Please tell me where I can get a 15GB with all the accessories that the mini comes with for only $50 more. Oh yeah, I would like this 15GB model to be the same size as the mini as well.

Did you spoiled whiners stop to think that maybe storage space isn't the only factor in choosing a portable music player? Apparently not.

Geez - if space is the only thing you value, then get the bigger iPod and quite complaining. My wife has less than 2GB filled on her iPod. If the mini was available four months ago, I would have bought it instead.

"A 2GB at $149, and a 4GB at $199 makes more sense to me... "

You are assuming that storage is the biggest cost factor in this machine. The audio circuitry, OS and interface circuitry are the same in all iPods - that's not cheap.

It's smaller. Smaller is usually more expensive in technology. Anyone hoping for a HD-based mini iPod for $100-$150 had delusions of grandeur.

What else do you get with that mini-iPod...a smaller screen than that 15G iPod. Same battery life as well. Hmmmmm

"It's smaller. Smaller is usually more expensive in technology. Anyone hoping for a HD-based mini iPod for $100-$150 had delusions of grandeur."

Agreed. Next, they'll complain about the colors.

Not spoiled, I have the orig 5GB iPod.. But as a shareholder sitting watching and listening to what people around me are saying I think it's overpriced. The above poster is correct - the price will adjust to what the market will take.. My hope is that Apple will keep their ears and eyes open and make adjustments if needed...

A 2GB mini say for $199 would be perfect for my dad... but a 4gb mini for $50 less than the 15GB? SUre it's grat that somone will buy it. I just hope that there are enough of those someones to allow Apple to make a profit on this.

"Give the company that is so "innovative" a little business credit for once."

Face it. iPod mini is a waste. About $100 more than it should have been.

From the so "innovative" company that gives up markets they could own if they didn't price gouge at the most inopportune time.

The whole goal should be get the masses to become entrenched in AAC (and away from Windows Media) as quick as possible. Over priced iPods WILL NOT ACHIEVE THIS.

The iPod mini won't sell. The 15 gig iPod is a much better deal. There's more to it than that, though. It is also more visually appealing, and it just isn't big enough for the smaller size of the mini to make a difference.

My guess, though, is that the iPod mini will mean selling more 15 gig iPods. You can now walk into a store, and see the options... $199 for 256 meg flash player. Or you can go to $249 for 4 gigs, colors, and a small form factor... Then, only $50 more, you have $299 for 15 gigs and only a little bigger... up to $499 for 40 gigs. Mentally, it's easier to progress to buying the higher-end product, because the low-end is there.

I like it. Basically the new mini iPod's still have the "old" iPod feel to them. They do not have crappy storage like many of the Flash card based players...this is not 256MBs, this is 4GBs people. Big difference. Plus it seems like that it works just like the older iPods, that is a big deal. I like the way the old iPods work, very easy, very user friendly. Apple wanted to keep all that in one package, plus give good battery life, and portability. I think that this offer is great. I would get one if I was to buy an iPod now.

Any idea if the new FCE can now import iMovie files?

"Do you know why it's $250? Because people will still pay that price. Maybe not you, or the next person reading this forum, but people will buy them."

As it has already been posted here, people will pay 50 more dollars and get a 3 time large storage space. 58% smaller volume does not cost that much, at least for me...

"The whole goal should be get the masses to become entrenched in AAC (and away from Windows Media) as quick as possible. Over priced iPods WILL NOT ACHIEVE THIS."

Dude, just because you're poor, don't hate on people who have money. Do you know how many people more than gladly shelled out $300 to $500 for an iPod over the holidays? A lot.

Capacity is not the issue - it's a differnt iPod for a different lifestyle. This is the iPod for the person who says, "I don't even have a 1000 songs, but I want something that I can run with and take the gym."

These are the 'young professionals' who have something called "disposal income". Maybe you don't have any of this, but many people do and will gladly pay that much for a 'pink' mp3 player.

I'm still amazed that people will spend $300 for anything they could easily lose. However, SOMEONE bought all of these iPods and will continue to buy these iPods.

I'm sorry you had your heart set on a $50 model. Maybe Santa will bring you a paycheck next christmas. Ho Ho Ho.

again, read the intention of the post:

""Do you know why it's $250? Because people will still pay that price. Maybe not you, or the next person reading this forum, but people will buy them."

As it has already been posted here, people will pay 50 more dollars and get a 3 time large storage space. 58% smaller volume does not cost that much, at least for me..."

Again, maybe not you... but the next person will.

Was watching the keynote with a buddy who works at an Apple Store. He noted how the crowd didnt clap much/at all for the iPod mini, once the price was announced. He also wondered how in the name of heck he would sell one.

Personally, I think they missed the price point by $50. It's the original Mac ($1995 vs. $2495) and the G4 Cube all over again. Maybe they'll wake up and re-price this before it starts shipping, but I won't hold my breath. All they just did is leave the door open for someone else to come into the market at a lower price point and steal market share from them. If they don't react soon, the iPod's market share will be lower next year than now.

*sigh*

--Zaphod

for the extra $50 bucks, get the larger model that holds 10x the music... Apple missed it on this one... they are now competing against their own product again, and if you are going to spend $249 for 1000 songs, why not spend $299 for 10000 songs?

Look at the mini iPod in the grand scope of the entire MP3 player market.

There are flash players, with 512 mb (half a gig people) that sell for $199. Where is the outrage!!! So Apple placed a product in the middle. It's as small as flash player, with four times the capacity and longer batter life. It's an awsome competitor against smaller mp3 players.

It's also an easy upsell to many of you are complaining about more capacity.

Of course it doesn't make since for people that already have ipods, but it probably does for the person looking at the $200 flash memory player. I was in BestBuy the other day and a couple was looking at one of those 256 Rio's - they freaked out at the capacity of iPod eventhough it was only $100 more. They wondered how their kid would fill up something that size, figured he'd get bored with it and stick it in his drawer. So they bought the Rio which I'm sure he'll later have to upgrade.

Anyway, sane people looking at the higher flash models could easily see the mini iPod and put down the extra $50.

"I'm sorry you had your heart set on a $50 model. Maybe Santa will bring you a paycheck next christmas. Ho Ho Ho."

It's elitist snobs like you that give Mac users a bad name. Just because you can afford it, you look down on those that can't and want a lower-cost alternative.

Why not just say "let them eat cake" and be done with it?

The iPod mini won't sell. The 15 gig iPod is a much better deal. There's more to it than that, though. It is also more visually appealing, and it just isn't big enough for the smaller size of the mini to make a difference.

This is like deja vu. I remember two years ago people saying the iPod was priced way too high compared to the competition, and would never sell. When the original iMac was announced, it was scoffed at as being still too expensive and toylike (colors, who wants colors!). And no floppy drive, what were they thinking...

Hmmm. I guess some people don't see the big picture.

Oh, and for the people who say you can get more storage for $50 more, that is true. But what if you were looking at spending $150-$200 on a flash player. Then its "Oh, for $50 more I could get a 4GB iPod Mini.". Sure, you could then go, "Hmmm, but let me spend $50 more to get a full ipod" but now your $100 over budget. Its all about what the original price point the consumer is looking to spend.

Oh, and who says Apple can't lower prices later, you know, when supply has reached demand, like they did with the G5 towers.

And the interchangeable battery goes where??

After Steve announced the price of the iPod mini, I kept waiting for him to say, "Oh yeah, one more thing--the iPod mini will actually retail for $149." THEN he would have heard something more than polite applause. Frankly, if--as Steve said--they are really going after market share, they should have introduced SOMETHING at the $149 price point or at least $199. Less memory, a flash player the same size as the original iPod, SOMETHING!

There are over 2 million iPods sold. I currently own one myself. I wanted to buy an iPod mini for my wife and was almost convinced until I saw the price difference. Now I think I will wait and see what happens. I know I am not the only one who's in this position.

Meanwhile, Joe PC, goes into a CompUSA to buy himself an iPod because he's heard all the rave reviews. He sees they now have smaller, lower capacity iPods for $249. Then the salesperson points out a 15GB for only $50 more. Since he's smarter than the average bear, he knows that he will get more music for the money. I know he's not the only one who feels this way.

In another part of town, John Tourist is window shopping at the Apple Store and sees the new iPod mini. It's small, it holds 1000 songs, it's got an armband. Sold. I know he's not alone either.

Conclusion - Current iPod owners and Apple afficionados are not "buying it" because they know their history too well. There goes a potential return customer.

PC and A/V enthusiasts who know their gadgets, will immediately understand the economics. I get more space for my money (3X+) plunking down an extra $50. So what if it is bigger, it's still smaller than most walkmans and CD portable players. Apple gets more revenue, but their iPod minis remain on the shelf.

That leaves the rest of the lot. The person who would buy this player would have to have no PC/Mac knowledge, buy on impulse, have plenty of money, and feel like they just bought themselves a brand name item. As a result, a few iPod minis are sold.

iPod mini, meet your cousin, the G4 Cube. Now you can play together.

To the person who told me I wouldn't have bought the $199 MiniPod: go pound sand.
I bought an iBook Dual USB the week it came out - why? Value: can't be done as well or better near that price. I didn't wait until they were $999.
I bought an iSight - why? Value: can't be done as well or better near that price. I didn't wait or buy a cheaper USB cam.
I bought a Duo way back when at original price - why?

All together class... "value: can't be done as well or better near that price."

As for the mini - it's at least $50 too much. Chart it - it's the outlier.

As for sales - anyone in a store that has to do the math between the Rios and this - i.e., what specs are you getting for the $50 - is a gamble. You don't steal sales by making the consumer get out their calculator on the sales floor.

But at the same price as the lousy ones - it's a guaranteed sale.

We weren't waiting for a $50 price break for 1/3 specs - we were waiting for $100 break for 1/2 specs.

I can however see part of Apple's reasoning - undercut your own product by too much, and you reduce the existing iPod revenue stream.

A thought -

The iPod mini is not intended for most of us here. (US audiance, current iPod or Mac owners) It's for the Asian market and a direct chalange to Sony.

It's small, damn small. In fact, I took a look at my business card and have decided that my thick stubby fingers prob wouldn't be able to use the mini in any pleasant way. Think of this as the PowerBook 2400 of the iPod line. It's just that rather than deal with a flood of emails demanding to know why they didn't let us have a chance to buy it if they released it only to Asian markets; they gave it a worldwide release and saved some energy sorting through the angry emails.

The "Hello Kitty" Pink mini is the dead giveaway here.

I predict that it'll be a home run in asia, and have some success here in the US with potential Sony and Rio customers. I asked my neighbor who has been looking at MP3 players for a year now, but in the past has said that the iPod was too expensive and that she didn't need 10GB of space, to look at the mini information at apple.com. She's now going to buy a mini rather than a flash memory based player.

Move along, nothing more to see.

Your are not paying for the gigs you are paying $250 for the size of the unit. For me I would just buy the 15gig, more bang for the buck.....

As for sales - anyone in a store that has to do the math between the Rios and this - i.e., what specs are you getting for the $50 - is a gamble. You don't steal sales by making the consumer get out their calculator on the sales floor.

But at the same price as the lousy ones - it's a guaranteed sale.


Why is it a guaranteed sale? Just because its an iPod, it will outsell anything at the same price? But for some reason people will buy the lower price model just because its lower in price? Seems weird (oh, and why would they get a calculator out, are consumers too stupid to look at the few stats on an MP3 player to know a good deal)?

Oh, and you say the iBook was a great deal at the price, but there are many cheaper laptops out there with higher MHz ratings, open slots, etc. They may not have all the bells and whistles (like a firewire port or longer battery life), but most users would ignore that and just get the cheaper laptop, because its cheaper, and they'd have to get out their calculator to see how you actually get your moneys worth when you add it all up.

Based on your comments, I'd suspect you'd still buy the mini, because you can't beat it with the cheaper models (although you could go more expensive and get an iPod if you want). So your saying your an above-average consumer...nice way to slap the rest of us in the face.

...Let's get over the price, and on to other questions......Is it compatable witll all the other 'new' accessories? .. such as the memory card reader, the recorder, 'new' Bluetooth adapter ... etc...?

I am disappointed that there is no removable rechargable battery pack. Why couldn't they do it? That would solve their future replacement problems .. and one could have extra batteries if needed.

I still want a stereo input recorder to replace DAT.....

Any comments iFreaks?

No, the killer accessories for me, the voice recorder and the media adaptor are *not* compatible w/ the minis...

I heard the same complaints after the original iPod was introduced. Too expensive. Apple is way off the mark, nobody will pay $500 for a music player. Turns out it's the best selling MP3 player ever.

Wait until you hold that little marvel in your hand. It's TINY! I downgraded from 20GB to 15GB just because the 15GB was smaller in size. I bet many iPod owners will end up have two, one for exercise and the other for car trips and what not.

No, the killer accessories for me, the voice recorder and the media adaptor are *not* compatible w/ the minis...



Keep in mind the accessories are from third parties, so they'll have to update them (although I don't know why they wouldn't work, the ports on the mini look the same as the iPod, just off to the side, did they change them in some way)?

So what if the iPod mini is the same price as a similarly spec'd Rio? That is not the point. Why spend 250 for 4 GB when you can get 11 mor GB @ $50?

I thought Jobs said he was going after the high-end, Flash-based MP3 players at the $199 price point. How is $249 competitive with that?

Sure, 4 GB may whomp on 512 MB or 1 GB, but again the question is wy pay $250 when for $50 you can get so much more? Think about it. When going from the low-end iPod to the mid-range iPod, you spend $100 for only 5 more GB. (You do get a Dock and a remote with the iPod). Going from a mini to the low-end iPod, you don't get any extras, but you do get 11 more GB for just $50. The price jump for what you get makes no sense.

My media department colleague and I said the same thing. If these things were priced at $149, we would have bought one today, no questions asked. At $199, it would have been very tempting. At $249, no thanks.

Geeks (myself included) will argue endlessly about the specs and price points; I would have loved to have seen a 2 GB model for $199. Real people, like my wife and daughter that watched the iPod part of the keynote, will take one look at the stunningly cute iPod mini and say, "oooohhhh - I want the one in pink (or favorite color)".

anyone know the music in the new breakdancing iPod ad?

Ho hum on the iPod mini - way too high priced. Lets see it below $199.

iLife suite looks nice but I had to choke over the reference to MS Office. (Is it just me or does the Mac version of office suck compared to the Windows version?)

Sure, 4 GB may whomp on 512 MB or 1 GB, but again the question is wy pay $250 when for $50 you can get so much more? Think about it. When going from the low-end iPod to the mid-range iPod, you spend $100 for only 5 more GB. (You do get a Dock and a remote with the iPod). Going from a mini to the low-end iPod, you don't get any extras, but you do get 11 more GB for just $50. The price jump for what you get makes no sense.

Umm, I previously priced out the low-end vs the mid-range iPod, and found that if you added in all the extras the midrange gave you to the low end model, it cost nearly the same as the mid range model (at most $20 difference). Therefore, theoretically, the price jump doesn't make sense there, but a lot of people still buy the low end model.

In Asia, particularly Japan, they love small. Small, smaller, smallest. The iPodi mini (in its cute colors) could be "kawaii" enough to take Japan and Asia by storm.

I bought my wife one of the original 5GB iPods last Christmas. In a year's time, she has managed to only fill up about 1.5 GB of music (which still ammounts to nearly one full day of tunes). True, not as much variety as a full 5GB or 10GB, but it works for her. I am sure she would be as happy—if not happier—with an iPod mini. (Of course, she is also Japanese.)

I must admit that I think the iPod mini is very cool and very cute and would not mind owning one. Of course I would not use it the way I would use a 15 GB iPod. Therefore, since it cannot hold as much music or hold as many files (or as large a file) when used as a HDD, I think the iPod mini is a tad over-priced. For a simple little MP3 player that can hold a bunch of songs and occassionally be used as a HDD, I think $199 would have been perfectly fair. $249 is for a full-fledged iPod, and that is not what you are getting with an iPod mini.

(Also, wouldn't it just have been something else to have coolest, most speced out MP3 platyer at rock bottom prices? Wouldn't it have been cool for Apple to offer us the best of both worlds just once?)

The mini's will sell for > 300 in Canada (not sure about other places) If they'd made them $189 or so they be mid 200 and stomp all the 256 and 512Mb players.

For the price there is NOTHING competitive. Everything else is way less.

If you were watching the Keynote you will notice that Steve pointed to the market segment of $100-200 mp3 players.(He even said the price range)
This was Apple's target. To attack this market Apple introduces a $250 product.

They are missing their targeted market.

Yes it's priced high. Yes you can get a 15 gig for $50 more. But they're not going after the same market. You ever tried to strap your iPod to your arm when you're out jogging? You ever have to find a place to stick it when out riding a bike. There's even an armband accessory for it and it comes with a belt clip. Would I buy one? no. Would I buy one if they dropped it to $199, Maybe, but for now my 10 gig is keeping me happy.

any dumbass outside riding a bicycle with headphones on deserves to pay $250 for the mini...

What I don't get is this. If they want to go after the high-end flash player market, why the h*** not make it a flash player??

Don't they see that a lot of people choose flash players not only for their small size (and relatively cheaper price-tag) but also because (if not MORE so because):

1. It's FLASH (not HDD) based -- i.e., truly no moving parts, will NEVER EVER skip (as opposed to skipping only if you continue to shake it for 20 minutes).

2. Because there are no moving parts, flash players' batteries tend to last longer, sometimes WAY longer than iPods.

Of these qualities, the iPod mini only fulfills the size factor...how can Apple say to be going after the high-end flash player market if the iPod mini doesn't address the other two??

I don't get it. Then again, I may be wrong and maybe the iPod minis will sell like hotcakes. I guess I don't care as I['m perfectly satisfied with my 40gb iPod.

my PB 17" but I hope they don't sell many of those mini iPods.

What a scam.

i love it. it's smaller and cooler and worth $250 to me. they'll sell a zillion. is everyone forgetting that the old ipod already outsold everything else? and now people say a music player will fail if its over $100? lol

buy the 15 if you want it, those are cool too, but micro hard drives cost money, so don't expect the impossible from the mini. and anyone who thinks a 1/2 gb flash player is anywhere near the same league as a 4 gb ipod... well, its not.

i havent placed my order yet but i am DRIPPING wet for the new mini and i'm sure i'm not the only one.

outsold/sells most other MP3 players partly because when it appeared it was actually much, much better than anything similar on the market (and indeed may well still be).

The iPodmini.. isn't. It's not actually any better than a 4GB MuVo2 (it's a bit bigger in fact) and it's roughly the same price. It doesn't have any USP other than being pink.

iPods were flying off the shelf at $300-$500. Now they've got one a little cheaper and a lot smaller. It'll sell. All those kids drinking pepsi are going to have to put their free songs somewhere.

The whole point of a mini iPod was to sell a cheaper iPod for the masses, so as to capture the lower end mp3 market. Face it, apple's iPod has always been a tad expensive for an mp3 player. The reason people buy it is because it's an investment: you get so much space that you can store you're entire song collection in there. So it's worth the extra money, because it's like you'll never have to buy another player again.

But that doesn't mean it's not still expensive for someone looking for an entry-level mp3 player. The biggest problem with $250 is it fails to capture the low-end market. It might be 4 GB, but it's still not at a price that would compell many people to buy it over the cheaper players. So I think apple really missed the mark here.

http://www.forbes.com/2004/01/06/cx_ah_0106aapl.html

"Like its sibling the iPod, the mini uses a small hard drive for music storage. That will be its main advantage against flash-based players which often top out with capacities of 256 megabytes. Creative makes a version of its MuVo player, the MuVo TX, announced Jan. 5, which holds 512 MB and sells for $499. Creative also sells a 4-gigabyte player called the MuVo 2 which sells for $649.

But the company that Jobs seemed to be taking aim at most was Rio, the granddaddy of digital music players. During the presentation, Jobs poked fun at the Rio Cali, a $199 player that has 256 MB that holds about 120 songs in Microsoft Windows Media format. He specifically targeted the Cali's user interface and "thumb thing" navigational device."

Sounds to me like Forbes gets it.

The fact that the Forbes article mistakenly lists the prices of the Creative products in SINGAPORIAN dollars (rather than USD) makes it suspect at the least ;-p

FYI, S$649 = $380US

Still much more expensive than the iPod mini though.

I think it is bad timing to have the 15GB go to $299 when they introduce the 4GB mini at $249...but better to do that than delay the 10 to 15GB upsize until a few months after the mini launch...now THAT would have caused a b****-fest.

IMHO, the $249 price-point is awaiting the upsize to something close to 10GB for the mini, but maybe the hard drives are a little late coming.

Once it is 10GB I may consider the mini at @$249...if it comes in black with wickerwork display. ;-)

will most likely not go gaga over the new mini iPod - Asia maybe. However, it will probably push most descerning US consumers to go the extra $50 for the lower end iPod.

I look for Apple to milk the markets for as long as possible at the $250 price and then drop it as the competition heats up. As with all things electronic the longer you can wait to buy the more you'll get for your money:-)

Read the article on MacNN.
I guess we aren't just BITCHING for no reason.

Greedy Steve Jobs!

I try and represent Apple for their products and quality but I am ashamed of their decisions about the iPod..

Who thought this up?!? 11Gig $50 dollar difference?.?.?

Niiicccceee goin'. What are the advantages?

You they pull a stunt like this after people are pissed about iPod and iBooks. What a way to build up your customer base and Trust with the Public???

Their are new devices called AV JukeBoxes that have more functionality, capacity than the iPod and do the same thing for a less of a price..

Steve needs a gut check......

Apple aught to be ashamed.

Did you notice they called it MINI? They named it after your shriveled manhood!

If you don't like it, don't f****** buy it. And remember, no one asked you because no one gives a s*** what fucktards think anyway!