Poll: Do you believe that Apple will release mini iPods at MacWorld?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Do you believe that Apple will release mini iPods at MacWorld? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=350)

[Freg3000]

I am expecting 2GB @ $149, hoping for it @ $99.

4 days to go....

[imaswitcheryeah]

What do you know, I made a Poll at Spymac.com about this very subject. Please go here, Mini-iPods: How big and how much? (http://www.spymac.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55520) and vote on the poll. Thanks a lot!

Oh, and I voted that I expect the a 1.5 GB @ $200. I'm hoping for a 1.5 or 2.0 GB for @ $150.

[Nermal]

I'm expecting 2 GB for $150, but I'd rather have it for $100. Apple NZ adds about a 25% markup onto everything, so the cheaper the better.

[mac15]

I'd like to think so, but hey who knows I mean rumors like these have been know to blow up into nothing.

[CMillerERAU]

After looking around the electronics store (desperately searching for a USB cable for my brand new iPod <-b-day present) I saw that most of the flash memory players aren't all that much cheaper than a basic iPod. If all these 256MB players are going for $150 USD I just dont' see how Apple is going to make a $100 iPod. Even if they go to flash memory (which I highly doubt), it wouldn't have nearly the capacity of it's peers. Its too bad they didn't keep around the original 5GB model, I bet the larger form factor could allow for cheaper components and bring them a bit closer, but certainly not sub-$100, that's just rediculous.

[Awimoway]

I would think that, based on Jobs' comments, a $100 iPod is in the works, but if the smallest one is 2 GB, I really can't imagine it being a mere $100. I voted for $150.

[Fahd]

I dont think so, but would love to see a low priced 2 GB iPod.

[Sabenth]

i am with most people on this one a 2gb at 150 but if its at 100 all the better. But as we all know rumors are rumors and as soon as it becomes reality then we get real excited...

I do hope its real though because it would be really great .. Not just for apple but also for the whole world really

[Stella]

Yep, they are coming... hard disc based too...

Apparently someone at work saw these mini iPods on some Tech TV program recently...'

They have no controls on the player themselves, but controlled directly from a remote control on the ear phone wire...

[JerrySpoon]

Originally posted by Stella
Yep, they are coming... hard disc based too...

Apparently someone at work saw these mini iPods on some Tech TV program recently...'

They have no controls on the player themselves, but controlled directly from a remote control on the ear phone wire...
There's no way this was on TechTV. Sorry, but I think your friend is mistaken. If I see iPods come out Tuesday w/ no controls on the actual iPod though, I'll eat my words.

[wdlove]

At this point with only 4 days to go, I have no idea. From past experiences it is best to not expect anything, then you can't be disappointed.

[MongoTheGeek]

Suggests a price point of $240.

I figure there will be 50-100 price cuts. I don't think that the mini-pods will be announced at MW.

I also don't see them getting smaller. The form factor is as small as you really want to take it. Its the size of a pack of smokes. Any smaller than that and you start having problems with loosing the thing. You also have issues with controls...

All that being said if Apple abandoned all profit whatsoever 2G iPod at $100 would be break even in terms of manufacturing.

Unless Apple redoes its deal with the RIAA the minimum we will see it at is $150.

I don't think we will see it until a week or two later at any rate.

[LostInAMac]

Everyone is expecting 2 gigs at 150$s but when has Jobs ever done anything we'd expect?
He is always trying to do the crazy and thus I'm hoping for $100, hopefully that'll be £80ish Sterling and I'll be there.

[Le Big Mac]

Originally posted by LostInAMac
Everyone is expecting 2 gigs at 150$s but when has Jobs ever done anything we'd expect?
He is always trying to do the crazy and thus I'm hoping for $100, hopefully that'll be £80ish Sterling and I'll be there.

Yeah, but when has apple released a product that was less expensive than one would expect?

It seems like every release is accompanied by sighs that either it's too expensive, or there's too little improvement without a price drop. Would I like every apple product to be less expensive? Sure (except as a shareholder). But they just haven't been price leaders for a long time.

[Fender2112]

If Apple has the #1 MP3 player already, even at their current prices, why would Apple introduce a competing product? At $299 - $499 a pop, the iPod out sells all other MP3 players, even the cheap ones. I don't see the incentive for Apple to do this right now. Maybe in the future if iPod sales begin to drop.

[King Cobra]

This is ridiculous. If you want a small iPod, get a 5GB iPod off Dealtime or eBay. You want something more compact...you might as well get a dirt cheap RAM chip version of an mp3 player.

Besides, anyone asking for, say, anything over $250 for a 5GB iPod is ripping you off. Look, here is what we have now: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71508/wo/tj2KSa8RQnrN2V25TtI23mvwxpm/1.5.0.5.12.11.0.1?57,33 I take it the iPod 5GB version (original) would not be sold for $300 reasonably, since it is a "toned down" version of the upper class models that we have now.

But here's my question: Why would someone NEED a smaller iPod than 5GB if you can already find 5GB iPods fairly cheap and still store enough music on there to be satisfied? Remember, even if a 2GB iPod does come out, that's it. Not a MB more. AND...some of those 2GB are used up for core software and Hard Drive settings. You ain't gettin' them back.

The only reason I see in making a smaller iPod would be a RAM-based version, such as stuffing a few dense 128MB RAM chips in there, instead of the pricy mini-Hard Drives, but then, the mini-iPod would have 2000 hours of battery life (more like a SOLID 12, actually). What happens to the sales of upper class iPods?

Conclusion: I vote against the means to create and sell a lesser capacity iPod.

[macFanDave]

Don't let retail prices of components affect your opinions. The price of RAM purchased by the piece can be more than 10 times what it costs if you buy 1000's at a time. The laws of supply and demand usually have much more to do with consumer prices than does the cost of making the product.

Also, on our local ABC affiliate's noon news, they reported the rumors of mini-iPods. Remember the good ol' days when journalists would seek sources to corroborate facts and assemble them into stories? Now they just surf the 'net and broadcast rumors.

[HenMaster6000]

iPods are really cool, but iThink (lol) that as mini-iPods assume their ultra-popular role in the music market (as they undoubtedly will) and make themselves so ubiquitous that they're more common than kleenex, iPod will... dare I say it... effectively become a PC (of the windoze variety of course) . Plus, they'll be distorting the origional idea behind the iPod, because they'll be so small that you won't be able to store your whole music collection on your iPod, and isn't that what makes the iPod so easy? The simplicity of the auto-update feature, and never having to think about what you are going to listen to that day is what intrigued me about the iPod. The mini's tacky color scheme that we've heard so much about, like the crazy iMac colors of yesteryear (Polka Dotted? Huh?) is just going to make the higher end iPods less cool, and may even hurt their sales (where the real money is).

Mini-iPods are great from a shareholder's point of view, but when apple becomes commonplace don't things get boring?

[nagromme]

Some major wishful thinking at work here I think!

ANY iPod for under $249 would astonish me.

How could Apple even afford 2 GB of storage at $99? And they don't need to price at the bottom, either, they can keep healthily margins and still sell tons.

[Vicelow]

That will surely increase Apple's allover market share. Isn't there any rumor about the design specs? That seems quite interesting to me. How will be it's funcionality. I'm very excited...

[mim]

Originally posted by HenMaster6000
Mini-iPods are great from a shareholder's point of view, but when apple becomes commonplace don't things get boring?

No. The difference between Apple and Dell/MS/etc is that Apple products are well designed, work, innovative, and generally kick arse.

I think you have to think strategically right now...Apple want iTMS & AAC to 'win' in the market place. They have a HUGE promotional give away planned for early this year. For the success of any of these they need every damn person in the world to be able to 'almost' afford an iPod.

2 and 4 gigs will likely not effect sales of the pro-'pods very much, given the difference in capacity (and probably features). You'll probably find that Apple is counting on getting people who have bought the mini-pods lusting after the pro versions.

I suspect lots of people with 1st or 2nd gen pods (like me :D) might also get one if they're affordable, just because we're freaks and can't help ourselves when it comes to Apple products. :rolleyes: :p

[centauratlas]

Originally posted by CMillerERAU
If all these 256MB players are going for $150 USD I just dont' see how Apple is going to make a $100 iPod.

Because flash memory is more expensive than hard disk 'memory'. They can get much larger drives (e.g. 2-5 GB) for much less than 512 MB (or 256 probably) flash memory.

Given the speculation on the price point, I can't imagine them using flash memory with the cost differential.

[centauratlas]

Originally posted by Fender2112
If Apple has the #1 MP3 player already, even at their current prices, why would Apple introduce a competing product?

Because it is better to get the market that you don't have than to let someone else do it. People will get a mini-iPod, like it, run out of space, have a lot of iTMS songs, like iTunes and just get a bigger one later.

Seriously, the incentive is to get people using your 'platform' even if it eats into the bigger iPod sales slightly. I don't think it will eat into them a lot, because they are different markets. The key is to get people using it, seeing what they are missing, buy another, and perhaps a Mac to go with it.

[centauratlas]

Originally posted by HenMaster6000
Plus, they'll be distorting the origional idea behind the iPod, because they'll be so small that you won't be able to store your whole music collection on your iPod, and isn't that what makes the iPod so easy?

Unfortunately I still can't fit it all. ;-) I need a 120GB iPod.

In all seriousness, think about it this way:

There are plenty of people who won't pay $299 for an iPod. These people want some subset of their music - either for working out with, jogging with or listening to on their commute, or whatever. They will pay $99 or $149. Isn't it better to have them buy a mini iPod than one of the other MP3 players out there? These aren't people who will eat into the bigger iPod sales, they'll just get people used to the iPod and iTunes and iTMS. Then later they may buy a bigger one and a Mac to go with it.

[HenMaster6000]

I think that a large percentage of people that buy iPods don't buy them because they can store all their music (although I'm sure that they come to love it like I have). No, I think that they buy them because they're considered cool items to own, and so if a 128mb flash mp3 player were to become cool that's what they'll buy. If the mini-iPods surpass the larger iPods in "coolness" (as I suspect they may, because of their inherently lower price tag) then they'll sell better in the crowds that count, ultimately slowing the sales of the larger iPods that make money. Plus, if the mini-iPods betray the standards of cool that their predecessors created, by looking corny or trite thanks to wild colors, all iPods will look uncool and sales will fall. However, I do agree that mini-iPods will open the iPod to new markets, but apple needs to step lightly because in doing so they may ruin the success of their already popular 10, 20, and 40 gb iPods.

[lind0834]

~ $100
>=1 Gig

Crossing Fingers.

[Mord]

theres no way apple will release mini ipods even if they did they would never be as cheap as you claim those 1" HD's are expencive even if they did relese mini ipods they would be more like $300 It's more likely theyed relese some type of ingenious video pod mbey with lcd glasses for an imax on the go type experience

[shadowfax]

yeah, can someone explain to me how apple is going to create a 100-200 dollar iPod from a hard disc that costs $278? (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/12/20031215121009.shtml)

that seems slightly odd to me.

[wdlove]

Originally posted by shadowfax
yeah, can someone explain to me how apple is going to create a 100-200 dollar iPod from a hard disc that costs $278? (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/12/20031215121009.shtml)

that seems slightly odd to me.

So maybe Toshiba will move the production up earlier than made public on Demember 15th. Or at least enough for Steve to make an announcement on Tuesday. A company doesn't always put all there cards on the table, the $92 price sound great.

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by wdlove
So maybe Toshiba will move the production up earlier than made public on Demember 15th. Or at least enough for Steve to make an announcement on Tuesday. A company doesn't always put all there cards on the table, the $92 price sound great. the $92 price tag is not going to happen for years. the 1.8 inch drives aren't that cheap yet.

[jero]

yes, i say $149.

[Macmaniac]

I think a 2 gig at $150 seems the most logical for Apple, the drives cost at least $65 so Apple has to make some money off the miniPod. Don't forget the enclosure will cost something too.