Didn't the resident Microsoft cultists say that nobody wanted an iPod Nano? Whoops. There goes another one of their fantasies down the toilet. Reality really ought to stop being so mean ot them. All they ask is to be left alone with their delusions, is that so much?

Didn't they also say that the iBook and G5 iMac were tanking? Ouch. It's a bad day for the Kool-Aid drinkers.

The nice thing about being an "observer" type site is that you just report on what's out there. Back to school is over, holiday rush hasn't started yet, Katrina is on everyone's mind. So this is a lull in the action. I wish I weren't in Alabama so I could ditch the computer for a while and go watch some leaves up north.

I agree that the mini is a collector's item. I made sure I got a 6gb for $199 at the refurb store instead of the 2gb nano for the same price - 3 times the capacity and only sacrificed the color screen.

Uncle Steve has long said that the iPod was all about the music. I agree, and have 3 times more music. The B&W screen is easier to read, especially in the dark, and the iPod isn't really about photos or games now is it? Steve said so. Too bad the mini is gone, get them while you can.

There was definitely info in the article I didn't know. But if you personally don't like it, maybe you should quit whining and try a different site?

This quote says it all:

"People want the black 4GB and we don't have it. It's only $50 more for another 2GB, and they want that."

Apple should've seen that coming. Consumers are not dumb these days, they can see what is and isn't a value. And yet still Apple got caught flat-footed with too many 2 GB Nanos and not near enough 4GBs.

Really, the 2GB should be $179. That might entice some fence-sitters to switch from waiting for a 4GB to actually getting a 2GB, and it would help the volume of sales overall, as the $$$ entry point is lower.

Plus the 2GB would then be more of a high-end flash player competitor, not a low-end hard-drive competitor, price-wise. I think the Nano is a great product and only runs into problems if its priced so high that the consumer perceives it to be a flash player with a hard-drive player price.

Here in New Zealand the 2GB iPod nano has been available for the last two weeks, but the 4GB is still nowhere in sight. So yeah, it's fairly safe to say there's a shortage of them!

Guest, could you post a link to the web site that you run? I'm sure it is filled with less obvious and more interesting articles about Apple. Right?

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Biff wrote:
Guest, could you post a link to the web site that you run? I'm sure it is filled with less obvious and more interesting articles about Apple. Right?

OK fair enough. TMO tries to stay out of the rumor game. For instance, I assume you've noticed how Think Secret and Apple Insider are contradicting each other on the whole video iPod thing. When you come to TMO you get actual news. Hey at least next week should be more exciting!

Couple of flaws in the $179 2 gig nano argument. The cost per megabit of flash has always been more expensive than the equivalent capacity in a hard drive. Apple probably figured that lower power consumption, higher durability and a killer form factor with a color screen is worth the higher price. As for shortage of 4 gig players, this sounds like a vendor issue. Don't forget apple bought 40% of Samsungs flash capacity. The 2 and 4 gig flash chips probably come from the same wafer and the distribution is a function of manufacturing yields. At the wafer level all the chips are probably the 4 gig size. After processing and at the testing stage thay see how many memory cells work reliabily. If more that 4 gig worth of cells are work are working they cut bond and package that chip as a 4 gig unit. If less than 4 gig worth of cells are working the chip is cut bonded and packaged as a 2 gig chip. If a wafer contains 300 chips and you have 90% yield on the process only 270 chips will be available. If 60% of your total chip population turns out to be 2 gig chips thats 180 2 gig chips available for 2 gig nano production. The other 30% will be the 4 gig nano chips and that half of the 2 gig chips available or 90, 4 gig units. This is probably the most likely scenario as to why there are more 2 gig than 4 gig nano's available. Similiar things will happen when Apple boosts the nano's maximum capacity from 4gig to 8gig to 16gig etc. As the manufacturing process inproves the chip costs will go down as will the cost of the nano's they go into. Look for ipod shuffles to be obsoleted and eliminated from the product line in 9 months time because the price Apple will have to charge for them won't leave anything for business structure support and profit.

4GB Nanos are sold out all over. In Oregon you can't find them, especially the black ones.

2GB Nanos are in stock all over the place.

Guest,

Wow thats alot of numbers for something you just pulled out of your ass.

Just wondering if you realize the 4GB Nano has 2 flash chips and the 2GB has the same PCB but with one empty space where the 2nd chip gets soldered on? Cause gee whiz that doesn't seem to jive with your post.

Oh and you never did actually mention those flaws in the $179 nano argument. Let's see, for $50 you get the 4GB nano which means that you get a whole extra 2GB flash chip. That means the chips obviously cost Apple a lot less than that. What do you think the margin is on a 2GB nano? Apple could charge $179 is they wanted to!

But hey good job predicting that flash memory prices will drop. That like totally blew my mind!

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Guest wrote:
Couple of flaws in the $179 2 gig nano argument. The cost per megabit of flash has always been more expensive than the equivalent capacity in a hard drive. Apple probably figured that lower power consumption, higher durability and a killer form factor with a color screen is worth the higher price. As for shortage of 4 gig players, this sounds like a vendor issue. Don't forget apple bought 40% of Samsungs flash capacity. The 2 and 4 gig flash chips probably come from the same wafer and the distribution is a function of manufacturing yields. At the wafer level all the chips are probably the 4 gig size. After processing and at the testing stage thay see how many memory cells work reliabily. If more that 4 gig worth of cells are work are working they cut bond and package that chip as a 4 gig unit. If less than 4 gig worth of cells are working the chip is cut bonded and packaged as a 2 gig chip. If a wafer contains 300 chips and you have 90% yield on the process only 270 chips will be available. If 60% of your total chip population turns out to be 2 gig chips thats 180 2 gig chips available for 2 gig nano production. The other 30% will be the 4 gig nano chips and that half of the 2 gig chips available or 90, 4 gig units. This is probably the most likely scenario as to why there are more 2 gig than 4 gig nano's available. Similiar things will happen when Apple boosts the nano's maximum capacity from 4gig to 8gig to 16gig etc. As the manufacturing process inproves the chip costs will go down as will the cost of the nano's they go into. Look for ipod shuffles to be obsoleted and eliminated from the product line in 9 months time because the price Apple will have to charge for them won't leave anything for business structure support and profit.

Apple sold a lot of Nano's. This shocks whom?

Apple sold a lot of Nano's. This shocks whom?

Apple sold a lot of Nano's. This shocks whom?

...

Well according to articles I've read the 2GB nano only costs apple about $90 to make so $200 is a little steep

TD Curran in Bellingham had 95 of them arrive today.

Apple is so F*ing dumb and TMO readers so damn smart ! ('')

The excess 2GB inventory isn't going to last long …
I'm sure production has shifted from a balance of all 4 models to a predominantly 4 GB/Black schedule.
First thing before they could decide on manufacturing allocations was to market the damn things and see what sold and what didn't … Now they know and the channel is going to see an influx of the most popular model. If I remember well, they had forecast 3 Million a month, so, assuming they had about a half-month supply on hand on the day of the announcement and 2-3 weeks' supply being manufactured, that brings us roughly to today … so I guess, starting tomorrow, the production schedule might switch to 75% 4 GB/Black and 25%/Other, and probably with a larger total daily production ratio, to reflect the extra demand caused by the instant popularity of the device … Same story as with the pink mini when the mini first came out !
Steve's crystal ball can get cloudy sometimes, please give the man a break !

I put an order in (and paid) for a 4gb white Nano at my Apple store THE DAY they were announced. I still don't have it, and they have absolutely no idea when they'll come in.

WHO DO I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH TO GET ONE?

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jacrav wrote:
Apple is so F*ing dumb and TMO readers so damn smart ! ('')

[quote=Whoever said $179 was a fair price for the 2 gig was dead-on. Apple brought this on themselves with their own rather scatter-brained pricing and inability to see the obvious reprecussions thereof. [/quote]

The thing is, who is to say their intention wasn't to just *push* the 4GB models by this pricing policy … The supply was much larger than any previous introduction of a new model, and they still managed to *create* a shortage anyway …
The nano is now assured of tremendous success, as the 4 GB is firmly established as a "must-have" product ( there is a waiting list !) … very cunning, IMO, but a good start to the holiday season, well ahead of the competition !
People on the waiting lists are ever more eager to put their hands on them and will have the advantage of knowing about the "scratched scren syndrome", so they can plan on ordering a sleeve while they wait for their new toy … (I wish I had known myself, so I would have been a little more careful with mine !!!

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jacrav wrote:
The thing is, who is to say their intention wasn't to just *push* the 4GB models by this pricing policy