iPod Mini Changes May Be Imminent

Two Apple enthusiast sites, ThinkSecret and AppleInsider, report that sources are saying an upgrade to Apple's popular iPod Mini line may be imminent. Rumored changes are a boost in capacity to 5GB and a color screen to better compete with recently released players from Creative and iRiver.

Inklings of some kind of change were first reported on AppleInsider earlier this week, saying that wait times for the Mini on international versions of the Apple Store were "abruptly extended." Also, some stores began to give away free players to customers might mean Apple was clearing excess inventory to make room for the revised players.

Citing "highly reliable sources," ThinkSecret said the Mini would gain a TFT color screen that will have a resolution of 176 by 132 pixels. Prices on TFT color screens have dropped significantly in recent months, which will allow Apple to keep the price of the Mini at $249.

The site also said that Apple would switch to Seagate for the Mini's hard drive in the next generation player. Seagate's hard drive technology allows for uninterrupted playback in all conditions, which would make the Mini less susceptible to skipping. Current models use Hitachi drives.

Both sites said the next generation iPod Mini could be released as soon as next week.