Apple, I think the new mini iPod is a great device. These new color-screened media players will take a while to gain traction with the general gadget-buying public, particularly since many of us have just made a significant investment in a similar peice of hardware. The mini is well-positioned at the high end of ultraportable players and the low end of ultraspacious jukeboxes. And for the low low price of $149, almost anyone will be able to afford one with some judicious saving over the next month or so.

Wait. I'm sorry. It's actually $249, a mere 50 smacks less than the new 15 GB version. For 50 buckos, I can nearly quadruple my storage space? Why the flaming fuck would I want an inferior model, then? At this price range, 50 samoleons is not nearly as large a gap as it would be in the $20-$150 range - we're talking about a whole other segment of the electronics-buying market. $150 is within the realm of possibility for your average high school student who's still operating on an allowance. At $250 you need rich relatives or an after-school job, and how many teenagers you know are willing to go through that kind of hassle?

Goddammit. I thought we'd learned something about pricing after the whole iMac thing. That was five years ago, Apple. People only love you as long as you're nice to them.