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Apple to Debut Slim, Flash Based iPods

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

January 6, 2005, 2:46 PM

On the heels of news that Creative will offer smaller capacity versions of its Zen Micro MP3 player, Apple is preparing to debut 1GB and 2GB Flash memory based iPods, along with a larger 5GB iPod mini at Macworld next week. Think Secret reports the slimmed down iPods will run $149 and $199 USD.

Rumors of a Flash based iPod surfaced in December, surrounding news that Sony was releasing MP3-compatible Walkman models offering 512MB and 1GB capacities. According to Think Secret, Apple's new Flash iPod features a screen that is similar in width to the iPod mini's, but two lines shorter. The low-cost device is expected to utilize buttons for controlling tunes, rather than Apple's ClickWheel.

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By wormeyman

posted Jan 6, 2005 - 4:55 PM

Currently my whole collection is in apple lossless so i'd have to re-rip it into a more managable size but $150 is a pretty decent price :D

Score: 0

By nate

posted Jan 6, 2005 - 5:25 PM

Definitely going to make things more interesting in the marketplace, that's for sure! Other companies may be cheaper, but Apple is doing it right. And these new devices should be even smaller than the iPod mini, which make them perfect for people on the go, or taking to the gym. Can't wait to see what Apple has up its sleeve personally.

Score: 0

By faux

posted Jan 8, 2005 - 7:01 PM

"Other companies may be cheaper, but Apple is doing it right."

I don't see Apple doing much of anything right with the iPod. iPods are severely lacking in durability, sound quality, and battery life. One would think that after four years, Apple would have developed a user-replacable battery. Yes, a person can risk breaking his iPod and replace the battery himself, and yes, Apple has a "Battery replacement program" which charges $100 to send you a new iPod.

The Creative Zen Micros will be coming in a wider variety of sizes than the iPod flash is rumored to come in, and the prices are very similar to the iPod flash. Sound quality will, of course, be superior, unless Apple suddenly decided to put more emphasis on audio than style.

I assume that the iPod flash will use standard batteries, but the Zen Micros have long 12+ hour battery life, consistently from my experience, and are user replacable. The next iterations of the Micro will also have built-in wireless technology for headphones.

Apple needs to get its act together with the iPod. When the present fad dies down, they may lose customers, and their hold as the most popular player (based soley on sales).

Score: 0

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