Live updates from Steve Jobs' keynote at Macworld. Keynote begins at 9am PT today
There are 23 reader comments
• Jan 06 2004 • 12:16PM
Let's place our bets on the mini-ipod rumor *now*.
I say it ain't going to happen, that Jobs will go on endlessly about Panther
• Jan 06 2004 • 12:21PM
MacOSXHints seems to have dropped the ball on their coverage thus far, so I changed the link to MacNN.
• Jan 06 2004 • 1:51PM
Man, I hope Steve announces some hot (consumer) hardware soon... the suspense is killing me!
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:10PM
4GB for $249? Seriously?
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:14PM
or 15GB for $299...you make the call.
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:20PM
That's crazy. It'll be interesting to see if they can get people to bite at that price. I imagine they'll focus on the custom colors, the smaller size, lighter weight, the flash memory, and how those factors contribute to its sportiness (you can jog with it with it) and hipness.
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:31PM
$249 is a steal for 4GB capacity at that size. What? You'd rather have this one? Apple's trying to become #1 in the Flash segment the same way they became #1 in the high-capacity segment.
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:44PM
It's not flash memory. It's a hard drive. Look at the footnote here.
• Jan 06 2004 • 2:57PM
Just stupid that for just $50 you gain more than triple the capacity.
$199 is pushing it, $249 is iStupid
• Jan 06 2004 • 3:15PM
2 gig version for 150 might have made sense
• Jan 06 2004 • 3:22PM
People who won't spend $300 for 10gb (sorry - 15gb) aren't likely to spend $250 for 4gb. Better deal than the flash/rio crowd, but still...
• Jan 06 2004 • 4:02PM
You can buy a 5gb ipod on ebay for 150 - 200 bucks. Granted, it's bigger than the mini and has a scroll wheel, but given the choice I'd pocket the $100.
• Jan 06 2004 • 6:24PM
I don't get it. The iPod mini is a slick product, but it seems more likely to eat into Apple's own low-end iPod sales than to compete with high-end flash memory mp3 players.
And it's still HD-based storage. To me, that does not make it fully suitable for jogging with.
• Jan 06 2004 • 6:26PM
Well, my entirely anecdotal 'market research' has always shown that, actually, lots of people don't buy the iPod not because it's expensive, but because it's big -- which it is, relatively. They know that the iPod (or other hard driver players) are a better deal per megabyte, but are seduced by the small size. So, I imagine they're trying to get those people. I myself will withhold judgment until I see one in person -- it could be awesome.
• Jan 06 2004 • 7:11PM
I just played with one at Macworld, and I gotta admit -- they're pretty slick. I have the original 5GB iPod and I rarely want for more capacity, but the thing is a bit bigger and clunkier than I'd like -- especially at the gym where it bounces all over the place and pulls my shorts down while I run (not a good thing).
I'll hold off for a few months to see if I can get a better deal, but at that time I'll probably opt for a mini.
• Jan 06 2004 • 7:52PM
Well there they are:
http://www.apple.com/ipodmini/
• Jan 07 2004 • 4:29AM
Maybe Apple want to keep the iPod as a high end product. They don't want to mass market it like a Walkman, they want to keep it as a status symbol.
• Jan 07 2004 • 5:26AM
Apple seem to be creating a wider gap between by the iPod mini and the standard iPod by increasing the low end standards iPods memory to 15GB.
The company does tend to target different areas of existing markets which, like Dave said, may be what they are doing here.
• Jan 07 2004 • 10:18AM
We care about the disk size and the price cause we're geeks. Apple isn't marketing to us, they're marketing to the hipsters who care more about size, portability and color. People will buy. Oh yes, people will buy.
Anyways, this is new tech. You didn't honestly think Apple would release the mini with a 150 price tag, did you? In a year, I predict the same model will be $150. This is how consumer electronic pricing works. If I'm wrong, then we have something to complain about. Until then, be happy with your geek selves.
• Jan 07 2004 • 11:05AM
Apple made a mistake in thinking that the barrier standing between those still waiting to buy an iPod was physical size, not price. I don't need an iPod the size of a business card--my meathook hands probably wouldn't be able to find the buttons. I'm not holding out for something smaller, I want something that costs less than a home theater system.
The price per megabyte of the iPod mini is roughly 6.25 cents.
The price of the 15GB iPod is about 2 cents per megabyte.
And although I haven't yet had a chance to see the mini in person, it seems to lack that Kubrickian sleekness of the original. The new design looks more like a run-of-the-mill fashion cell phone...which might have been their goal in the first place.
Before the announcement, I told myself that if it was no more than $200, I'd order one that day. Now, I'll probably wait a few months to see if they correct themselves.
• Jan 07 2004 • 1:26PM
Its always fun to see new things from Apple, and our appetite certainly hasn't diminished. I think because here in the uk, the demand at christmas was so high, that those who missed out, or didn't quite have the cash will jump on the chance to get the ipod mini.
I think the really exciting thing in the keynote is garageband, all us bedroom music bofs will be pleased that such a cheap and (hopefully) usable home recording application is on the scene. Any news from anyone who's actually used the app would be great.
• Jan 08 2004 • 12:25AM
Aw...snap! Here we are going on about size and price, when I realized there's still some 10GB iPods out there. I called the local Apple retailer here in Philly, and sure enough, they had 'em. Discounted to $250--same price as the 4GB.
Just loaded mine up. Move quick and get a deal.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.
jkottke • Jan 06 2004 • 12:05PM
MacNN has live coverage too.