layout: post title: MiPod? created: 1047933789 categories:

• Handheld
• Mac

Recent evidence has come to my attention about developments in 1.8" hard drive capacities. These are the drives used in the iPod, certainly a standard-bearer in the handheld jukebox market, but also quite pricey. This article reveals that emerging out of the IBM drive group shell is two new 1.8" drives with capacities of up to 40 GB. Apple is rumored to be in the final stages of updating the iPod, this 40 GB drive and competition in the sector may be the ticket it needs to lower prices and hike capacities.

One wonders, though, what Apple has in mind for such products - 10 and 20 GB is plenty for MP3s of even the highest quality, and the new standard Apple looks to be encouraging is AAC, which boasts awesome quality at even lower encoding rates, so unless Apple has some other content/video device in mind, 40 GB seems excessive. Give me a big price cut on the 5 rather than keep the price points.

Also, this article shows that there are now 4 GB 1" drives, making me wonder if we might see some 4GB MiPod that is much smaller and lighter to appeal to those that don't like the existing iPod's size, small though it may be.