Apple Ends Delay, Sets iPod Mini Worldwide Launch

dncsky1530 writes "Apple Computer said Wednesday that it would end the waiting and launch its iPod mini digital music player around the world on July 24. The release ends a three-month delay of the iPod mini's debut outside the United States. In March, Apple said it would postpone the mini player's release because of stronger-than-expected domestic demand and slow production of the device's hard drives."

Comments

Cool

[Eclipce]

Cool, anyone know if the after 18 month's the rechargeable battery dies bug has been fixed?

Re:Cool

[thefinite]

First, it's not a bug, it was an uncommon problem on some of the models, no matter what the Neistat Brothers have to say about it.

Second, as the iPod mini uses a different battery and it has only been in people's hands for several months, no one can speak to the average longevity of the battery in these models.

Third, and I am sorry if this is rude, it's not hard to educate yourself about this before you ask a question in Slashdot that just makes you sound like a Troll.

Re:Cool

[OmniVector]

first off, it's a lithium ion battery. if you recharge it from empty 500 times in 18 months, regardless of the manufacturer, the battery will die. second, it's not a bug, it's called physics.

Re:Cool

[Eclipce]

The "Bug" part that I had heard about was that you couldn't replace the battery yourself. You had to send it back into Apple to get it fixed.

Re:Cool

[andreMA]

The "Bug" part that I had heard about was that you couldn't replace the battery yourself. You had to send it back into Apple to get it fixed.

You heard wrong. Google for "iPod Battery" - or if you're too lazy to do that, click here

Re:Cool

[Anonymous Coward]

it was an uncommon problem on some of the models

Yes, "uncommon" for values of "all".

Please turn off your Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field.

Re:Cool

[Master Mage]

Actaully, at that point, I think it's called chemistry.

I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[rebeka thomas]

Look at the pricing of these. a 4GB MP3 player for $249. a 15GB MP3 player for $299. Which would you choose?

I seriously don't think the demand is that high for them, they're nothing more than a changed package with a FAR smaller drive inside, and I just don't think there's that many consumers silly enough to fall for the ruse.

Maybe if they were $149 where they should be, at that size.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[Jord]

Considering that Apple is unable to keep them in stock it appears that people generally disagree with you.

Then again /. has been consistently wrong on the popularity of Apple products. If I recall correctly, /.'s general opinion was that the ipod would be unsuccessful as well.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[justMichael]

While I used to agree with you. Why spend $50 less for 11GB less space...

There is a 6 week wait for these things as they can't get the parts and or build them fast enough.

As has been hashed out many times here before, they aren't competing with the $299 15GB iPod, they are competing with the $199 512MB flash players. Does it look like a better deal now?

As for the size, when you look at the numbers in print it doesn't seem that much smaller, when you hold one of each in your hand the size difference is significant.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[evn]

Miniaturization costs money: look at the prices we pay to have those tiny cellular phones compared to the communi-bricks from the late 80's. You're saving a half the weight, half the volume, getting a more "durable" (scratch resistant) outer body. If you had no interest in using more than 1gb of storage the iPod mini is a pretty good deal - even compared to the big ipod for a number of reasons, some examples may include:

1. The guys at my gym that want a smaller iPod to run with. The iPod mini is about half the size of the already small iPod.

2. People that have 4gb or less of music digitized or possibly people who will only ever want to listen to 1,000 songs before returning to their computers to change the list. Using iTunes it's only a half-dozen clicks to switch from "sync playlist x" to "sync songs in playlist x, y and z" - wait a few seconds and you're ready to go.

That's prefect for a lot of people who are used to selecting a couple of CDs in the morning for the commute to work. Buying an additional 11gb of space isn't a better deal for these people, it's a waste of $50!

3. People who just like "cute" or "blue". There are some people who see the iPod as a fashion accessory - $250 isn't a lot compared to a designer belt or purse.

4. People who just don't have $299 to spend on the "big boy" ipods but still want to be part of Apple's "digital lifestyle". The fact remains that the only portable player you can (easily) use your iTunes Music Store tunes with is made by Apple. Also, Apple has arguably one of the best interfaces for a portable MP3 player of this kind, and it's digital jukebox software has been well received too - some people are willing to sacrifice a few gigabytes of storage if they thing they will end up with a better overall user experience.

$50 may not seam like a lot to some of us, but for someone like my younger brother working part time at subway in high-school that's a fair size chunk of his monthly income. They may decide to purchase the 'best quality' by whatever measure they use - rather than the highest specifications.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[platypussrex]

Yep, and all you have to do is look on Ebay at the iPod minis selling for over the list price to realize how poorly they are selling. Geez....

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[evn]

Something I forgot to add: If the iPod Mini makes people say "Hey, the 15 GB iPod only costs $50 more and gets you almost 400% as much space - why get the small one?!" then Apple has just 'upsold' you to another (better) item. Apple doesn't care if you compare the cheapest iPod to a more costly one because in the end it will still be money in the bank. You didn't think to compare to the Creative MuVo 2 or one of the Rio players - just another Apple product: that makes me think that the iPod mini is perfectly priced/marketed. If the only competition for the iPod mini is another iPod then what does Apple have to lose?

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[catwh0re]

Of particular interest will be the sale of the iPod mini in Australia, the price gap here, is identical to the USA price gap...
Except our dollar is worth significantly less. (The american price gap with a currency converter is about $90-$100 Australian dollars [depending on the current rate]) That's about a $25 USD difference between the two.
I'm suspecting this is a tactic to keep 15GB iPods selling over the iPod mini, which is still not in a production to meet demand. So those that really want it, can still get it without the wider appeal.

I feel Apple will price adjust when 4gb players are being produced to adequet capacity, and simultaneously introduce a larger model.

Similiarly there was no 2GB iPod mini, despite the available HD because it would be the same price as the 4GB.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[Squozen]

The Australian Apple online store had nearly 14,000 preorders in the first 2 hours after they became available, so I'd say they're going to do rather well with the iPod Mini. :)

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[MyDixieWrecked]

I live in manhattan, and before the iPodmini was released, I saw about 1 in 10 people with the white headphone on/ carrying an iPod in their hands... That's more people listening to iPods than takling on cell phones.

After the mini came out, I see even more iPods and about 1/3 of the 'pods that are waling around are minis (a lot of idiots seem to enjoy showing them off, either on armbands, by carrying them, or having them attached to their belt). I call them idiots, because only an idiot would show off something that easy to rip off that's that expensive. On more than one occasion I've realized that if I wasn't such a bum, I could probably grab one and run away with it before anyone realized... although I'm not a fast runner, so that's not feasible, I'd get caught and have the shit beaten out of me before getting arrested...

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[catwh0re]

This is interesting news. I mentioned earlier that in Australia the price gap between the low end iPod and iPod mini is negligible ($50 AUD isn't much in USD about $35).
It proves that consumers are interested in aesthetics with feasible capacity in preference to just raw storage capacity. After all alot of consumers don't have more than 4GB of songs.

Additionally iTunes makes it easy to make good use of that 4GB. Good options to automatically control what music is placed on the device.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[Anonymous Coward]

Believe it or not, the majority of people don't have hundreds of gigs of (probably illegally) downloaded mp3's. And some of those who do, realize that they don't need to keep the entire history of recorded music at their fingertips at all times. The mini is aimed at them, not you.

Re:I'm not sure they're actually selling well

[Moofie]

I wonder which makes more sense.

Selling out their entire production capacity at $249 a unit, or selling out their entire production capacity at $149 a unit.

Apple must be totally beleaguered to think they can sell every iPod mini they can make at a higher price point.

Oh wait.

F-That

[Anonymous Coward]

I still can't get an iPod in the US without waiting a month. Apple can kiss my ass because just last week I got myself iRiver player.

Re:F-That

[abacsalmasi]

Sorry to hear about that. My thoughts will be with you.

article says they can't keep up demand

[SmallFurryCreature]

I heard about not reading the linked article but not even reading the /. story? You just saw "ipod mini" and wanted to sound off about how expensive they are and how you would never buy them without even spending a second thinking about it.

You could ask the question why people pay for these minis when they can get a bigger device for more. Mmmmm, that doesn't sound right, you can usually get a bigger device for a more money.

So why don't people pay 50 bucks more for the bigger device? Because duh and if you didn't spot this one you have the intelligence of a slug THE OTHER DEVICE IS BIGGER.

The ipod mini is small but has a gigantic amount of space. Sure my music collection wouldn't fit on it but I could put an awfull lot of my most popular music on it.

Apple either has a lousy production rate or they struck gold once again as they have been unable to keep up with demand.

So you thinking that there isn't enough demand for it shows that you are a liar, you haven't thought about it at all.

Strange...

[vogelgesang]

I ordered a Pink miniPod for my girlfriend on 6/28. My estimated ship date of 7/12 was changed to 7/27 a day later, and I live in the U.S. Is Apple stockpiling minis for the worldwide release, or is pink just a really popular color? Perhaps a disgruntled/bitter Apple employee noticed the words "love" and "birthday" in the engraving and decided to ruin both for us. Oh well. I only bought it to be able to touch and see it myself, and her birthday was the excuse I needed to order it. And yes, all of my relationships have been as much of a sham as this one. If only I had one of those symmetrical faces with small features, like on television...

Re:Strange...

[commodoresloat]

I think pink is by far the most popular color. Chicks dig it. Trust me, on 7/27, when your girl opens up her present, you WILL get laid. It beats the shit out of roses.

crappy feel

[davids-world.com]

I played around with them the other day at the Apple store. I think, they don't feel right: the metal feels cold, the edges are sharp, the paint seems to come off at the edges, and the controls felt crappy. They just felt very unpolished, especially when compared to the original iPods. Does anyone know if they show actual production samples at the stores?

Re:crappy feel

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice troll. But just to inform others:

• The metal feels cold: Of course it does. It's aluminum, and as any other metal it feels cold if it's left in a cold room for a while. Just as your keys, the back of your watch, the back of a white iPod, etc. And just as all these objects it will feel warm after you handle it for a few seconds. (Actually, if you transfer huge amounts of info, it will get warm, just as any other HD.)

• The edges are sharp: The only edges that could be sharp are the ones on the top and bottom plates. But they aren't really sharp... see this link (QT VR required)..

• The paint seems to come off the edges: They are not really painted, they are anodized, so the colored "layer" is actually the aluminum surface (which has been chemically treated to change the color). So the "paint" won't chip or blister, but it may get scratched revealing the silver-colored aluminum under it.

• Crappy controls, unpolished, (especially when compared to the original iPods), they don't feel right: These are subjective perceptions, a matter of opinion that varies among individuals, so I guess they are acceptable (and reasonable).

Re:crappy feel

[commodoresloat]

First off, I absolutely love the ipod mini and I want one. But some of these criticisms are reasonable. #2 - the edges ARE sharp. I mean, you won't slice your wrist with it or anything but they are sharp. I think it's kind of cool, myself, with the aluminum it looks kind of industrial in a way. #3 - you're right, but the effect is the same as paint coming off. Where it used to be pink, there's now a silver spot. Which makes me want the silver one. #4 - the 2nd gen white ipods got it right - I think this is a step backwards. I like that the controls are on the wheel, but the wheel is not nearly as easy to use or sensitive. But even granted all those complaints, I want one. The only thing stopping me from buying one is that I already have a 30 gig white one....

The more the merrier

[amichalo]

I am glad to see Apple is getting the Mini into the hands of the Europeans and Asians (not to the excludusion of other continents). I believe that as popular as the Mini is in the States, the demand in the more electronic-fashion concious Western Europe and Japan, will be higher than in the "bigger-is-best-super-size-my-Hummer" US. (Witness cellular phones, MiniDisc.)

I have had my Mini (green) since May (month and a half) and am very pleased. I prefer the new navigation wheel to the nav+4 button system in the larger models and the space wasn't an issue. I have a collection ten times the mini's volume, but was not interested in the larger (even though small) device costing twice as much. To me, if I couldn't have ALL the music, then 1,000 songs was plenty.

I can honestly report that I have only updated the playlist once, as I have found that if you use iTunes smart playlists to generate your most played, highest rated songs, you end up with a list of your favorite 1,000 songs. Makes wanting for #1,001 on the list a rare event.

And the battery is great. I haven't bought the iTrip Mini but I borrowed a friend's iTrip (which works on the Mini but isn't as physically integrated) and it lasted a four hour drive to the beach and still had juice.