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Phat Bastard · 04:06 PM

I can't believe there isn't a thread about the possibility of a color-screen iPod mini soon! I'm so hyped to see one of these, you can guarantee I'll be ordering one.

A color-screen mini would convince me to ditch my 20 Gb 4G iPod, even if I am losing a bunch of storage space. A mini with a color screen would just look so hot.

What are people's thoughts about this being released Sept. 7 with the ROKR? Or will it come later in the year?

budster101 · Aug 30, 2005, 01:49 PM

I think, I like your screename.

Yeah baby, yeah! What was the question again?

teney7 · 02:28 PM

A color mini is a great idea.. stylish, SMALL, cute... but it still lacks the capacity that some people may need

if not on the 7th, Apple Expo Paris..?

Barry · Aug 30, 2005, 03:57 PM

4gb and 6gb Minis come in blue, green, pink and silver.....

AHHH you mean a color screen on the mini...

yes and make the drive flash based...eliminate all the problems with moving parts and
crashing HD when they are used.

Phat Bastard · Aug 30, 2005, 04:04 PM

Whups, yes, I meant a color screen. *fixed*

wilsonng · Sep 1, 2005, 11:24 PM

There is speculation on the net that the iPod Mini will remain the music and photo player for those who love the size of the current iPods. Then that may position the full-sized iPod as having video capabilities for those who don't mind sacrificing a little portability for functionality.

I would also love to get an iPod Mini with color screen and photo capabilities. I bought the 20 GB iPod that came out in June 2005 because I couldn't wait for an iPod Mini with photo capabilities. If the iPod Mini had come out with photo capabilities, I would've snapped it up in a heartbeat.

ajprice · Sep 2, 2005, 06:26 AM

Whats the biggest capacity 1" drive available now, 8Gb? 10Gb? If they are going to make the white iPod video and the mini colour, I would have thought the mini would have to be at least 20 gb capacity to cover where the white iPod is now.

Phat Bastard · Sep 2, 2005, 02:23 PM

Even if the mini stays at 6 Gb but gets a color screen, I'd buy that thing right away. But the latest talk is that the mini will go Flash memory-based, and I don't think this would be compatible with an increase in storage size, at least for a while.

teney7 · Sep 2, 2005, 02:29 PM

IMO, if they made a 20 GB color screen mini, regular iPod sales could crumble... even with huge capacities and video iPod

Eriamjh · Sep 2, 2005, 04:45 PM

Think Secret has the latest rumor.
Color-screen iPod mini flash (say that 10 times fast!)

sworthy · Sep 2, 2005, 05:15 PM

I wonder what the battery life would be on a flash mini?

Big Mac · Sep 2, 2005, 08:32 PM

Great call, Phat Bastard - you beat TS to the punch by a couple of days, and since they've reported it, it seems to be a lock.

teney7 · Sep 3, 2005, 11:21 AM

Perhaps a stupid question, but the addition of a color screen to mini makes it able to store photos as well, right? Or would they leave that to regular iPod?

theTechyDork · Sep 3, 2005, 09:21 PM

If you look on ThinkSecret, iOM or Original Dwelling, they have speculations about new iPod Mini that sound accurate. Like dual 4GB Flash chips to make an 8GB Mini...

wilsonng · Sep 3, 2005, 11:38 PM

well, it looks like September 7th for ROKR and September 20th for the new iPod Minis. And later next year for the video ipod.

With the reduction of the screen size, it doesn't look like it will be able to display album art while showing the artist and song name at the same time.

It would be incredibly arrogant of Apple to release the iPod mini with color-screen capabilities and not include photo capabilities when the Creative Zen players already have it.

One of the web sites are theorizing that Apple isn't worried that the 8GB will be $299 which is the same price as the full-size 20GB iPod. It appears they believe that the iPod Mini's popularity is strong enough that they're not worried about the 8GB iPod mini cannibalizing sales of the 20GB iPod since sales of the full-sized iPod have slowed while iPod mini sales have actually picked up.

Well, I held out for as long as I could for Apple to release a color screen iPod mini. When the 20GB iPod came out in June, I broke down and bought it. I miss my mini's size but I also longed for a color screen.

It looks doubtful that the video iPod will be out until Apple finally reaches an agreement with film studios to start a video download service similar to the iTune Music Store that is the v12 engine that muscled the iPod to market domination.

sworthy · Sep 4, 2005, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by wilsonng

With the reduction of the screen size, it doesn't look like it will be able to display album art while showing the artist and song name at the same time.

Actually, Think Secret is reporting that while the screen size will be physically smaller, the resolution will be increased. I'm sure this feature will be included.

theTechyDork · Sep 4, 2005, 01:59 PM

Seriously, though, how much smaller can they make the screen. The size is small enough on the Mini. I like it like that. Any smaller, and we'll need magnifying glasses.

wilsonng · Sep 4, 2005, 09:48 PM

Well, the iPod Minis seem to be the best-seller to a younger audience that likes a lot of style. That's why the iPod Minis have those color schemes. The full-sized iPods are better bang-for-the-buck which us older folks will appreciate while the youngsters are willing to pay a little more for that aluminum casing, smaller size, smaller hard drive, and color schemes.

Thankfully, we have the full-sized iPods for those of us with not-so-young eyes.

Big Mac · Sep 5, 2005, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by wilsonng

Well, the iPod Minis seem to be the best-seller to a younger audience that likes a lot of style. That's why the iPod Minis have those color schemes. The full-sized iPods are better bang-for-the-buck which us older folks will appreciate while the youngsters are willing to pay a little more for that aluminum casing, smaller size, smaller hard drive, and color schemes.

Thankfully, we have the full-sized iPods for those of us with not-so-young eyes.

The 2G mini also appeals to those who value battery life - its battery life is superior to the iPod. If I were in the market for one right now, I'd go for a mini for the battery life and the lower cost.

WitchKing · Sep 5, 2005, 09:15 AM

I've never purchased an electronic device based on it's appearance, but rather due to it's functions. I don't think the mini is more appealing to a younger audience due to it's colors, but because of it's price and battery life as mentioned above by Big Mac.

Phat Bastard · Sep 5, 2005, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by WitchKing

I've never purchased an electronic device based on it's appearance, but I don't think the mini is more appealing to a younger audience due to it's colors, but because of it's price and battery life as mentioned above by Big Mac.

I completely disagree.. Most people buy iPods because they are sexy and down-right great looking. People buy the iPod mini because of its colors. I know, I've talked to people that bought it.

As for price, I disagree with you here too. The iPod is a completely luxury item. If you want a mp3 player, get another brand-name. But people still buy the iPod, mainly because it looks way better than all the other mp3 players out there. Also, "everybody" has an iPod, which means teens will want an iPod too, so they'll fit in.

The iPod has actually lagged behind the competition in terms of functionality, battery life AND price for most of its existence, but people buy them anyway, because they are great looking. Color (casing and screen) has a lot to do with that.

wilsonng · Sep 5, 2005, 10:29 PM

I still think that younger folks buy the smaller iPod Minis more for their looks rather than functionality.

Older folks like me will buy things for functionality and value (bang-for-the-buck). That's why we have family vans, family sedans, and family-sized SUVs. The younger generation would rather hop into a nice fancy sports convertible - it's not as functional as a full-sized family vehicle but damn, it is just so sexy....

If I truly wanted the best value for its functionality, I would have bought one of those portable CD players that can play MP3 CD-Rs. It's more functional because there are plenty of audio CDs at the music store. I can also burn up an MP3 CD-R with hundreds of songs. I don't have to worry about battery life since it uses AA or AAA batteries. I don't have to worry about a hard drive dying as well.

I agree that battery life plays into the purchasing equation but price isn't as highly valued as looks with the younger folks.

The price per megabyte on an iPod mini doesn't deliver as much as the full-sized iPod. For $249, I can get a 6 GB iPod Mini but for $50 more, I can get a 20 GB iPod. So price may not be as strong a factor in the purchasing decision of younger folks

Big Mac · Sep 6, 2005, 08:09 AM

You'd really prefer a portable CD-R player to an iPod? You really would want to deal with constantly replacing the batteries? And you'd really want to be forced to tote around a case of CDs all the time? Finally, what about the interface - obviously a CD's player's interface cannot compete with an MP3 player. Portable CD players are completely outmoded, IMO.

wilsonng · Sep 6, 2005, 10:15 PM

I didn't say I preferred a portable CD player. I just said it is the cheapest way to go when it comes to cost-performance ratio.

There are many people that still prefer the Discman. My sister still carries hers 'cuz she is computer-illiterate. She sees the iTunes music store but she doesn't fully comprehend it 'cuz she's scared that it won't play with other players. She sees the iPod and says it is nice but it is too much hassle for her to rip her music CDs to the hard drive or purchase from the iTunes music store and then sync to an iPod. She is very old school. She just gives me the CDs she bought and writes a list of tracks she wants for her personal mix. The click wheel is still a mystery to her as well.

My sister likens her portable CD player to a car. It plays music just like an iPod even if it isn't as fancy. She doesn't care about horsepower, the miles-per-gallon, the tire pressure, and all these other things. She just wants it to work without fuss. The Discman is the easier for her to operate than the iPod (no matter how much I try to impress her with the iPod).

My sister's Discman still works after all these years. It doesn't freeze on her. The battery life is 40 hours on a couple of AA batteries. She uses rechargeable AA batteries so she doesn't have to worry about a dead iPod battery on long airplane flights. It's compatible with all her CDs (even the copy-protected CDs) so she doesn't have to worry about terms like DRM, WMA, MP3, or AAC. It just plain works and that's all she cares about. Whereas iTMS-purchased songs will only work on the iPod and DRM-protected WMAs will only work on other players, her audio CDs work with 99.9% of the players out there and many DVD players can play MP3 CDs easily (although not as elegantly as the iPod). One thousand songs are too much for my sister since she has a set of mixed audio CDs and MP3 CDs that she carries around.

My dad also prefers his manual typewriter over an electric typewriter or even word processor. It never "crashes" on him and loses his documents. It's easy enough for him to change the typewriter ribbon. He doesn't worry about cleaning the printheads of the inkjet. He doesn't worry about paper jams. He just loves his manual typewriter.

I remember looking back when I bought my first Sony Walkman. I was never without it when I left the house. Later, my love affair changed to the Sony Discman and the Walkman was slowly phased out. Nowadays it's the iPod that I've been lugging around but I still keep my old Discman around for the odd ocassions.

Yes, portable CD players are completely outmoded but they're still around. The death of the Discman may be in the near-future but it's still kicking. I saw a friend carry one of those portable DVD players and use that as a CD player that also plays MP3s. So the Discman has just evolved into the DVD Discman.

Yes, it baffles me that my sister is resistant to the elegance of the iPod but I let her be. Her MP3 Discman may be clunky to you but it's a much better choice for her.

Different strokes for different folks.

wilsonng · Sep 7, 2005, 10:41 PM

The iPod Mini.... Rest in Peace.... You will be missed.....

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Sep 7, 2005, 11:24 PM

Ya I never saw the death of the Mini coming that soon.

wilsonng · Sep 8, 2005, 12:12 AM

But there is an engadget article dated January 5, 2005 that said there were 8GB and 10GB Microdrives coming out. That's 9 months ago. Surely, these Microdrives are in the factories now waiting to be placed in a future iPod Mini.......

http://www.betanews.com/article/8GB_...oon/1118249062
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000347026121/

The Playlist first look article about the iPod nano shows no TV out capabilities and the ability to use devices the draw power from the USB like remote controls and FM transmitters.

http://playlistmag.com/features/2005...irst/index.php

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Sep 8, 2005, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by wilsonng

But there is an engadget article dated January 5, 2005 that said there were 8GB and 10GB Microdrives coming out. That's 9 months ago. Surely, these Microdrives are in the factories now waiting to be placed in a future iPod Mini.......

I bet you they won't. The mini seems dead and pointless next to the Nano.

wilsonng · Sep 8, 2005, 04:18 AM

I'd have to say you may probably be correct that the mini is dead/pointless next to the Nano.. Perhaps Hitachi found another customer for those 8GB and 10GB Microdrives like cellphones or video game devices.

There are some of us who are holding out hope for an 8GB mini.

ajprice · Sep 8, 2005, 09:40 AM

There are some big storage gaps in the iPod range. They definitely have the lower end covered now, from 512Mb to 4Gb, apart from that they have 2 models, 20Gb and 60Gb.

They might bring back a mini sized hard drive iPod when larger capacity hard drives are available above the current limit of 8 or 10Gb. Above that the 'big' iPod should go to 80Gb when the drives are available.

I think the 5G iPod, whenever it comes, will bring a bigger range of sizes again, when its released, maybe 20/40/60/80Gb.

ajbaker · Sep 8, 2005, 10:22 AM

The mini review of the nana over at iLounge compares the battery life of the nano (14 hours) to the later generation iPod mini (16-18). I wouldnt suggest the mini is dead by any means. I thought the point of using flash memory was a longer battery life?!

Confused and saddened by the ROKR.

wilsonng · Sep 8, 2005, 09:26 PM

i think the flash memory consumes less power than the MicroDrive so this allowed Apple to use a smaller battery and still have 14 hours of operation.

I'm so tempted by the 4GB iPod nano but I'm gonna wait to see if there is something in the 6 to 8 GB range. I have a 20GB iPod and I only fill it up to an average of 7GBs whenever I go out.

The 4GB is just a little too small and the 20GB is just huge.