“In a move that could have big implications for the storage and chip markets, Apple will unveil a new flash memory-based iPod later this year, say analysts,” Troy Wolverton and Bill Snyder report for TheStreet.com. “The company will soon replace its hard drive-based 4GB iPod mini with a flash memory-based version that has the same storage capacity, Nam Hyung Kim, an analyst with industry research firm iSuppli, says in a recent report.”
Wolverton and Snyder report, “A report this week from Deutsche Bank Securities analyst Ben Lynch says Apple is expected to have the device on store shelves in time for the holidays; Kim says Apple is expected to ship 3 million to 6 million of the devices in the second half of this calendar year.”
“With its line of iPods, Apple has dominated the digital music player business, accounting for more than 73% of the units shipped in the U.S. in the first half of the year, according to the NPD Group, an industry research firm. Though its initial players were all based on hard drives, the company jumped into the flash-based market earlier this year with its introduction of the iPod shuffle,” Wolverton and Snyder report. A flash-based iPod mini would offer “the storage space available in a hard-drive based player and a screen to boot — while allowing Apple to package it in a light-weight device.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Apple to switch 4GB iPod mini from hard-drive to flash-based? – August 22, 2005
Report: Apple to debut 4GB, 6GB iPod shuffle units later this year – August 18, 2005
RUMOR: 2GB and 4GB iPod shuffles, 8GB iPod mini coming soon – June 29, 2005
CSFB: Apple to unveil iPod shuffle, iPod mini units with greater disk space ‘throughout the year’ – June 29, 2005
Report: Apple may be meeting goal of selling 1 million iPod shuffles per month – July 15, 2005
Report: Apple preps 2GB and 4GB versions of iPod shuffle for June, August releases – May 27, 2005
They just keep’em comming. Hey am I first?
coming. the key stuck.
Hey Cloudwall
Are you running a Mac Mini with an old DELL keyboard.
A flash-based iPod mini would offer “the storage space available in a hard-drive based player and a screen to boot — while allowing Apple to package it in a light-weight device.”
————
… with longer battery life and skip-free use during sports/exercise. It’ll kick ass.
MW: Probably. As in, I’ll “probably” make this my fifth iPod purchase!
This projection after “Apple’s next quarter results will be really ugly.”
These people have no clue. It’s like a shell game. And these monkey love to play.
I personally cannot wait for this product. I need something to go snowboarding with. The hard drive players, in addition to being fragile, have terrible battery life in the cold weather. I wonder if these will be better …
I would have bought a shuffle but i was waiting for the second generation ones.
I also just got a 4GB mini as a throw in on a relative’s iBook purchase. How do people with multiple iPods manage? Do you have specific ones for specific activities? Or do you put all your classical music on one iPod, and all your rock on another?
“…while allowing Apple to package it in a light-weight device.”
Yeah, the current mini weighs way too much!
No kidding. It’s funny how this very same anal-yst was predicting doom and gloom in early July, but now he’s saying everything is bright and rosy. Tools.
Winston hit the nail on the head. This IS gonna kick ass. Will this be *the* product of Christmas ’05? Candy colors, light weight, long battery life…oh man…
MW=trouble. As in, those other poor slobs are in LOTS of trouble.
Hey Mike…I have 2 iPods and I use both of them regularly. I use my shuffle for when I’m exercising and my 30GB photo for basically everything else. Works out great that way. The shuffle doesn’t ever skip and I don’t need a screen either since you can’t really look at one while running or biking anyway.
Time for my fourth iPod!
Ironically, I just bought a 4Gb mini yesterday, they might be right!
I’m with Rob – use a shuffle for running and my 3G pod for the car etc.
A 4 gig flash based mini is good, but I’m more in the market for a replacement for the 3G pod. Need more space and the color screen is certainly more readable.
The shuffle was perfect for me – enough songs to run a marathon with and cheap at $99.
Keep it cheap and sell more! Color is awesome, but not $25 awesome. Not needed on a low-model player.
Now if you throw it in for free….
A flash mini would be sweet. The memory would use less physical space, so there would be even more space for a more powerful battery, maybe 30+ hours.
An estimate based on an unannounced product?
Whether or not the rumor is true is not the point.
But it is ridiculous that someone could put out financial projections when the product has not even been announced, much less released.
It’s even more ridiculous when no one has any idea when such a product will be released. Apple has often delayed the release of a particular iPod model because current versions are selling so well (remember how long it took them to update the original iPod mini).
This is just so much hot air and this Troy Wolverton guy seems to keep pumping out inane articles about Apple.
A flash based mini with color screen? Hot damn.
No color screen:
Are you color blind? Use one of those baby’s for a day. The color screen with it’s improved fonts and better resolution on a white background makes the old screen look like pure crap. Hyper speed song selection becomes a pure joy. You want cheap, get a Shuffle.
“Kim says Apple is expected to ship 3 million to 6 million of the devices in the second half of this calendar year.”
Wow, these anal-yst are amazing. Talk about “pin-point” accuracy! We’re talking laser precision. No wonder they get the big bucks and all the respect.
If they make the mini a *little* smaller it’ll be perfect.
Apple won’t increase the battery life to go with the flash memory. They have figured that people don’t need more than about 18 hours max so instead they will use the space saving from the memory (and decreased power requirement) to make the unit half the height that it is today. The interesting thing is working out the price point they will go for, given that with the minis being flash based the reasons to buy are shuffle are ever diminishing.