And Mini Makes Three

And Mini Makes Three

Well, it was bound to happen. After buying a 20GB iPod, then passing it on to my wife and getting a 40GB iPod, we went and added a bouncing green baby iPod to the family. Honestly, I didn't expect to be interested in the Mini when I bought the other two, but watching my wife and daughter fight over the 20GB (the 40GB is always safely put away when I'm not using it), we decided that an iPod would make a great Chanukah for our 10-year-old daughter.

My wife joined me at the Apple Store (her first time) and all it took was one look at the green mini and she had to have it. I tried to explain that while smaller and lighter than the 20GB, it had only 1/5th the capacity and 2/3 the battery life. Her response was that she only had used 2GB on the big iPod so far, and that the ability to put it in an armband and take it running was more important than holding more music, as switching music in and out is a piece of cake with iTunes.

So, the 20GB went back in its beautiful box and has since made my daughter scream "I got an iPod" for a few hours straight, while my wife's music has been transferred to the mini. How does it compare to the larger iPods? First off, for a description of how the iPod mini works, I'll say that it is exactly the same as the 4th generation large iPod, or more accurately the opposite, as the larger iPods copied the clickwheel and interface from the mini. Using it is as easy as pie, with a single control that does absolutely everything in an absolutely effortless manner.

Want to scroll through the menus? Just sllide your finger around the wheel. Want to select a menu or select a song? Just press the center. Want to adjust the volume? Again, just slide your finger around the wheel. There is even a lock slider on the top so that the settings won't change as you work out.

The packaging is gorgeous, just like the regular iPod's, only smaller and with a metal front. Where the regular iPods look llike Apple's iBook laptops in all their translucent white glory, the mini looks more like a colored PowerBook, with a brushed aluminum case that just looks expensive, AND STRONG.

Sound? Well, its an iPod. It sounds as good or better than any other music player out there, but like all of them, is influenced by the quality of what you put in. Feed in low-sample-rate MP3s and it will sound like garbage, but feed in high quality MP3s, rip from your CDs or download from the iTunes Music Store, and you will be astounded that something so small could put out such rich, powerful sound.

Battery life is better than expected. Apple claims 8 hours for the mini, but we tested it to 11.5 hours, which is almost what Apple claims for the larger 4G iPods, and a very pleasant surprise. Of course, like all iPods, when the rechargeable battery finally does give up the ghost, it will be $99 and a trip to Apple to replace it.

In the end, the iPod mini is simply a brilliant product, perhaps more so than the original iPod. It gets amazing life from its battery, sounds terrific and looks very cool. The only problem is the low capacity of its built-in hard drive, but I'm sure that Apple is already working on a higher capacity version. Even as it is though, the 4GB iPod mini makes the ultimate workout partner, you just have to be a little more selective about what you put on it.