Apple Ipod Mini

Our first reaction when Apple unveiled the Ipod mini was: 'Ooh, that's nice.' The second reaction, when the company announced the $250 price tag was: 'That's rather expensive.'

The price looked even worse by the time it had been converted into sterling for the UK market, as Apple UK set the cost at £199 even though the pound has steadily climbed against the dollar. To be fair though, Creative's rival mp3 player, the Muvo2, has the same 4GB storage capacity and is similarly priced, so perhaps Apple isn't being quite as greedy as it first seems.

It doesn't seem to matter what the price is anyway, as Apple sold 100,000 Ipod minis in its first two weeks on sale in the US and we're unlikely to see units in the UK until July. We're not surprised either, because it really is a decent little gadget.

Its appeal lies in its slimline, minimalist design. The unit is just 50mm wide, 90.5mm high and barely 12mm thick. It also weighs just 102g, so you can slip it into a pocket and barely even notice it.

The control system is equally streamlined. Beneath the small black-and-white LCD screen there's the now-familiar scroll wheel, which allows you to quickly navigate through your lists of albums and artists. The wheel also doubles up as a pressure-sensitive button so you can turn the unit on and off or skip forwards and backwards.

This wheel is probably the secret of the Ipod's success. It's both elegant and easy to use, and makes the player look much more attractive than most of its button-befuddled rivals. The final clever little touch is the availability of models in five colours, ensuring that it's not simply a toy for boys.

So get out the credit card, resistance is futile.

Contact: Apple 0800 039 1010
www.apple.com/uk

Specifications:

• 90.5 x 50 x 12mm (h x w x d)
• 102g
• 4GB
• Firewire and USB2 interfaces
• Supports mp3, aiff, aac and wav audio formats