[Damn True]

I dig my 4g iPod mini. I am a bit dissatisfied with battery life though.

 

[Damn True]

It's thinking like that, which has put rio, creative, and iRiver firmly below Apple in the DAP market.

Don't you get it? The mass market doesn't WANT any of this stuff. Engineering driven companies have a nasty habit of designing everything for an early adopter. Apple, a marketing driven company, doesn't have that problem. You talk about marketing as if it's a bad thing. 95% of the MP3 player market can't purchase anything other than an iPod, because they can't understand anything other than an iPod. That's because Apple spent the time and the money understanding their customers needs (through, gasp, marketing), not their engineers pipe dreams.

That being said, I'm somewhere between an early adopter and mass market. I don't intend to buy an iPod. Additionally, as the market ages and consumers become more DAP savvy, Apple WILL add features and performance to keep up. What they won't do is add features and performance just because they CAN, if the market isn't ready for it.

Well said.

 

[-dustin]

is that a new 4g Mini? i've read some people getting 24hrs+ battery life.

 

[syadasti]

A screen would not significantly add the to the cost of a player

It's thinking like that, which has put rio, creative, and iRiver firmly below Apple in the DAP market.

Don't you get it? The mass market doesn't WANT any of this stuff. Engineering driven companies have a nasty habit of designing everything for an early adopter. Apple, a marketing driven company, doesn't have that problem. You talk about marketing as if it's a bad thing. 95% of the MP3 player market can't purchase anything other than an iPod, because they can't understand anything other than an iPod. That's because Apple spent the time and the money understanding their customers needs (through, gasp, marketing), not their engineers pipe dreams.

That being said, I'm somewhere between an early adopter and mass market. I don't intend to buy an iPod. Additionally, as the market ages and consumers become more DAP savvy, Apple WILL add features and performance to keep up. What they won't do is add features and performance just because they CAN, if the market isn't ready for it.

What the hell are you talking about? Apple has a screen on every player they make besides the Shuffle. A screen is a required feature when trying to manage dozens of songs on the go. Even cheap CD players have screens and they only usually have to deal with a dozen songs.

Rio makes better players period. I've used them all and have convinced people who own iPods to sell them after they gave mine a try in real life. The experts who own a half dozen DAP at DAPreview.com rate the Apple units as being some of the best, but Rio is still on top for them despite owning and using both.

Its like a brand like Santa Cruz - not the best bikes in the world but probably the best marketed ones. Mid-grade bikes which are rated by most riders who don't know any better to be high-end rides...

 

[Damn True]

is that a new 4g Mini? i've read some people getting 24hrs+ battery life.

My GF bought it for me at Christmas time. I sure don't get 24 hrs.

 

[-dustin]

i want to say that the 2nd gen Minis were released in Feb or March. if you've got an Apple Store nearby, perhaps they can hook you up with an exchange?