iPod mini… Does it go up to 11?

I posted an article a while back talking about rumors of a forthcoming “miniature” iPod.  Well, in the MacExpo keynote yesterday, the iPod mini was released.  Derek mentioned as much in his post yesterday.

Well, we certainly aren’t the only people wondering what the hell Apple was thinking.  Boing Boing points to a Business Week article about the subject that sums up the issue pretty nicely:

Less music in a device marginally smaller at about the same price. Get it? I didn’t, and few others will, either. In fact, while I was watching Jobs give his spiel, my mind replayed the infamous scene from the cult classic mockumentary Spinal Tap where the dim rock band tries to explain that dials on their amplifiers go to 11—and that’s what makes them louder.

I’m afraid Apple just didn’t really come through like they wanted to with this one.  No doubt it’ll still sell briskly but it could have been so much more…

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Well, here’s what a NY Times journalist, Mac’s official go-to guy for most press releases, had to say.

He said that the pricing was intentional, and a good strategy.  After all, you can’t raise your price after you introduce something.  But, after all of your crazy goosed macphiles buy it at the ridiculous $249 just because it’s new, it’s out, and it’s multicolored.  Heck, Leo on Tech TV said he was probably going to be one of those people.  Knowing him and others like him, they’ll probably buy multiple colors.

Then after they’ve sold to their hardcore money-flowing followers, they drop it to the *real* price.

That’s actually not uncommon.  It happened with video games all the time, especially with so-called “special editions” which may only been different in what was on the box, or a bonus novel or something.  Rarely was it ever even more gaming content--it was always crap, and it was always at least $20 higher, sometimes $50 more.  But we always sold tons and tons of them.  The little store I ran had 140 copies of Diablo II Special Edition reserved, and we sold through on those, and extras that were shipped to us on the first day alone.

Oh, and it also allows them to play Sony’s game and more safely control the demand.  They can slow production down when it’s more expensive, and end up being backordered more often, making it seem like there’s a tremendous need and call for them.  Then after you’ve made a good tick, you juice your factory up (to 11 no doubt, hehe), and simultaneously drop the price $50.  Everyone who was even *thinking* about buying one rushes out.  It’s cheaper and it’s available, and they don’t want to miss out like they did the first time.  What if a “shortage” happens again?  Egads!

i thought the cube sucked the first time i saw it…

I guess it just cant be said enough… mini-ipod just isnt worth it… how do people sit in meetings and decide these things will sell? or is this a case of one man’s ideas with yes-men to follow…

to derek...bada-bing.. didn’t even connect those thoughts until you restated them. I remember all the “special editions” of Star Wars Galaxies.. you got to get “sun glasses” in the game… oh.. and a notebook… that said lucasarts on it… for $30 more than the regular version.... and it sold out… many time

it made hurt my eye bulbs behind

While I’m sure Jobs has yes men, I can’t think of any major product or release that hasn’t made their company money.  There has to be at least one.

reedmaniac, maybe?  You’re more up on your Apple history than I am.  What was their big flop or failed devices?

Oh wait.  I already remember.  The Newton.  Whose only flaw was, it was 10 years too early--as evidenced by the current Palm and PocketPC explosion.

The Cube is another non-money maker, since they discontinued it less than a year after it was released. 

Another good read on the iPod Mini over at DaringFireball

in light of this PERHAPS it would be worth it if it were half again smaller.

You have a business card in your wallet Greg?  That’s the exact dimensions of the mini.  Any smaller would be too small.  It’d either get lost or have a horrible interface.

thats where im at… the ipods small enough

Maybe they should make them smaller. Maybe they should even go so far as to raise the price too. That way when no one buys them, they will small enough to give them away in Cracker Jack boxes.

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