iPod Mini
The iPod Mini (stylized and marketed as the iPod mini) is a discontinued, smaller digital audio player that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. While it was sold, it was the midrange model in Apple's iPod product line. It was announced on January 6, 2004, and released on February 20 of the same year.[1][2] A second generation version was announced on February 23, 2005, and released immediately. [3] While it was in production, it was one of the most popular electronic products on the market,[4] with consumers often unable to find a retailer with the product in stock.[4] The iPod Mini was discontinued on September 7, 2005 after 1 year of being made, and was replaced by the iPod Nano.[5][6]
Not to be confused with iPad Mini.Manufacturer
February 20, 2004 – September 7, 2005 (1 year, 6 months)
Microdrive hard drive (either 4 or 6 GB)
1.4.1
1.67" monochrome LCD at 138 x 110 pixels
USB 2.0
FireWire
Dock connector
Remote connector
A1051
The iPod Mini used the touch-sensitive scroll wheel of the third generation iPod. However, instead of the four touch buttons located above the wheel, the buttons were redesigned as mechanical switches beneath the wheel itself—hence the name click wheel. To use one of the four buttons, the user physically pushes the edge of the wheel inward over one of the four labels. Like its predecessors, the wheel was developed for Apple by Synaptics. The click wheel was also used in the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation iPods and the iPod Nano, from first generation through the fifth; however, in the Nano and 5G iPods onwards, the click wheel used was developed by Apple.
Above the wheel was a monochrome 138-by-110-pixel LCD that displayed a menu or information about the selected track. Newer-generation iPods have since adopted color displays.
Modification[edit]
Soon after the release of the iPod Mini, many third-party replacement batteries became available. By following one-of-many sets of online instructions detailing how to replace the battery, such as this one by iFixit, users could self replace the battery and so avoid having to send the iPod back to Apple, saving time and money. Many third-party batteries also claimed a higher capacity than the 450 mAh original stock battery – some claiming up to 1,300 mAh[9][10] (though battery chemistry for Li-ion batteries has not advanced much during this period; it is highly unlikely that any would achieve such a capacity). As of January 2021, the most commonly advertised capacities of third-party batteries are 500 mAh[11] and 750 mAh.[12][13][14][15][16]
The iPod Mini could be flashed to run iPodLinux or Rockbox firmware which has support for extra codecs, games and various other plugins and allowed music placed directly on the iPod to be played without using iTunes. Users have replaced the 4 or 6 GB Microdrive with high capacity 8, 16,[17] 32, 64 and even 256 GB CompactFlash and SD cards. Aside from increased capacity, this has the advantage of increasing battery life and making the Mini more durable since CompactFlash cards are solid-state with no moving parts.