Since Apple sold the first iPod in
2001, it and the subsequent generations of
iPods have dominated the market, enjoying best-selling status even today.
Never resting on its laurels, in 2004 Apple released
the 4GB iPod mini, a smaller, less weighty version
of the standard iPod. In 2005, Apple released a 6GB version of the mini.
Both the 4GB and 6GB iPod minis are built around a
tiny 1-inch Hitachi hard drive, which only
has a fraction of the capacity of the 20GB
iPod,
but allows the iPod mini to be both smaller and lighter.
The
iPod Mini is similar to the traditional iPod in
appearance, but is shorter, thinner, and has a
curvier shape. Available in four colors, the mini
is sleeker than its predecessors –- which is
impressive in itself –- and offers Applephiles
with a more active lifestyle the chance to have their
iPod and use it, too.
Just
the Facts
The
exterior shell of the iPod mini is formed by a
seamless piece of anodized-aluminum, a shift from
the smooth, glossy white exterior of standard iPods.
The mini is available in 4GB and 6GB capacities with your choice of color: PowerBook Silver, blue, pink, or green. At half-an-inch
thick, the unit weighs only 3.6 ounces, and is
about the size of a business card.
To
conserve space and give the iPod mini a cleaner
interface, Apple merged the Scroll Wheel
and the four play-control buttons of the
3 rd Generation iPod into the new Click Wheel.
The “Menu,” “Forward,” “Back,” and “Play” buttons
are located beneath the touch-sensitive Scroll
Wheel and activate when pressed; the touch
scrolling function still controls volume, progression
within an audio track, and scrolling through
menus. The mini’s screen is smaller than
that the standard iPod, but makes for clearer
viewing. The backlight has also been improved
and offers excellent visibility in low light.
The iPod mini ships
with FireWire and USB 2.0 cables, a power adapter,
a form-fitting belt clip, product literature, and
software.
The
Sound of mini
There's
really no need to go on at length here; with
the exception of some of iRiver's
flash-based units, the iPod family of digital
audio players is unsurpassed in portable sound
quality, period.
The
mini's earbuds are the truly the best bundled
hear-ware we've seen. Apple's
site states that the earbuds "rely
on Neodymium transducers, a rare earth magnet
that significantly enhances frequency response
and overall sound quality -- in fact, five times
as powerful as other headphones that use aluminum,
cobalt, or ceramic drivers." We
can't come close to explaining what any
of that means, but when you hear the iPod mini
with the included earbuds, it'll translate.
iPod
v iPod mini
In
many ways, the iPod mini is simply a better player
than the 3rd generation iPod. It’s smaller, lighter,
offers an easier-to-use interface and is more comfortable
to carry and operate. In fact, the only shortcoming
of the iPod mini, when compared to the iPod, is
its storage capacity.
Apple’s largest-capacity
iPod holds 60GB, making 4GB or 6GB of storage seem paltry
at first glance; but something one should keep in mind
is that even 4GB stores approximately 1000 songs, delivering
fifty or more hours of unrepeated audio. Unless you
want to carry your entire music collection with you –-
or need the additional space for file storage á la
external hard drive –- we feel that the mini
offers more than enough storage.
The
iPod mini also makes a much better running companion.
We’ve all seen
people running with iPods in their hands, but the
mini is light enough to be easily worn. The
mini ships with a snap-on belt clip, which is perfect
for walking or moving around with the mini, but
an arm band is also available that makes running
with the iPod mini a pleasure.
One
of our favorite things about the mini is that it
doesn’t have the shiny
metal backplate sported by standard iPods. Although
it looks great when new, the backplate scratches
ridiculously fast. The anodized-aluminum shell
of the iPod mini is far more scratch-resistant.
The screen on the mini is also slightly recessed,
which makes it more difficult to scratch during casual
use. That being said, we still recommend cases for
both the iPod and the iPod mini.
The aforementioned Click Wheel is also an excellent
evolution. Representing the design that Apple is
known for, the Click Wheel makes operating the iPod
a breeze. The touch-buttons of the standard iPod
often gave us trouble; they were tricky to operate
if not touched properly. The mini brings physical
button-pressing back to the iPod without sacrificing
the elegant interface. This consolidation represents
the finest iPod user interface to date and was included in the 4th Generation standard iPod.
The
software features of the standard 3rd and 4th
Generation iPods are right at home on the iPod
mini. You can use the mini as a pseudo PDA by syncing
your calendar, contacts and notes. There are also
games like Solitaire on the mini, though playing
the games with the Click Wheel can be quite a challenge.
iTunes... Yeah, Just iTunes
Luckily
for us, iTunes is by far our favorite online music
store. If you feel the same way, then the iPod
is your only choice for direct storage on a portable
audio player. Because iTunes songs are in Apple’s
proprietary format, they can only be played on
iPods. If, on the other hand, you like Napster or
Wal-Mart for downloading the latest tunes, the iPod
mini – or any iPod – may not be for you.
Napster and Wal-Mart use
Microsoft’s
WMA
format. Not surprisingly, Apple does not support
this type of audio file. Yes, you can burn WMA files
to a disc and rip the songs back onto your PC as
MP3s, but this process takes time and forces you
to recompress the song in a new lossy format.
If you plan on making online
purchases from a music service other than iTunes,
you'll have to go through extra steps to make the music play on your iPod. If
the most dangerous place on earth is the space
between you and your iTunes, iPod on!
Almost Perfect
- Almost
As
much as there is to love about the iPod mini, we
do have a few qualms. First, the iPod mini is priced
at $199 (4GB) and $249 (6GB) [check current
prices]. The 6GB iPod mini is only $50 less
than the 20GB 4th Gen iPod. We should point out that some
flash-based players, like the 256MB
iRiver iFP-390T, cost around $200,
so the mini’s price is more
understandable by comparison. Those who complain
too loudly about this price issue should keep in mind that
the mini uses the 1” hard drive (CompactFlash
size) from Hitachi, and there’s always a premium
on the latest and tiniest gadgets.
Another
gripe is that the iPod mini, like its weightier
siblings, can only work with Windows or Mac
machines; i.e., if you use it with your PowerBook to
transfer files, you can’t just plug it
into my PC and continue on. There are logistical
reasons for this that have to do with file systems,
but Apple could address this shortcoming in one
way or another. Many people don’t just
use PCs or Macs, they use both.
Lastly,
the lack of an FM tuner continues to bum us
out, although we don’t
really care about its lack of a voice recorder
feature. You can buy third-party FM plug-ins, like the iTrip (right), but onboard radio
would really round out this great device.
Conclusion
It
seems that almost every MP3 Player to come down
the pike these days is labeled the “iPod Killer,” but
the iPod has trumped them all, remaining the reigning
champion of portable audio. The iPod mini is perfect
for anyone seeking a small drive-based audio player that can
stand up to everyday use. The price could be lower,
but when compared to 1GB flash-based players, the
mini actually comes out more affordable per gigabyte than many
competitors on the market.
If you need to store 20,000
audio files on your MP3 Player, the mini isn’t
for you. But, if you want the ultimate in style and
portability, and can't part with the iTunes music store, the iPod mini is the only way to go.
