iPod Mini vs. 4G iPod for girlfriend

[donutzeatpeople]

I currently own a 3G 20GB iPod thats about 6 months old now. My only real beef with it is the battery life, which I think is brutal. It's not that hard to recharge it during everyday use, but if I'm on a long trip it seems to run out quickly.

I'm thinking about buying an iPod mini for my girlfriend, but I'm not sure I can justify it because the battery seems to be the same as the 3G iPod. The reason that I think she'd like the Mini better, however, is that she doesn't have that huge of a music collection, and the Mini is smaller and more feminine in general. Can anyone comment on the Mini's battery life or have a suggestion as to which one I should choose? Thanks.

[PlaceofDis]

if she has no use of the extra space then i would get her the mini, i really have not heard anyone complain of battery issues with it, plus i think if she doesnt have too big of a music collection she would prefer it, its just 'cooler' than the regualr iPods....

just my two cents...

[zelmo]

I don't know that the mini is more feminine, but it is more stylish, and the smaller size means being able to fit it into an overstuffed purse easier than the regular iPod. If her music collection is not huge, then the mini is the way to go.
I'm getting my wife a pink one for our anniversary. She'll be able to fit her entire collection of Prince on it (maybe...she has a ton of Prince!).

[Jovian9]

Go for the mini. We have both now and they are both great. My wife favors the mini though.

[jackieonasses]

I bought my girlfriend a pink mini and she loves it more than my ipod. It is definatly smaller, and is IMHO a better style then the 3g. she will love it

[jxyama]

i know this won't win much bonus points, but if you are concerned about the battery life and the form factor, you can't beat a combination of a flash-mp3 player and rechargeable batteries. i only mention this because you said she doesn't have that big of a music collection.

iPod mini makes for a very nice, stylish gift, no doubt. i have a silver one myself and i love it. but for my girlfriend, i got her a flash-mp3 player because she is not as fanatic about carrying a lot of music as i am.

i got her this: http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=YPT5H%2fXAA

it's very capable, reasonably priced and she loves it.

[jared_kipe]

Most girls would go for style over function. With this in mind get her an ipod mini of whatever color she chooses. (ASK her, you shouldn't guess, her favorite color might be blue, but she might just love the way the pink one looks. You can ask slyly, like show her a commecial for it on iTMS and ask her which color she likes best)

[XIII]

VERY sly... :o

[blackpeter]

I'm going against the grain here and recommending the 4G iPod. I disagree that the Mini is more stylish, as I think the classic white design is timeless.

If I were picking out jewelry for my girlfriend, I wouldn't get the gaudiest bauble I could find. I would aim for understated. Women respond to subtlety.

As a side benefit, for the $50 more that you spend on a 4G, you'll get 5X the storage. That means that she plugs it in and ALL of her music is transfered. I don't know about your girlfriend, but mine isn't the type to constantly add and subtract tracks from a Mini because it can't fit her entire music library.

[russed]

i'm having the same problem myself. but i think i am going to go for the mini as it appears to be a bit more "cool".

[Koodauw]

The Mini has better battery life than the 3rd gens, from what I have read one the boards, and my own unscientific results.

The Mini is better looking. (IMO)

The Mini advances to the next song faster. (Again, just something I noticed.)

Different colors. ( A white Mini would be great though)

And if she doesn't have alot of songs, then go mini.

I got one for my girl for all those reasons.

[markh]

Definately go for the mini.... a pink too.. she'll love it ;-)

[JLS]

If I were picking out jewelry for my girlfriend, I wouldn't get the gaudiest bauble I could find. I would aim for understated. Women respond to subtlety.


Whatever you say CHEAPSKATE!!! :p

[applekid]

iPod Mini for size, style, and space.

I don't think battery life will be such an issue. Battery life seems to be very opinionated. Most people don't seem to mind, myself included. Then you've got others that sort of mind, like yourself. I don't think your girlfriend will be too worried about battery life though.

The girls I know seem to go for silver and blue, like the guys.

[JarinS1]

My girlfriend and I both have the iPod mini. My girlfriend has the pink one and she loves it. My battery lasts about 6.5 hours with normal use. When I use the iTrip, my battery life is easily cut in half. The mini is good for excerising if you get the armband. I have no complaints with it.

[AoWolf]

Go for the mini its cheeper and looks better and size is no issue...

[Mechcozmo]

i know this won't win much bonus points, but if you are concerned about the battery life and the form factor, you can't beat a combination of a flash-mp3 player and rechargeable batteries. i only mention this because you said she doesn't have that big of a music collection.

I recently inherited an iRock...hate the thing and it has only been a few days! iPods are, overall, much nicer than flash-based players IMO. But, I guess they could work...

[sushi]

I currently own a 3G 20GB iPod thats about 6 months old now. My only real beef with it is the battery life, which I think is brutal. It's not that hard to recharge it during everyday use, but if I'm on a long trip it seems to run out quickly.

I'm thinking about buying an iPod mini for my girlfriend, but I'm not sure I can justify it because the battery seems to be the same as the 3G iPod. The reason that I think she'd like the Mini better, however, is that she doesn't have that huge of a music collection, and the Mini is smaller and more feminine in general. Can anyone comment on the Mini's battery life or have a suggestion as to which one I should choose? Thanks.
If you were in Japan, I would recommend looking at the wide variety of flash players. Most are 512MB. Some are up to 1GB. Plenty of space. Cheap prices too.

As for the iPod vice mini iPod, here is a suggestion that you might consider if you are near an Apple store or store that sells both the iPod and mini iPod.

Here's what to do. Take her out to dinner. Have a card, some flowers, etc. Make it special. In other words, at the end of dinner, in her mind she should feel that her B-Day events are over.

Then after dinner, as an after thought, drop by the Apple store. After you enter the store, hand her a small card with a coupon in it for the iPod of her choice. The card is important. Without it, the flow will not work and will look spur of the moment vice preplanned.

This way she can choose whichever one she wants. And if she needs a day or two to decide, that is no problem.

Sushi

[kiwi-in-uk]

Nice thought, Sushi.

The card would need to be good quality. Perhaps wrapped (if she likes those things).

Good luck and have fun.

(To be honest, in these situations I don't think it matters whether iPod or flash or whatever - it's the thought that counts!)

... but get the mini!! :)

[deputy_doofy]

Definitely go for the mini. I just did the same thing a few weeks ago and she was extremely happy. It was small, blue, had her name engraved, and already loaded with 400+ tunes when she opened it up and took it out of the box. ;)

[jared_kipe]

Did I forget to mention my girlfriend has a pink ipod mini? ;)

[JeffTL]

If you can afford the extra $50 for the 20-gigabyte iPod, I'd suggest that -- you're quintupling the space for fifty bucks, i.e. 16 gigabytes for $50 = $3.125 per gigabyte. Even if your girlfriend doesn't have much music, you can use an iPod for backups and stuff -- I almost think of mine as a very portable FireWire hard drive that can also play AAC audio.

I know it's kind of unromantic to think about gigabytes when picking a present for your girlfriend, but she may be backing stuff up on a Zip disk or something -- and noone ever said "no" to any iPod, so long as I can remember.

[Abstract]

There isn't a single one of my female friends who really knows what a zip disk is, nor do they back things up and think of their iPod as a portable harddrive. ;)

Get the pink Mini. If you're worried about battery life, take the time to re-encode all her CD's into 128kbps AAC files. The Mini has also been reported to get more than 8 hours from a single charge. Actually, the Mini can hit the 10 hour mark if you don't play with the controls too much, so at least it's better than the 3G iPod.

[sushi]

If you can afford the extra $50 for the 20-gigabyte iPod, I'd suggest that -- you're quintupling the space for fifty bucks, i.e. 16 gigabytes for $50 = $3.125 per gigabyte. Even if your girlfriend doesn't have much music, you can use an iPod for backups and stuff -- I almost think of mine as a very portable FireWire hard drive that can also play AAC audio.

I know it's kind of unromantic to think about gigabytes when picking a present for your girlfriend, but she may be backing stuff up on a Zip disk or something -- and noone ever said "no" to any iPod, so long as I can remember.
No, don't go at it like this.

This is a romantic situation. Not a logical one. Unless your GF is Spocket (a female Spock) go with your heart vice your mind.

Sushi

[jsw]

I bought my wife a 4G iPod for her birthday. She didn't like it and said I could have it (well, she wanted me to return it, but it had been opened, and there would be that terrible 10% restocking fee, and I needed a backup device, and whine, whine whine...). She decided to get a pink mini.

As a married person, this suits me fine, as it nets me an iPod. As a dating person, I'd go for the pink mini. Like everyone else advised.

[sushi]

Nice thought, Sushi.
Thanks! I've done things similar to this before. Worked well for me.

The card would need to be good quality. Perhaps wrapped (if she likes those things).
You hit the nail on the head. The card, coupon and envelope need to be classy. In this case, a personally created one will work great if you are so inclined.

Also, the coupon is personally made -- even if it is a bit cheezey it's okay. The key is for her to realize that the idea/gift is from your heart/mind and not your pocketbook.

Also, as somebody stated very correctly, let her pick the color. All to often it is easy to assume that you know which color someone will pick. But unless they have told you, is hard to know. Additionally, with the mini iPod, they look very different in person than in the ads. That is why I will be getting a purple (yeah pink) or blue one vice a silver one. Had I not waited to see them in person, I would have already chosen the silver one hands down.

Sushi

[jsw]

Thanks! I've done things similar to this before. Worked well for me.


You hit the nail on the head. The card, coupon and envelope need to be classy. In this case, a personally created one will work great if you are so inclined.

Also, the coupon is personally made -- even if it is a bit cheezey it's okay. The key is for her to realize that the idea/gift is from your heart/mind and not your pocketbook.

Also, as somebody stated very correctly, let her pick the color. All to often it is easy to assume that you know which color someone will pick. But unless they have told you, is hard to know. Additionally, with the mini iPod, they look very different in person than in the ads. That is why I will be getting a purple (yeah pink) or blue one vice a silver one. Had I not waited to see them in person, I would have already chosen the silver one hands down.

Sushi
I think it's a great idea, and it's the guys call as to whether his girlfriend would prefer being given the choice in advance, or instead would prefer the gift (with, obviously, the ability to return for a different color) as a show of his understanding her enough to pick the right color (which, of course, could backfire, but I suppose the personal gift certificate could as well).

[zelmo]

I think it's a great idea, and it's the guys call as to whether his girlfriend would prefer being given the choice in advance, or instead would prefer the gift (with, obviously, the ability to return for a different color) as a show of his understanding her enough to pick the right color (which, of course, could backfire, but I suppose the personal gift certificate could as well).

In my experience, women don't get too excited by gift certificates, unless they are for a facial, pedicure, or something like that (BTW, always an excellent gift for your gf/wife). Get her a mini, in whichever color you think she will like best. What color is her purse/shoes?
Smart money says that she will love whatever color you picked for her, precisely because you picked it out for her.

[iBert]

Have been following this post. Awesome ideas every one and donutzeatpeople thanks for the idea. One question dough, is your girlfriend kind of forgetfull. I mean do you ask her or tell her stuff, does she forget about them. If so, you have another way of finding which color she'll like for the iPod. After reading this post, I asked my girlfriend what color she like for the iPod mini. I think that after knowing her for 6 years now, I should have known that it would be her favorite color.

So, if you don't feel confortable on doing the gift certificate idea. I liked what someone else said. We the dinner and all then go my the Apple store for a quick look at whatever. You might want to do the same, but try to go with her next time she goes shopping. That way she might forget that you asked her and showed her the iPod mini. After all, you did go shopping with.

PS. I case you like to go shopping with for fun, sorry about that remark. (I go shopping with my gf all the time)

[JeffTL]

No, don't go at it like this.

This is a romantic situation. Not a logical one. Unless your GF is Spocket (a female Spock) go with your heart vice your mind.

Sushi


Well, if you just want to give her the 'pod instead of trying to lure her into an Apple store (or worse, CompUSA -- well, unless she likes to go to electronics stores) you don't want to come off as cheap, or ever have the girl thinking "Gee, it's a shame this thing isn't bigger" -- size DOES matter. And whoever said a bit of logic is not sensible in a romantic situation?

[Blue Velvet]

...Unless your GF is Spocket (a female Spock) go with your heart vice your mind.

Speaking as one of the few 'sprockets' around here...

Get the mini.

DO NOT, under any circumstances, get a gift certificate.
It's just the most dull, ambivalent & lukewarm thing to receive...

Choose the colour you think she likes best.
Keep the receipt, she/you can exchange it if she/you wants.

If it's your take on her taste, then it seems more personal and considered.
Go by accessories/ornaments she's chosen in the past eg. sunglasses, jewellery, earrings etc.

ps. Forget the contrived crap. Dinner, flowers then iPod. Work up to it like that and she might be expecting something a bit more serious... like serious jewellery eg. a ring of some description...

[sushi]

Speaking as one of the few 'sprockets' around here...
Uh, it's not sprockets! :mad:

I was referring to a female version of Spock, as in Star Trek!

DO NOT, under any circumstances, get a gift certificate.
It's just the most dull, ambivalent & lukewarm thing to receive...
Obviously delivery is key.

If you shove a gift certificate in her face, of course she will not like it. The only purpose for the _handmade_ gift certificate is to show her that it was part of your plan and not a impulse idea.

Let me tell you, you walk into any store that has something your woman wants and you present her with a cute card and a handwritten certificate that basically says to her choose what you want, she will be happy. Of course you don't need a card and handwritten certificate. You could just say choose.

But some women will assume that you felt that you didn't do enough for them, and are trying to make up for it. That is the reason for the card and handwritten certificate.

Does what I am trying to say make sense now?

Choose the colour you think she likes best.
Keep the receipt, she/you can exchange it if she/you wants.
The problem with this, is that some women will feel totally uncomfortable with exchanging a gift. They will be worried that they might offend the giver. So instead of giving them a choice, you now have put them in a difficult position.

If it's your take on her taste, then it seems more personal and considered.
Unless you totally missread her. Which is easy to do with some women. She may end up pissed that you don't know her needs/desires/preferences/etc.

BTW, been there done that got the T-shirt.

ps. Forget the contrived crap. Dinner, flowers then iPod. Work up to it like that and she might be expecting something a bit more serious... like serious jewellery eg. a ring of some description...
Appreciate Blue Velvet's input. Good to get different views on the subject.

donutzeatpeople, the key is knowning your GF. Just like some women will get pissed off if you hold open a door for them, while others expect it. Everyone is different. Go with what you feel comfortable doing.

Good luck!

Sushi

[donutzeatpeople]

Well, thanks everyone for your awesome advise. This has turned into an awesome thread and I think I'm gonna go with the Mini. I still have to decide how to give it to her, but that's really the easy part. Thanks again!

[panda]

In my experience, women don't get too excited by gift certificates, unless they are for a facial, pedicure, or something like that (BTW, always an excellent gift for your gf/wife). Get her a mini, in whichever color you think she will like best. What color is her purse/shoes?
Smart money says that she will love whatever color you picked for her, precisely because you picked it out for her.

i totally agree with this approach.

go with the mini and choose the color yourself.

why?
-it shows you know her taste
-it shows you made the effort
-it shows you know how to choose (confidence and decision making skills, very important)!!!
-it is more romantic
-it can be exchanged if absolutely needed
-all the colors are great (i even have a problem choosing for myself cause i love them all, so basically anyone you choose will be great)

let us know how you fare.


:)