NEWS BRIEF
iPod Mini To Helm Apple Global Push

Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod mini makes its worldwide debut on July 24th, despite a continued shortage in the 4-GB hard drives used in the device, Apple representatives said yesterday. Available in five cotton-candy colors, the iPod mini has been such a coveted item that people have paid well above its US$249 asking price on places like eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY). Apple is selling the pint-sized iPod on its Apple Store online or through Apple-approved resellers.

"The iPod mini has been a smash hit in the US, and we're thrilled to finally be able to offer it to music lovers the world over," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. "iPod has changed the way people listen to music and is now the number-one digital music player in the world."

Apple recently launched iTunes Music Store virtual storefronts in the UK, France and Germany and has said that it should have a European Union version of iTunes Music Store by October.

What About Those Microdrives?

Apple made its announcement of worldwide availability despite iPod mini shortages in the United States. When MacNewsWorld attempted to purchase an iPod mini on the Apple Store Web site, the estimated shipping time was listed as four weeks.

iPod minis also were on back order at such Apple resellers as amazon.com and Small Dog Electronics. Production of the Microdrives used in the iPod mini was cited as reasons why the European launch of the mini was postponed for over two months.

According to Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox, Apple's worldwide launch of the iPod mini is no guarantee that the Microdrive supply shortage is over.

"If Apple can get out the supply, I would expect there would be demand," Wilcox told MacNewsWorld. "But continued delays will open opportunities for competitors. That's something Apple would want to prevent."

Wilcox recently co-authored a study that indicated that the iPod mini, which holds about 1,000 songs in AAC format, offers the right capacity for most people because the average consumer has less than 1,000 songs stored on his or her computer.

The iPod mini, like its big-brother iPod, works both on Windows and Mac platforms. According to Apple, the iPod mini will retail at around the same price as it does in the United States, which is US$249.