At long last our blue iPod Mini has arrived (thanks crutchfield.com).
We will be doing a full review over the next couple of weeks, both standalone and in conjuction with the Audia-X mini FM Transmitter and some Bose noise reduction headphones.
Until then we wanted to give you our first impressions on the packaging and build of the Mini.
The box:
Overall it gives a good first impression, a small white cube covered in shiny plastic and with a lot of information to help you decide whether to buy it.
The box tells you it works with windows and mac, includes a belt clip, includes software, holds over 1000 songs in a 4gb hard drive, has an 8 hour battery life, is small and light (3.6 ounces, 3.6" x 2" x 0.5", and it also details a lot of other features of the iPod mini.
Opening the Box:
After removing the shiny plastic and an outer sleeve the box splits into 2 halves, each with a lid. Opening the lid reveals a documentation package on one side (with "enjoy" written on the top) and the iPod mini on the other side.
Next you lift out the iPod mini and the documentation and get to see the rest of the goodies: white belt clip, white AC charger, USB2 cable, Firewire cable (also used to plug the mini into the AC charger), and white headphones.
Everything is wrapped in more shiny plastic custom designed shealths... reminds me of a Woody Allen movie.
When we open the documentation package, we find a advert for the iTunes store, a warranty card, a software CD, software license, and user guide.
The iPod mini:
Now we turn our attention to the iPod mini.
The mini comes wrapped in another little plastic shealth with "Don't Steal Music" in assorted languages on the front (presumably a little offering to the recording industry). In addition the front has the LCD screen and the white navigation wheel.
The top of the mini has the input jack for headphones/speakers, a connector for the iPod mini headphones with remote control, and a "hold switch" that disable the buttons/navigation wheel.
The bottom has the connector for power and connecting to your PC/Mac as well as two unattractive holes that are presmably used with docking stations and other accessories to hold the iPod in place.
The rear has nothing except instruction on turning on the iPod (on the plastic sleeve.
Turning the iPod On:
I was impatient so I turned on the iPod mini before charging it. After a few seconds a screen appeared with languages choices and after selecting English the main menu appeared. Battery level showed (unsurprisingly) as very low so I plugged in the iPod to get it's initial battery charge.
Conclusions so far:
By far the best product packaging I have seen in a long time, very professional and well thought out.
For such a small product it seems very sturdy and well built (although it is rumored that the headphone jack is flimsy on some minis).
I am still trying to decide if I like the white top, bottom, and accessories combined with the blue anodized aluminum body.
One thing I don't like so far is that you need the Firewire cable to charge the mini using the AC charger, it means you have to carry both cables if you connect to your PC with USB2.
Overall Rating So Far: 9/10
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