With all the new hype surrounding Apple's latest announcement on the touch and classic, it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy and ditch your older iPod.

The mini is by far one of the most popular devices in the family. As the owner of ipodjuice.com, I get to speak directly with our customers on a daily basis, and it's amazing how many people want to get a new mini battery for their player and to extend their playtimes well-beyond the original stock battery that Apple put inside the unit.

What makes the mini so special?

Well, one of the first things that you notice about the mini are all the bright colors they come in. You can find an mini in gold, silver, green, blue, and perhaps the most popular color, pink (the ScrollWheel and top and bottom end caps are white). Of course, you can always snatch a 2nd Generation nano in a bevy of bright colors, but they have far less storage then a 1st or 2nd Generation mini does.

And this leads me to my second point: the 4GB or 6GB hard drive inside an mini generally provides more than enough storage for the average music listener.

Third, the mini is a durable animal. The outer shell is made of metal and, although it can get scratched up if you are not careful, it can take a beating and still protect the internal components.

Fourth, while the iPod mini battery inside the unit will eventually degrade over time, it is user-replaceable if you know what you are doing. Just make sure you find a third-party vendor that provides good, detailed instructions and the proper tools to safely complete the job. ipodjuice.com is the category killer here, and you can check them out at www.ipodjuice.com for more information.

Next, although in my experience I would say that there are slightly more female owners of the mini than male. It's hard to put a finger on it, but the mini's popularity seems to cut across a gender and a wide range of ages.

Finally, the mini is just the right size: smaller than a new Video and more manageable than a nano, the mini is perfect for long runs and bicycle rides. It works great when clipped to an armband or you can simply tuck it away in your pocket.

Long live the mini!

ipodjuice.com is a website owned by Milliamp LTD, and specializes in providing iPod battery kits for the Apple and iPhone
Milliamp LTD and the ipodjuice.com website are in no way associated with Apple Computer, Inc.
iPod and iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.