[Suhit Gupta]

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20041027.html

"One of the key reasons for the continuing popularity of Apple Computer's line of iPod music players has been the little iPod Mini, an ultra small and slim version of the player that comes in five stylish colors. The $249 Mini holds just 1,000 songs, versus up to 10,000 for the regular iPod, and is relatively pricey -- just $50 less than a larger iPod that holds five times as much. But it has proved so popular, especially with women and teenagers, that Apple has had trouble keeping it on store shelves. Now, multiple competitors, having failed to dent sales of the main iPod, are taking aim at the Mini. In fact, some manufacturers believe the majority of the market for portable hard-disk based music players will shift during the next few years to lower-capacity, mini-size players."



There are several new small MP3 players in the 5GB range that have appeared on the market. The Rio Carbon, Creative Zen Micro and Dell Pocket DJ amongst others are a few notables. Those new MP3 Players offer 1GB more storage than the iPod mini, but are they a better choice? I don't agree with this article's conclusions but find out about the author's thoughts from this review.

[Suhit Gupta]

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20041027.html

"One of the key reasons for the continuing popularity of Apple Computer's line of iPod music players has been the little iPod Mini, an ultra small and slim version of the player that comes in five stylish colors. The $249 Mini holds just 1,000 songs, versus up to 10,000 for the regular iPod, and is relatively pricey -- just $50 less than a larger iPod that holds five times as much. But it has proved so popular, especially with women and teenagers, that Apple has had trouble keeping it on store shelves. Now, multiple competitors, having failed to dent sales of the main iPod, are taking aim at the Mini. In fact, some manufacturers believe the majority of the market for portable hard-disk based music players will shift during the next few years to lower-capacity, mini-size players."



There are several new small MP3 players in the 5GB range that have appeared on the market. The Rio Carbon, Creative Zen Micro and Dell Pocket DJ amongst others are a few notables. Those new MP3 Players offer 1GB more storage than the iPod mini, but are they a better choice? I don't agree with this article's conclusions but find out about the author's thoughts from this review.

[Gary Sheynkman]

It is very funny how Steve Jobs always says that WM is such a hard critic...yet he always patronizes apple. The mini...much like it's big brother is largely a novelty. The wheel and simple interface are great feature...but then the mini is outgunned but no one notices.