Mini IPod Prices
- Thread starter huck
- Start date
You should all hear yourselves... You sound like the macosx.com crowd after the ORIGINAL iPod was released. Too little, too expensive... Yet, they've conquered the world of digital music players!
Apple is doing EXACTLY the right thing. These things have style, even more than the original iPods and the 2nd and 3rd generation iPods. They'll sell well, don't fear. If _you_ personally rather buy something cheaper, then do so!
I would opt for the 15G probably, if I hadn't got my 10G 2nd generation iPod already. But my girlfriend would want the iPod mini. Because of the STYLE.
Apple can still reduce the price to 199$ in a few months and introduce a 2 GB version for 149$ - they'll sell like hot cakes. Because people who're in for a digital music player make several steps before buying one. And if you're true to yourself, you'd rather have a stylish 4 GB iPod mini (or a 15 GB iPod), i.e. 'the real thing', than buy _some other player_ that just doesn't cut it after all. You'll spend a bit more, but that thing will hold its promises.
I've bought the 10 GB iPod and never looked back. It's been one of my best investments in computing ever. I felt bad only very shortly when the 3rd generation iPods were released. I soon came to my senses and thought: "What the heck? It holds my entire music library and plays it well. What would a 3rd generation iPod do? The same, more or less."
You won't feel bad shelling out the 249$ for the iPod mini or the 299$ for the iPod 15 GB.
Apple is doing EXACTLY the right thing. These things have style, even more than the original iPods and the 2nd and 3rd generation iPods. They'll sell well, don't fear. If _you_ personally rather buy something cheaper, then do so!
I would opt for the 15G probably, if I hadn't got my 10G 2nd generation iPod already. But my girlfriend would want the iPod mini. Because of the STYLE.
Apple can still reduce the price to 199$ in a few months and introduce a 2 GB version for 149$ - they'll sell like hot cakes. Because people who're in for a digital music player make several steps before buying one. And if you're true to yourself, you'd rather have a stylish 4 GB iPod mini (or a 15 GB iPod), i.e. 'the real thing', than buy _some other player_ that just doesn't cut it after all. You'll spend a bit more, but that thing will hold its promises.
I've bought the 10 GB iPod and never looked back. It's been one of my best investments in computing ever. I felt bad only very shortly when the 3rd generation iPods were released. I soon came to my senses and thought: "What the heck? It holds my entire music library and plays it well. What would a 3rd generation iPod do? The same, more or less."
You won't feel bad shelling out the 249$ for the iPod mini or the 299$ for the iPod 15 GB.
Inline_guy
Dockboy
I think you are paying a little more for less storage, but you are paying more for the tinyer little thing. When I watched the Keynote, I thought "That was dumb... they missed the boat on this one" regarding the price. But I touched one at MacWorld that day, and I want it much more than my 10Gig that I have now, and only have 600 songs on! So I will be getting one, and passing my other on to a friend!
Matthew
Matthew
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
That's exactly what I think of it. After holding one of the minis, the regular iPod just seems... big. It's weird what a couple centimeters can do. I'd probably go for a mini at this point, not only to save $50 on 11 GB of storage I'd probably never use but because it feels a lot cooler. It also doesn't have that transition from white plastic to metal which seems so ugly in comparison. And I think a lot of the price is because of the scroll wheel technology... see my post about that, I'll find it here somewhere.Inline_guy said:
Cat
Registered
I bought a 12" PowerBook for mucht the same reasons I would buy a miniPod: it might be more expensive, but it is smaller and lighter. It does everything I require and it is stylish too. Well, I'm sold! 
And indeed: Fryke is absolutely right! the iPod mini is a much better offering than the original 5GB iPod. Didn't it initially sell for ~$400,- ? The mini's are nearly half that price and a lot smaller.
I don't think I could put a big ole iPod in my shirt pocket, but I might be able to hold a lighte miniPod there. That _is_ a selling point for me.
And indeed: Fryke is absolutely right! the iPod mini is a much better offering than the original 5GB iPod. Didn't it initially sell for ~$400,- ? The mini's are nearly half that price and a lot smaller. I don't think I could put a big ole iPod in my shirt pocket, but I might be able to hold a lighte miniPod there. That _is_ a selling point for me.
applewhore
Registered
US$ 249 = £150...
I paid more than that for a 1GB Compact Flash card for my camera!
The mini is SUPER sexy (colour debate aside!)
I agree with fryke and Cat on this one - the mini is SO much more interesting than the original 5GB iPod (I bought one) and amazingly small and light...
What's all the fuss about? If you want to buy something cheaper, get a Rio! (Oh, sorry, they're the same price...)
;-)
I paid more than that for a 1GB Compact Flash card for my camera!
The mini is SUPER sexy (colour debate aside!)
I agree with fryke and Cat on this one - the mini is SO much more interesting than the original 5GB iPod (I bought one) and amazingly small and light...
What's all the fuss about? If you want to buy something cheaper, get a Rio! (Oh, sorry, they're the same price...)
;-)
A lot of you are missing the big picture here. The ipod mini is NOT competing with the iPod. There are certain people who are more concerned with the size of the player, not how much stuff you can put in it. You have Joe Smith who wants a flash storage player to go running. He doesn't need 15gig of space because 1) he only has 4-5gig of songs, and 2) he only runs for 20 minutes, therefore only needs to have 20 minutes of music fit on the player. The iPod is WAAAY to big to use when running if you are a serious runner. It just doesn't cut it. There are so many people...Steve said 15%???...that love the upper end flash players. It's not about price...it's about size. So Apple prices a small harddrive player at the pricerange people are paying for 256mb flash players. Joe Smith sees the iPod mini, it's the same price as the flash player he was going to buy, BUT this has 4gig of space. He can fit his whole music collection on there, AND go running with it.
What you people need to realize is that it's not about "if you just spend 50 dollars more you get 11gig of hd space". If price were the driving force behind which players sells the most, the iPod WOULD NOT own the large market share it has. The iPod Mini is PERFECT for me. I go running a lot. I owned a gen2 ipod, and I hated running with it. On top of that, I have just under 6gig of music. Of which, I only listen to about 1gig of that on a regular basis. For me, that extra 50 dollars on the 15gig is nothing more than wasted money.
So just because YOU may whine and moan about how YOU think it's stupid, that doesn't necessarily mean it is stupid. Get it?
What you people need to realize is that it's not about "if you just spend 50 dollars more you get 11gig of hd space". If price were the driving force behind which players sells the most, the iPod WOULD NOT own the large market share it has. The iPod Mini is PERFECT for me. I go running a lot. I owned a gen2 ipod, and I hated running with it. On top of that, I have just under 6gig of music. Of which, I only listen to about 1gig of that on a regular basis. For me, that extra 50 dollars on the 15gig is nothing more than wasted money.
So just because YOU may whine and moan about how YOU think it's stupid, that doesn't necessarily mean it is stupid. Get it?
superfula: You've added one of the most important points to this argument. Congratulations. Quote: "If price were the driving force behind which players sells the most, the iPod WOULD NOT own the large market share it has."
Let's not forget that some competitors had larger HDs in them when the iPod won over all of them with its 5 GB harddrive. It won because of the style, its small size (yep, for a harddrive based player, the original iPod WAS the smallest at the time!) and thus lower weight. And those are the exact same reasons that will let the iPod mini win the hearts of a lot of buyers.
Quote: "If price were the driving force behind which players sells the most, the iPod WOULD NOT own the large market share it has."Let's not forget that some competitors had larger HDs in them when the iPod won over all of them with its 5 GB harddrive. It won because of the style, its small size (yep, for a harddrive based player, the original iPod WAS the smallest at the time!) and thus lower weight. And those are the exact same reasons that will let the iPod mini win the hearts of a lot of buyers.
Cat
Registered
Just to give some background about the number one player:
Apple's original 5GB iPod, had 20 minute skip protection, was 2.4" wide, 4" tall, 3/4" thick, price = $399
That's bulkier and more expensive than the 4 GB miniPod now. It was an absolute hit right from the beginning. Now the quality has increased (more style and functions, less bulk) and the price has actually decreased.
I completely agree with Fryke and superfula. I hope when it is released in April in Europe that Apple will charge a fair price, since the 1 = 1.25 $
Apple's original 5GB iPod, had 20 minute skip protection, was 2.4" wide, 4" tall, 3/4" thick, price = $399
That's bulkier and more expensive than the 4 GB miniPod now. It was an absolute hit right from the beginning. Now the quality has increased (more style and functions, less bulk) and the price has actually decreased.
I completely agree with Fryke and superfula. I hope when it is released in April in Europe that Apple will charge a fair price, since the 1 = 1.25 $
boi
official breaker of macs.
fryke said:superfula: You've added one of the most important points to this argument. Congratulations.
howabout this?
"if price were NOT the driving force behind which players sell the most, the iPod would have 100% market share."
price IS a factor. the ipod is obviously the best, yet it has 31% of what once was a dying market. when you tell someone-- your regular joe-- how much your music player cost, he'll keel over.
and yes, it's better than the 5 GB ipod 2 years ago. amazing. but a normal buyer will see:
4GB ipod, smaller. $250.
15GB ipod, still small, but not quite as small. $299.
and the decision is fairly obvious. there are a few techo-buffs who go ga ga over something so tiny, but i would assume a normal user doesn't necessarily think tiny is better when you get to something this small.
also, regarding jogging with it. i, personally, would never strap an ipod, $250 or $499, to my arm and go bouncing around with it. i would buy a cheap 64MB mp3 player, put a few energizing songs on it, and use it to jog. (rio 64 MB).
anyway, i think they'll sell a lot of these. they'll sell them to those who think they're cute, pretty, etc. for the same reason people buy a lot of apple products over other products. however, i think apple is missing something by not making a 2GB model that's around the $150 range. once time gives way to cheaper prices, and something like this is available, then apple will dominate the music world (as it's well on its way to doing now) and become an evil monopolistic company (
) jk.
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
Obviously, price plays a large part in people's decisions to get an iPod (besides the die-hards, of course), but it's not the only decision. The iPod is the most compact and stylish music player on the market, and it gives the best (and the coolest) bang for your buck.
I think as time goes on we'll see the iPod mini grow in capacity while the regular iPod slowly fades into obscurity. People will eat up 40 GB iPod minis, and I bet Apple will eventually drop the regular iPod line altogether and call the minis iPod.
I think as time goes on we'll see the iPod mini grow in capacity while the regular iPod slowly fades into obscurity. People will eat up 40 GB iPod minis, and I bet Apple will eventually drop the regular iPod line altogether and call the minis iPod.
boi said:howabout this?
"if price were NOT the driving force behind which players sell the most, the iPod would have 100% market share."
price IS a factor. the ipod is obviously the best, yet it has 31% of what once was a dying market. when you tell someone-- your regular joe-- how much your music player cost, he'll keel over.
and yes, it's better than the 5 GB ipod 2 years ago. amazing. but a normal buyer will see:
4GB ipod, smaller. $250.
15GB ipod, still small, but not quite as small. $299.
and the decision is fairly obvious. there are a few techo-buffs who go ga ga over something so tiny, but i would assume a normal user doesn't necessarily think tiny is better when you get to something this small.
also, regarding jogging with it. i, personally, would never strap an ipod, $250 or $499, to my arm and go bouncing around with it. i would buy a cheap 64MB mp3 player, put a few energizing songs on it, and use it to jog. (rio 64 MB).
anyway, i think they'll sell a lot of these. they'll sell them to those who think they're cute, pretty, etc. for the same reason people buy a lot of apple products over other products. however, i think apple is missing something by not making a 2GB model that's around the $150 range. once time gives way to cheaper prices, and something like this is available, then apple will dominate the music world (as it's well on its way to doing now) and become an evil monopolistic company (
You're first statement invalidated the rest of your arguement. Obviously price is not the driving force behind mp3 player sales because the iPod is winning.
Obviously the "normal user" thinks quite a bit of the size, considering the amount of high end flash players that are sold. Why bother buying the Rio and the iPod, when you can get the best of both worlds with the mini
i_need_a_mini_
Registered
i'm desperate. i absolutely need an ipod mini now but one problem: i live in the uk . does anyone know of an american company that stock the mini ipod that would be prepared to ship to england? i would pay so much extra to have one soon!
Aimy
. does anyone know of an american company that stock the mini ipod that would be prepared to ship to england? i would pay so much extra to have one soon!Aimy
lilbandit
I hate Meath
you could try ebay.com, you might get one reasonably soon. Don't expect to get one cheap though! Seeing as you would be purchasing from outside the EU you would probably be liable for customs duty and possibly VAT @ 21%. Something so small might get through but don't count on it. Why not buy a regular ipod in the UK? It would probably work out cheaper!
Jason
Eyebrow Moderator
i thought the price was a little high at first too... but...
the 4gb drive in the ipod, is actually the 4gb microdrive from hitachi.. how much does that cost retail? $499 (well here http://www.flash-memory-store.com/4gbibmiitins.html it says 599 but selling for 488, most places have it for ~499)
soooo... you can buy the 499 drive, plus case, and mp3 playing capability for 249... not bad i guess when you think about it.
the 4gb drive in the ipod, is actually the 4gb microdrive from hitachi.. how much does that cost retail? $499 (well here http://www.flash-memory-store.com/4gbibmiitins.html it says 599 but selling for 488, most places have it for ~499)
soooo... you can buy the 499 drive, plus case, and mp3 playing capability for 249... not bad i guess when you think about it.
bobbo
Panther User
They said that the original ones would be too expensive too. yes, if you have that type of money, and need the songs, i would get a normal one. however as a middle school student, $50 is a big amount of money. So this is a more affordable iPod that can still fit my songs. I have a 20GB iMac so 4GB of music is a lot for me. I don't need that type of space, I like the colors, and its smaller and less expensive. The mini isn't for everyone but for some people its ver nice.
