September 03, 2005

New iPod Mini Flash Details

ThinkSecret has the scoop on the details of Apple's new iPod Minis.

The music player will ditch its hard drive and move entirely to solid state, flash media, a move that sources familiar with the new design say will shave 20 to 25 percent off the size of the unit.

The new iPod mini, which will probably be introduced at Apple Expo Paris on September 20, will be available in three capacities: 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB. The iPod mini will sport dual NAND flash memory chips to achieve those higher capacities, and Apple has already locked in for the rest of the year a majority of Samsung's new 4GB flash modules.

To further the size savings, the new iPod mini will sport a color screen that's slightly smaller than the current version. Sources say the screen will measure 1.467 inches, down from 1.67 inches, but will feature a higher resolution: 176 x 132, up from 138 x 110, as Think Secret reported in February. It's likely, while uncertain, that the iPod mini's scroll wheel will also see a small reduction in size.

Pricing is not entirely clear, but the new 4GB and 6GB models may remain priced at $199 and $249, respectively, while the 8GB iPod mini could cost as much as $299. At that price the 8GB iPod mini would cost as much as a 20GB iPod, but Apple reportedly is not worried that equivalent pricing will affect sales of the iPod mini as sales of the full-size iPods have lagged far behind iPod minis in recent quarters.