Apple's iPods get cheaper and cheaper - 4 gigs for $199

With the launch of Apple's next generation of iPod music players there are a few things to notice. First is that Apple's new iPods don't offer a lot of new features. The most important change for instance is the battery life improvement of the iPod mini (up to 18h now) and the ability to charge the new iPod mini and photo devices through USB.

There were some rumours that Apple's new iPod mini would have a colour screen but unfortunately this isn't the case.

Apple also moved into new price categories. They now have the iPod shuffle at $99 (512MB) and $149 (1GB), the new iPod mini players at $199 (4GB) and $249 (6GB), the iPod at $299 (20GB) and the updated iPod photo devices at $349 (30GB) and $449 (60GB).

The price of the 4GB iPod mini was cut $50 to $199 and the price of the 60GB iPod photo has dropped from $599 to $449. The 40GB version of the iPod photo ($499) is replaced by a cheaper 30GB ($349) version.

Noticeable is the relatively small difference in price between the 1GB iPod shuffle and the 4GB iPod mini. The new iPod mini priced at $199 seems to offer a lot more functionallity for just $50 more. But the iPod shuffle is smaller and more durable for sport activities.