iPod Mini - 5 or 6 GB & Color Screen?

[Lord Blackadder]

I for one am not worried about feature content on the iPod. Don't get me wrong, adding functionality is good, but I hope that Apple never loses sight of the key attributes of the iPod: excellent ergonomics, capacity and stylishness. Not to mention iTunes.

Competitiors have the edge in feature content in some cases but they are never as ergonomically or stylistically attractive as the iPod. THAT is why it sells. Apple is being careful in adding features so that theny don't cramp the iPod's style, and so far so good.

 

[johnbro23]

And I really don't see the need for 20 hours of battery life. Why do you people need ANY more than 8... hell any more than 6??

Morning commute + Evening commute + Gym Time.. that's gotta max out at about 4 hours. Then you go home and dock it. Done. What kind of lives do you people lead where you need it non-stop, away from a socket, for 20 hours??

I fully agree 100% totally all the way.

 

[FightTheFuture]

please be true!

i've been waiting for a mini the size of my 1st gen ipod. old 5gigger starting to show its age. a colorful color mini with my home folder backed up to it! perfect for the mac user & not so hardcore music listener.

 

[gallivant]

I go on 6+ hour bus trips all the time with my iPod, often with a couple extra hours hanging around bus stations, plus another half hour to hour of bus transit, plus... et cetera. In day to day use you might only use a few hours, but those times when you want more, it's beautiful to have.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Cool, my prediction was correct. Except for the 6 GB part. They had to do color and it probably will still remain around $250.

 

[jer446]

will it be able to display photos? That would be a great thing.. if not, then the color screen is pointless..

 

[paco taco mike]

I fully agree 100% totally all the way.

i use mine all daywhile at work (8-10 hours) Fixing broken PC's while listening and using my great Mac.

-mike

 

[klaus]

will it be able to display photos? That would be a great thing.. if not, then the color screen is pointless..

I don't see it being pointless, hell, my mobile phone has a color screen as well, but I don't display photos on it, it's just the next logical step.

If it would display photos, it would be taking away from the iPod Photo

 

[cxny]

Sign Me UP!
But how come the stock dropped today?

 

[Inkmonkey]

makes me wonder if they'll offer the same photo support as in the iPod photo.

Great Color Capuchins! Was wondering the same thing. Especially if they incorporate color screens into regular iPods as well. What does that do to the iPod photo line?

 

[swissmann]

I'd be more tempted to buy one if it kept a monocrome screen and dropped $50 in price. Not much of an upgrade in capicity either. I know that 6 GB is a 50% increase but 2 GB just isn't much space when it comes to music.

 

[Reeves]

And I really don't see the need for 20 hours of battery life. Why do you people need ANY more than 8... hell any more than 6??

20 hours would be great because I have to go on 14 hour+ trips twice a month every few months. I'm sure many people do need 20 hour battery, although I'm not sure that is achiveable yet.

Reeves

 

[Lacero]

And I really don't see the need for 20 hours of battery life. Why do you people need ANY more than 8... hell any more than 6??

Do you feel this same way with your cell phone? Probably not. For some people, their music player is just as essential as their mobile phones.

 

[Jovian9]

And I really don't see the need for 20 hours of battery life. Why do you people need ANY more than 8... hell any more than 6??

Morning commute + Evening commute + Gym Time.. that's gotta max out at about 4 hours. Then you go home and dock it. Done. What kind of lives do you people lead where you need it non-stop, away from a socket, for 20 hours??

B/C battery life is determined by what the settings are on the iPod and whether or not the file size is the 'Apple Recommended' 128AAC. Some of us use larger files that eat more battery life. Changing songs, using playlists, etc. use more battery life......so you will not get the max 8 hours out of the mini. My wife and I get about 6 on ours (average)......and about 14 on the iPod Photo.....HUGE difference! Also, not everyone lives 9-5 and can be at home the same time everyday to plug in their iPods. I'd rather live my day-to-day life and plug in the iPod when convenient than worry about my iPod dieing and schedule around the next time I can charge it.....b/c I can't live without it so it has to always have juice

The upgraded iPod Minis definitely need better battery life. If they do have a color screen I doubt they will support all the photos, like the iPod Photo.....maybe album artwork.

New Colors?! Please Orange!

 

[r6girl]

this is excellent - i've been waiting for this. i have a 30gb, but i've found that i'd really just like something smaller for working out and snowboarding (with a screen), so i've been eyeing a mini for some time now. i know it will be hard to go from the 30gb to a mini, but i'll take all the extra gb i can get and a color screen. i'm ordering on the day they're available and my 30gb will go on ebay right after that!

marianne

 

[DrEwe]

Album art...

i dont see the point in a color screen either. graphically the monchrome screens look great.

I have an iPod Photo - and the album art feature is way cool. If it was enhanced so that I could browse albums by art, or the art was the default screen it would be great. I think it will look good on the mini.

btw - I remember the 1st color screen laptops, thinking "who in the hell needs a color laptop screen?"!!!!

 

[feakbeak]

And I really don't see the need for 20 hours of battery life. Why do you people need ANY more than 8... hell any more than 6??

Morning commute + Evening commute + Gym Time.. that's gotta max out at about 4 hours. Then you go home and dock it. Done. What kind of lives do you people lead where you need it non-stop, away from a socket, for 20 hours??

I don't need 20 hours of battery life. But I do need more than 6 and sometimes more than 8. I'm a programmer, so I use my iPod almost the entire workday, plus my commutes and at the gym. I have a 4G iPod with the 12h battery spec, but I've never run out of juice during the day. I dock it each night and forget about it, never had a problem. So I hear your argument.

Still, longer battery life is always nice in case you forget to charge overnight. Another good benefit is that rechargable batteries lose capacity with age, so longer battery life will give the iPod more longevity without having to replace the battery after a couple of years. However, I don't see why people completely flip out about a battery life of only 12 hours though.

If this rumor is true the mini's will be quite popular again. I also just bought the gf a mini about a month ago (after passing on it for xmas thinking we'd have updates at MWSF). But since last month, we split up, so I'm not too upset if she'll now have an out-dated model.

If the 5G models get a color screen, I'll be very tempted to sell/give my 4G to a friend or family member and pick up a 5G. I'd love to see album art in color while playing music and I could load my digital photos, plus it just makes the iPods look so much sharper. I didn't think a color screen would be that big of a deal, until I saw the iPod photo in person and used the interface in color, a much more polished feel.

 

[ziwi]

Same price point is great - larger drive - color screen, what is not to like here? Question is will they be able to match the demand and avoid the shipping delay's?

 

[themacman]

New Ipod minis and imacs on tuesday

the shipping dates changed today for the date of Guess what? Tusday it is the same for the imac

 

[runninmac]

Sounds Awsome and possible. This is PERFECT! my mini olny has 400 mb left so now is the time to update for me!

 

[BornAgainMac]

btw - I remember the 1st color screen laptops, thinking "who in the hell needs a color laptop screen?"!!!!

I remember that. People laughed at that idea of having color on a laptop. I wish I could go back in time with a Powerbook and really show off why you need color running OS X. I probably would be thrown in jail for witchcraft.

 

[crees!]

I figured this would happen. I waited and waited to buy my girlfriend her iPod mini and finally got it for Valentine's Day. Now they are going to be updated. I wouldn't have been too upset if it was just a 5 gig HD instead of 4 but now we are looking at possible color screens and 6 gigs! Guess I will have to give Apple a call and see if they will send us a new one.

Same here but picked up one for my Mother. Go figure.. though it doesn't matter. She loves it and I'm the only one in the family that keeps up on all this crap.

 

[kuyu]

Seagate drives.... Called it (sort of)

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/1196633/

 

[Loge]

I like the suggestion the new drives will have technology (RunOn) to ensure consistent playback in a high-motion environment, such as working out. I had considered the shuffle for the gym, but the single playlist really puts me off. I would consider something like this update.

I expect the battery to go to 12 hours, like the regular iPods. The color screen is a good idea, the mini's screen is smaller to begin with and if they use the myriad font like the photo, they can get more text on the screen.

No word about possible exterior colors. I expect they'll keep at least silver and pink, but I reckon the others are up for grabs.

 

[dongmin]

I wonder if Apple have made some breakthroughs in extending battery life? The current iPod Mini gives a just-about-bearable 8 hours maximum play time. With a newer HD and a colour screen this would place more demands on it, I just wonder what they've done to help it.

Hah, you'd be hard pressed to get more than 7 hours on the Mini (even with all the settings turned down). The battery is the single biggest flaw in the Minis.