( Oddly , most of the people who have express an interest in seeing the miniskirt have been woman . Is that just because there are many adult female who work atMacworld , or because the mini appeals to char ? I ca n’t suffice that interrogation , friend . )
But after having used the mini for , oh , a hearty five hours , I do have some observations :
The Size . severely , you need to pick one up to really understand how tiny the iPod miniskirt is . It ’s hard to consider there ’s a arduous effort in there . It ’s like a small remote control condition , or an ultra - tiny cell phone . It ’s not just modest , but thin and light . I can slip it into a pocket and scarce observe that it ’s there — which is n’t really true of the regular iPod . The Finish . I’m really liking the miniskirt ’s anodized aluminum finish , which is pleasantly textured like the modish bout of PowerBook G4s . The silver model is a perfect equal for the PowerBooks , but the colors are also pretty cute . Around the berth , I ’ve already heard postulation for violet and orange minis . Give Apple enough time , and I ’m sure they ’ll hold .
The Display . The iPod miniskirt ’s display is quite readable , although it ’s definitely smaller type than on the iPod . ( It ’s also in a different case — goodbye , Chicago ! ) The most detectable modification , in fact , is that in Now Playing mode you ca n’t see the name of the album that the current strain belongs to . It ’s okay , but I ca n’t help question if there might not be some better manner to use the Now Playing space . perchance the name of the artist could alternate with the record album deed of conveyance ? I ’m not certain , but while it ’s a little disconcerting , it ’s for certain not a deal - breaker .
The Controls . I have previously complained about the third - generation iPod ’s touch modality - sore buttons , which make it almost impossible to operate that iPod on tactile property . The mini ’s button are in a retro way , namely the same compass - orientation push button body structure of the first two generations of iPod models . The only remainder is , with the mini you chatter on the scroll roulette wheel itself , not on a solidification of buttons ring the outside of the wheel .
There are issues with the reach - oriented button conception . The most dazzling is that while the iPod ’s port involves burrow from left to right , become deeper within your program library , the push that moves you “ left ” ( i.e. , in high spirits up in the interface ) is not the left clitoris , but the top ( “ Menu ” ) push button . That does n’t make any sense , and it make learning how to use the iPod hard than it should be . But I ’ll take bad button emplacement over unusable button any Clarence Day .
The accessary that Work . The iPod miniskirt does n’t come with a wired removed control ( for disgrace ! ) , but it work out just fine with the same remote control that work with the third - coevals iPod . The included belt clip seems o.k. , but I ’m sort of delirious about the optional arm stria , which you’re able to use as a tourniquet in shell you ’re bite by a ophidian while you ’re out running with your miniskirt .
The Accessories that Do n’t Work . If you ’re a fan of the Belkin iPod Voice Recorder or Media Reader , the miniskirt is not for you . It wo n’t act with these accessories , nor with any product that rely on the especial dimensions of the iPod . ( For example , some external battery packs . )
The Storage Capacity . I’ve got a 20 GB program library of music at dwelling . So for me , the iPod mini is n’t probably my best option — unless I really , really need the tiny size . But for a mass of people — including several of the mini admirers who came into my office today — a thousand songs is more than enough . I can see their degree , although I prefer to have my entire music library at my fingertip at all times .
The Price . Leontyne Price is a personal decision . If the iPod miniskirt were the size of the iPod , it would be overpriced , without a doubt . But it ’s not just a small - content iPod ; it ’s also asmalliPod . Is $ 249 too much to compensate for a 4 GB music player ? Maybe . But for some people , it ’s get to be a decent terms because , one , it ’s the cheap iPod , and two , it ’s the small iPod .
Do I wish the mini were cheaper ? You betcha . But I ’m not going to say it ’s overpriced . Every someone is going to have to make up his or her own mind about that one .
