The iPod mini was a smaller version of Apple Computer's iPod portable audio player. It was announced on January 6, 2004, and released on February 20 of the same year. The device interoperated with both Macintosh and Windows PCs, with limited third-party support for Linux and other Unix workalikes. A second generation version was announced on February 23, 2005. The iPod mini line was discontinued on September 7, 2005, replaced by the iPod nano.

The device retained the popular touch-sensitive scroll wheel of the third generation iPod; however, instead of the four touch buttons located above the wheel, the buttons were once again made mechanical beneath the wheel itself (hence, the new wheel was known as a "click wheel"). To access one of the four buttons, a user physically pushed the edge of the wheel inward over one of the four labels. Like its predecessors, the wheel was developed for Apple by Synaptics. The click wheel is now also used in the fourth and fifth generation iPods as well as in the iPod nano.

Above the wheel was a display which showed menus or information about the currently selected track.

Details

The two generations of the iPod mini were externally almost identical, with the differences lying in their storage and battery capacities. Both versions were 3.6 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches (91 by 51 by 13 mm) and weighed 3.6 ounces (102 grams). Its case was composed of anodized aluminum. First generation iPod minis were available in five colors: silver, gold, pink, blue, and green. The gold model was dropped from the second generation range due to unpopularity. While the button labels were gray on the first generation iPod, the second generation iPod sported button labels that matched the color of the case.

The iPod mini used ultra-thin Compact Flash Microdrive hard drives made by Hitachi. First generation models were confined to a 4GB hard drive. Second generation models were available in both 4GB and 6GB versions (capable of storing roughly 1,000 and 1,500 songs) and eventually had the drive size laser etched on the case to help distinguish between the two. Towards the end of the life of the iPod mini, Apple laser etched 2 lines of 32 characters each on the top of the reverse side of the iPod mini for free.

The battery life of the first generation of iPod mini was about 8 hours (similar to the 3G iPod that was available when the mini was released,) which led to some criticism of the battery's short duration. This problem was addressed in the second generation models which had a claimed battery life of about 18 hours. However, the 2nd generation iPod minis no longer came with a FireWire cable or an AC power adapter, which were left out to reduce the selling prices of the new iPod minis.

A proprietary dock connector was provided on the bottom of the device for a connection to a computer (Hi-Speed USB or FireWire). The unit's battery is charged during connection. Along the top, it has a hold switch, a headphone jack, and a remote port for accessories.

Like the larger iPod, the iPod mini supported MP3, AAC/M4A, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless audio formats. It also retained the iPod's seamless integration with iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, allowing for true auto-sync between the software application and the iPod mini.

 From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_mini