[ort888]

How big is the flash drive in the iPod shuffle? Could the make a flash iPod Mini by simply replacing the hard drive with 8 512meg flash drives? It would seeem like a good move since it would use less power, be more durable and is less prone to skipping.

Is 4 gigs of flash memory more expensive then a 4gig microdrive? What would stop Apple from doing this? Are there size issues?

[ibook_steve]

Do you know how much flash costs per GB compared to a hard drive? It's a lot more. If flash prices matched hard drive prices, there'd almost be no reason for hard drives in any computers. Alas, the price and speed of flash prevents this.

Steve

[CatOne]

Originally posted by ort888:
How big is the flash drive in the iPod shuffle? Could the make a flash iPod Mini by simply replacing the hard drive with 8 512meg flash drives? It would seeem like a good move since it would use less power, be more durable and is less prone to skipping.

Is 4 gigs of flash memory more expensive then a 4gig microdrive? What would stop Apple from doing this? Are there size issues?

With 8 512 meg flash drives?! I don't think she's gonna fit, cap'n.

You could slap a 4 GB CF card in the Mini. Well, *you* couldn't, but Apple could. The problem is, it would be more expensive. I don't know HOW much more expensive -- last year a 4 GB CF card was like $1000 (where a MicroDrive like the Mini uses was $500 at retail), and this year it's more like $250.

But yes, 4 gigs of flash (in a single enclosure, which is pretty much mandatory) is more expensive. As prices drop, it's certainly possible the microdrives would be replaced by solid state flash components, and thus be more durable and less prone to skipping. The main driver is likely price at the moment -- would YOU pay $100 more for the EXACT same unit, knowing there was flash in there instead of a microdrive, if there was nothing else to clue you in? Probably 0.1% of anyone, anywhere, would.