USA Today Reports On iPod mini's Success

by , 12:00 PM EST, March 5th, 2004

The iPod mini is officially a "smash hit," at least according to the folks at USA Today. The newspaper has added to the extensive media coverage of the iPod family during the last few months with a report on just how hot the device is. According to the newspaper, retailers are selling the iPod mini as fast as they can get them, and there are no consumer concerns about what some, including TMO, said was a high price in relation to the larger iPod. From USA Today:

"I've never seen a product line sell like this," says Jack Wahrman, senior merchandising manager at New York's J&R Music World. "The iPod is a phenomenon."

The $249 mini is the business-card-sized market extension of the regular iPod, which, while larger, also easily fits into a pocket.

The bigger iPod starts at $299 with a 15-gigabyte hard drive -- enough for 4,000 songs. The mini, which comes in green, pink, silver, blue and gold, is just $50 less. It has less storage room, 4 gigabytes -- or about 1,000 songs -- leading critics to charge initially that it was overpriced.

"Consumers have a different view on pricing," says Mike McGuire, an analyst with tech research firm GartnerG2 and a mini owner himself. "When you actually see it and feel it, it's amazing. It's the size of a cool little mobile phone and really compelling."

Bel-Air Camera, near the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, sold its allotment in one day, says sales manager Gregg Burger. "It's frustrating. Everyone wants to buy it, and we can't sell it."

There's more information in the full article, which we recommend as an interesting read.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Speaking of "official," it's official that we were plain wrong in our criticisms that the iPod mini was too pricey. Apple has hit a home run with this product, leveraging style and the momentum from the original iPod remarkably well.

In the meanwhile, this article is yet more positive exposure for the iPod platform. We expect such coverage to not only add to the iPod's popularity, but to have a carry-over effect for the Mac.

New, smaller, flashier iPod sells out fas