Apple to Debut Slim, Flash Based iPods

On the heels of news that Creative will offer smaller capacity versions of its Zen Micro MP3 player, Apple is preparing to debut 1GB and 2GB Flash memory based iPods, along with a larger 5GB iPod mini at Macworld next week. Think Secret reports the slimmed down iPods will run $149 and $199 USD.

Rumors of a Flash based iPod surfaced in December, surrounding news that Sony was releasing MP3-compatible Walkman models offering 512MB and 1GB capacities. According to Think Secret, Apple's new Flash iPod features a screen that is similar in width to the iPod mini's, but two lines shorter. The low-cost device is expected to utilize buttons for controlling tunes, rather than Apple's ClickWheel.