December 22nd, 2007Review Of The Apple iPod Mini (6GB)
Manufacturer: Apple 
Category: Micro Drive Player
Weight: 3.5 oz
Battery life: 18
Storage Capacity: 6GB
Storage Type: Micro Drive
Audio formats: MP3, AAC
Works with: Micro Drive 2 eMusic, LiveDownloads, AudioLunchbox, iTunes
The iPod product has become synonymous with excellent portable audio players, and the second-generation Apple iPod Mini carries on the tradition with its fashionable, intelligent design. Apple has complete precious few (but each and every one necessary) updates to its stylish micro drive player, which is a good mania because it was already a winner. The device’s strongest design point, the Click Wheel, has been spiffed up with color-coded labels to match each color option, and Apple has done away with the unpopular gold mock-up. But the most exhilarating improvement are the improved battery life–now rate at 18 hours–and the addition of a 6GB option ($249). Even better, the 4GB iPod Mini is now priced more aggressively at $199. Though our dreams of a color-screen iPod Mini are yet unrealized, even these apparently evolutionary change show that Apple is prepared to fight the ever-increasing attack of self-proclaimed “Mini killers.”
Features
The Apple iPod Mini’s playback features are all accessible and programmable from the main menu. You can look through by song, artist, album, genre, playlist, or composer. With the On The Go function, you can generate a new playlist without a computer. When you sync the player to iTunes 4.2 or later, the new playlist uploads to your PC or Mac and can download back to the Mini automatically for later listening. Another cool utility: In Autosync mode, iTunes sizes up your iPod Mini’s obtainable storage space and creates a playlist that fits the capacity entirely, consisting of songs you’ve rated highly or listened to added frequently. This is crucial as both the 4GB and 6GB capacities (which can each hold between two and four survival value of nonstop music) be smaller than most serious digital music set. It also means that stipulation you’ve by now used iTunes to pay attention to music on your PC or Mac, the primary time you connect the iPod Mini, all of your favorite songs automatically transfer to the player until it’s full.
A Playlist function lets you rate a song on a scale of one to five while it’s playing; higher-rated songs play more frequently in Shuffle mode (you can also rate songs within the iTunes application). Library/device syncing is still as smart as ever. When you plug in the Mini or drop it in the optional cradle, iTunes launch and routinely syncs your tune set otherwise selected playlists. With iTunes, you can also make MP3 and AAC files from your CDs. The iPod Mini handles AAC files as it would MP3 files, but AAC sounds better at the same bit rate. The player also supports WAV/AIFF and spoken-word Audible files, which can now be purchased from the iTunes Music Store. The software can also resample songs to a certain bit speed relate volume leveling (a.k.a. normalization), and digitally augment songs while transferring them.
The iPod Mini has no compatibility problems transporting data files between computers–Macs or PCs–when you make active the Enable Disk utilize function. In this move toward, the Mini mounts as a data drive, but it hide its music files unless you use the above-described workaround.
Performance
The electronics accountable for sound imitation in the Apple iPod Mini are indistinguishable to those found on the iPod, so you get the same solid sound quality and loud maximum output (30mW per channel). The included ear buds sound good, but our Shure E3c test headphones completed the sonics shine even more.
Apple claims the internal battery takes between 2 and 4 hours to rejoice and lasts 18 hours on a single charge–this be just about on a par with the Rio Carbon’s battery life and significantly better than the iPod Mini’s before rated occasion of 12 hours. In our tests, the iPod Mini beat this time by a little more than 3 hours, eking out 21.1 hours of tunes. The battery is nonreplicable, but if you’re unhappy with its resiliency subsequent to a couple of years, Apple will swap inside a new one for $99.
Apple claims an antiskid protection of 25 minutes, thanks to a 32MB flash buffer. We knowledgeable no hop through testing. But as with all hard drive-based MP3 players, the iPod Mini is not as well apposite for serious physical action as flash-based players, which have no moving parts. That said, it would positively work (and look) fine at the gym, particularly with the not mandatory armband.
Design
Though it scarcely seems possible, we think the Apple iPod Mini’s design surpasses even that of its graphic older sibling. Its stylish, anodized-aluminum shell is so tough that we felt as if we could stand on the machine without consequence. Apple constructs the body by hollowing out Mini-shaped aluminum hunk so that there are no seams in the construction, then applies the color during the anodization procedure so that it can’t scratch off. The second-generation player is available in silver, as well as in deeper and more-vibrant shades of green, blue, and pink.
But toward our palate, the tastiest design treat is the spruced-up Click Wheel. Play, menu/back, fast-forward, and rewind functions take their positions at the four compass points of the circular control, and each option offers physical feedback when you press down–you get that satisfying “click” feeling and sound. As we mentioned earlier, the labels for each function on the iPod Mini also now correspond with the body color. The touch-sensitive Click Wheel still works perfectly for scrolling through lengthy song lists with speed and precision. As with the white iPod, the unlabeled button in the middle of the wheel is used to choose the desired option. The only other control on the player is the sliding hold key on top, which hair all functions. To adjust the volume, you must use the Click Wheel while in Now Playing mode. If you prefer the convenience of dedicated volume buttons, you might want to buy a wired remote control.
An exposed slot, the dock connector on the bottom of the iPod Mini attaches to either the included USB 1.1/2.0 cable or an not obligatory FireWire cable. Alternatively, you can hook up via a cradle (sold separately for $39), which in turn connects in the direction of the FireWire or USB cable or directly to a stereo through the line-out jack. Unfortunately, Apple no longer includes the power adapter, but you can purchase one separately if you prefer not to charge up through your computer. The Mini snaps into an built-in white belt clip for on-the-go listening. Apple also offers an optional armband ($29) for exercise, which uses the equal cool, snap-in design, but as with all hard drive-based MP3 players, the iPod Mini isn’t the ideal choice for extreme physical activity.
Other than the Belk in voice recorder and flash adapter, most third-party trimmings designed for the latest round of white iPods also work with the small.
