Rumor: New iPod Mini Line With Color Screens Coming Wednesday?

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://thinksecret.com/news/0502ipods.html' target='_blank'>http://thinksecret.com/news/0502ipods.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Insider information points to six new colors making their debut. Pricing on the new mini is said to be $199, although this may be for a 4GB model that Apple will continue to produce and not necessarily the new 6GB mini, which we originally reported will sell for $249."</i><br /><br />This basically confirms my suspicion that Apple intends to make color screens standard across the entire iPod product rather than relegating that technology to specialized models like the iPod Photo. As enticing as a color screen Mini sounds, I'll wait for Fifth generation models to appear. Minis just don't offer enough storage capacity for my needs.

[Felix Torres]

Well, of course they have to do color; everybody else already is doing it!
You can't pretend to lead if you don't at least keep pace with the innovators. :-)
The have to do color.
Just like at some point this year they will do video.

Its just the old Apple/Palm spin-doctoring: customers don't need a feature until *they* can offer it.
*then* it is innovative and unique,regardless of how many other vendors have been doing it for a year.

[Kent Pribbernow]

All things being equal I agree. But never underestimate Apple's desire to milk a new feature or product for all its worth. Mark my words; if the iPod Photo had been a barnstorming success (note I said if ), you would be looking at monochrome screens on iPods for the next two years, as Apple rakes in fat cushy margins on the Photo model. However, they played the color screen card, and they lost. Apple openly confesses the iPod Photo was a Phlop (misspelling intentional). So now they are pushing color into the entire product line to goose sales and remain competitive.

[Felix Torres]

Apple openly confesses the iPod Photo was a Phlop (misspelling intentional). So now they are pushing color into the entire product line to goose sales and remain competitive.

They do?
That's a bit more candor than normal for the house of fruit.
I guess the screen wasn't conspicuous enough to justify the premium.
As a rule, the other vendors offering color aren't charging much of a premium for the screens, which they shouldn't since those phone-grade color screens are pretty cheap to start with.

Me, I think that if you're going to do color and charge a premium--that is, color as a feature and not a gimmick--it has to be a big enough screen to actually watch photos on it. Ideally, you'd want a screen like the one on the M:Robe (which, judging by reviews, is a screen in search of a product).
3.5" VGA is a good screen for photo-viewing and far from bad for video, when the time comes.
Its all a matter of following the technology curve and jumping in when the screen prices hit the right point.

[Jason Eaton]

Just thought I would pipe in here and offer a word of caution; the number of rumors that turn out to be false with Apple is quite high versus what they actually release.

A lot of them seem to stem from users who wish for more, or expand on some common thoughts that SEEM plasuable. In short a lot of stories become 'Apple Myth'.

While color would be nice, and everyone else is doing it... Apple also released a player with NO SCREEN. Now I am not bashing Apple, I in fact like their products alot and this rumor could end up being totally true. However I also have seen the after effect when things like this don't come true and people turn it around to bash Apple with. Wednesday might come and go and people will say that Apple lost its chance by not adding a color screen to the Shuffle.

Anyhoots. Food for thought.

[klinux]

Thepremium that Apple charges for iPod, among other things, is its integration and user interface.

No reviews have ever said, yeah, this xyz brand digital audio player is easier and more more intuitive to use than iPod!

[Jason Eaton]

For anyone keeping track:

Apple has released a new iPod mini, with the same screen as before but now with 6 gig of storage. The 4 gig starts at $199, and the 6 gig is $249. There are only 4 colors now, Blue, Pink, Green, Silver (no more gold). The 6 gig retains the same size as the 4 gig.

The iPod photo has also received an update with a *smaller* capicty of 30 gig and a starting price of $349. No other significant changes other then a slightly smaller thickness.