I think there's more to this than meets the eye. Yesterday, the day after Apple launched the
iPod Mini at Macworld Expo, saw the start of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - probably the world's most influential gizmo exhibition.
There are likely to be new players launched here, competing in the same new sector that Apple has identified - High End Flash Memory/Low End HD.
With a month or two to go before the Mini goes on sale, anything could happen. Indeed, rumours are already surfacing of the possibility of pre-release pricing adjustments. Apple UK has said today that it will almost certainly reduce its indicated price point of £199 (which looked like a bit of a rip-off compared to the US pricing), to closer to the £150 mark.
This move could give Apple the opportunity to test the price-point ahead of its potential competitors. Remember you can always drop your price, but rarely can you get away with increasing it. Risky? Perhaps, but that's business.
Jx
PS - anyone who wants to see more of Apple's 'new toys'
here's the link to Steve Jobs' Keynote speech (
QuickTime required)