Toshiba, Creative, etc.
     
rickey939
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Jan 27, 2006, 09:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacallacaM
Does anyone know what are the advantages/disadvantages of iPods over the multitude of other MP3 players? I checked CircuitCity.com and there are much more popular (and cheaper!) players there from Toshiba, Creative, etc.






     
icruise
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Jan 27, 2006, 09:48 AM
 
I'd be interested to hear which players are "much more popular" than the iPod...
     
Pogomwg
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Jan 27, 2006, 04:22 PM
 
I work at Circuit City, and i will say the only mp3s that i saw out sell the ipods, during the holidays, were the cheap ass 256 and 512 mb ones.
iBook G4 1.42 60GB 768mb. G5 iPod Video White 30 Gig.
     
AppleJockey
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Jan 27, 2006, 07:07 PM
 
wont someone answer them?
u guys are cold.......

1.
zanyterp:I believe the mini is being phased out.
the nano is its replacement.
shuffle,nano and ipod
if you want a mini probably gonna have to find one of the last ones in a store or ebay
also the nano has a FLASH NOT hard drive

the nano is really tiny i wouldnt sleep next to it as you may swallow during your sleep.
the

2.
Macall:ipods aren necc. better but they are the most popular.
some of the advantages of being popular are
-name recognion and rep. I dont think apple wants to start tarnishing their rep.
- tons aftermarket accessories
-tons of help fromother ipod owners. there are many sites like this.
get a rinky dink player and see how much outside support you get
     
analogika
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Jan 27, 2006, 10:21 PM
 
The main advantages of iPod are:

1.) iTunes integration, what with intelligent playlists updating on the ipod automatically etc. No other player on the market has such excellent computer-side software support and integrates so seamlessly. This is a biggie.

2.) The interface. I explained it to my technophobe father in twenty seconds, and he sat there blissfully zipping through a bunch of music for two hours. It's that good. Nothing else comes even remotely close to the simplicity of the wheel, enter, and menu buttons. Nothing.

3.) It may not have every feature of some other players, but what features it does have actually work (a current temporary video playback bug affecting only certain files notwithstanding). That may sound facetious, but is actually a credo in which Apple is somewhat unique on the market, from what I gather.

4.) Size. Other hard-drive-based players may be cheaper at the same capacity, but they're bricks.

5.) Price. The nano is actually one of the cheapest flash players available at that capacity. Coupled with 1.)-4.), it's hard to beat.

I couldn't care less about hype and hipness, but know that the iPod fully deserves its status.
     
Gankdawg
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Jan 27, 2006, 11:04 PM
 
Nano. No question.
     
analogika
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Jan 28, 2006, 03:44 AM
 
Oh yeah: Nano.

The only disadvantages the nano has over the mini are that it scratches more easily and that it's slightly more expensive at the same capacity (4GB).

It completely smashes the mini in every other respect, including durability.

Unless you absolutely, positively need pink, there is simply no contest.
     
zanyterp  (op)
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Jan 28, 2006, 12:03 PM
 
thanks fro the replies everyone.
some people are like slinkys: they don't do much, but are fun to push down stairs.
     
the macimum
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Feb 2, 2006, 02:54 PM
 
I would definatly go for the Mini, because the mini is much harder to loose, mure durable. But the best thing of all is THAT YOU CAN USE FIREWIRE WITH IT!!!!!!
     
the macimum
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Feb 2, 2006, 02:56 PM
 
And the um.... hot pink
     
analogika
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Feb 2, 2006, 03:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by the macimum
the mini is [...] mure durable.
No, it most definitely is NOT.

It just doesn't scratch as easily, is all.
     
imitchellg5
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Feb 2, 2006, 07:06 PM
 
My mini has been dropped on concrete at least 5 times. My friend dropped his nano once, and it went bye-bye. I have used nano before, and the colour screen is all nice and good, but I would still take my mini over it, especially a six gig mini ( I have 4.5 gigs of music)
     
volcano
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Feb 2, 2006, 10:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5
My mini has been dropped on concrete at least 5 times. My friend dropped his nano once, and it went bye-bye. I have used nano before, and the colour screen is all nice and good, but I would still take my mini over it, especially a six gig mini ( I have 4.5 gigs of music)
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3

Perhaps you need to take a look at that article. Even the spirit (and weight) of a mid-sized Volkswagen couldn't stop the Nano from playing music.
     
Big Mac
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Feb 3, 2006, 02:18 AM
 
It seems not everyone is as lucky, or else the Ars nano was Super Nano. The nano is really thin and small, and it also has color. But if you compare the nano to the viPod, the 30GB viPod incredibly almost looks as small and thin as the nano, so much so that you could mistake the two. Therefore, for the price, if I were buying one I'd probably go for the viPod.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
macwayne
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Feb 3, 2006, 01:20 PM
 
If you find a new mini, I would get it. I just recently purchased a 2Gen Green 4gig Mini from Circuit City a couple of days ago. It was just laying under a stack of nanos waiting to be put out.
Though the nano is wonderful, there's something to be said for the sturdiness and feel of the mini, not to mention the colors. A month or so ago I sold a 6gig Green and regret it to this day. If you can find a 6gig, all the better, you get more storage for the same price as the 4gig nano. A color screen is nice, but not essential to me. It's about the music anyway, right?
     
the macimum
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Feb 5, 2006, 09:17 PM
 
I agree with you so much, macwayne. In my opinion, Apple should have made the Hd size of the mini bigger, the battery life longer, but most importantly, made it cheaper, I feel that that would have brought them more success than the nano.
     
TailsToo
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Feb 5, 2006, 11:07 PM
 
I've owned both, and the Nano is just amazing.... well worth the money.
     
janikphoto
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Feb 6, 2006, 03:41 PM
 
i know it has been mentioned about the hd vs the flashdrive, but i might've missed where someone specificaly mentioned the advantages of the flashdrive over the hard drive. Flash will not eat up your battery as fast and it will never skip (though the regular ipods almost never do either). Even though the nano case may break in a drop, you are less likely to damage the drive in a drop than a traditional hd. I'd go nano unless you are planning to totally beat the heck out of it... The nano with a good protective case is still smaller than the mini...
     
analogika
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Feb 6, 2006, 04:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by the macimum
I agree with you so much, macwayne. In my opinion, Apple should have made the Hd size of the mini bigger, the battery life longer, but most importantly, made it cheaper, I feel that that would have brought them more success than the nano.
That's a pretty amazing statement considering that Apple were making 100,000 nanos a DAY before Christmas and couldn't even *nearly* keep up with demand.

We got our first shipment of 4 GB nanos that we can actually have for sale on the shopfloor since mid-DECEMBER (all other shipments since then have just fulfilled pre-orders and reservations, mostly made before Christmas).

Nanos are selling FAR better than the minis ever did.
     
   
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