bennetsaysargh
macrumors 68020
steve said that they're going after the higher end flash market with the minis, so why does it have a HD?
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Hitachi Drive in iPod Mini
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I would guess this, yes. It would cost Rio $140 or less for the 4 GB twin drives. Another possibility is that Cornice has another model which uses two platters instead of the single platter, but would be 50%? thicker than the 2 GB one.
I was comparing at the specs between the Hitachi Microdrive and the Cornice drive and noticed something interesting... even though the physical external drive casing measures exactly the same size, the Microdrive includes the CF connectors within that area. The Cornice drive uses an external ribbon for connectivity making it useless as a Compact Flash device (I wish it wasn't!). This means that Cornice has at least 5.5mm more space in order to fit the hard drive platter. This means that they do not need to have as high of a density to get the 2 GB and is another reason why it is much cheaper than the Hitachi Microdrive.
I do feel better about purchasing the iPod mini because of the proven track record of these 1" drives from Hitachi. They have been used in professional settings (digital pro SLR cameras) for approx. three years.
rdowns
macrumors Penryn
I think it's time for the Top 10 MacRumors Bitches and Moans:
1. No G5 PowerBook
2. No speed bump PowerMacs
3. No sub $100 iPod
4. $49 for iLife- blasphemy
5. Why does Apple ignore ___ (insert foreign country here)
6. No sub $200 iPod
7. No G5 iMac
8.
😀
Looks like I need some help finishing the list..
I think there's a pretty good chance that Apple will put out a Cornice-based 2GB mini by this summer for $199 or even slightly less.
You've gotta think that after using a 2 or 4 GB iPod for a bit that half the people would upgrade to a 20+ GB.
The $99 rumors were so preposterous. Apple has never been and should never be that aggressive with pricing. Apple is actually pretty decent at creating the product roadmap. It's got the color thing down: start with one color, bring out multi-color. It roadmapped the iPod with hard drive increases. Now it will roadmap the mini with a hard drive decreases. It's all very savvy.
You've gotta think that after using a 2 or 4 GB iPod for a bit that half the people would upgrade to a 20+ GB.
The $99 rumors were so preposterous. Apple has never been and should never be that aggressive with pricing. Apple is actually pretty decent at creating the product roadmap. It's got the color thing down: start with one color, bring out multi-color. It roadmapped the iPod with hard drive increases. Now it will roadmap the mini with a hard drive decreases. It's all very savvy.
The only idiot who thought it was going to be a Flash drive was anal-yst Rob Enderle.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4039425
Anyone with half a brain can easily see that Flash memory is prohibitively expensive and obviously unnecessary.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4039425
Anyone with half a brain can easily see that Flash memory is prohibitively expensive and obviously unnecessary.
SiliconAddict
macrumors 603
Well there's the reason for the $249 price tag. I wonder how much each unit cost in bulk. If it was similar to the quoted $70 per drive for the Cornice drive.
SiliconAddict
macrumors 603
You shouldn't. The microdrive has only been out 3 years. I picked up one of the first gen MDs when they came out. Within a year I had it replaced 3 times under warrantee. I hang around www.pocketpcthoughts.com 's forum and there are plenty of unhappy MD users to date. Finally I lead a Pocket PC user group and there have been more then a few users who have had their 1GB MD die on them. These drives aren't all that reliable yet. I fear there is the possibility of many an iPod mini user may have their device die on them in a year or so. That's when bad sectors started creeping up in my drive.
Watch for head crash
As a professional photographer that still uses the IBM Microdrive, 1GB flavor, it should be mentioned that IBM stated that the microdrives should not be used above an altitude of about 10,000ft. Here in Hawaii we have a pair of mountain peaks about 13,000ft and I've read reports of head crashes with the microdrives with loss of data. The air is just too thin for the heads to float above the tiny platters with enough clearance. I'm guessing the same is true of the mini iPod (maybe even the regular ones).
Note that airliners are pressurized to an apparent 9,000ft so it should not pose a problem to use a microdrive while flying (unless you're in an unpressurized cabin, heaven forbid).
As a professional photographer that still uses the IBM Microdrive, 1GB flavor, it should be mentioned that IBM stated that the microdrives should not be used above an altitude of about 10,000ft. Here in Hawaii we have a pair of mountain peaks about 13,000ft and I've read reports of head crashes with the microdrives with loss of data. The air is just too thin for the heads to float above the tiny platters with enough clearance. I'm guessing the same is true of the mini iPod (maybe even the regular ones).
Note that airliners are pressurized to an apparent 9,000ft so it should not pose a problem to use a microdrive while flying (unless you're in an unpressurized cabin, heaven forbid).
Re: Watch for head crash
You must live on the Big Island!
I have read/heard that Microdrives are not as reliable as the solid-state CF cards. I did not hear about the 10,000 limit though.
However, I feel better about the reliability of the IBM/Hitachi drive as opposed to a Cornice-based drive.
You must live on the Big Island!
I have read/heard that Microdrives are not as reliable as the solid-state CF cards. I did not hear about the 10,000 limit though.
However, I feel better about the reliability of the IBM/Hitachi drive as opposed to a Cornice-based drive.
bennetsaysargh
macrumors 68020
and a remote. the dock and the remote are both very useful. that and you get the carrying case and a 4 to 6 pin FW adapter. sure you might not use it for your iPod, but it came in handy with my DV camera when i couldn't find the right cord.