Apple rolls out new iPod home stereo box, Mac mini - Yahoo! News
28 February 2006
Apple rolls out new iPod home stereo box, Mac mini - Yahoo! NewsSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday introduced a new iPod "Hi-Fi" home stereo system and a new Mac mini powered by an Intel chip the company said was nearly five times faster than the previous version, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the iPod home stereo, which is not designed to be portable but is easy to carry, is compatible with all versions of the iPod. The machine sells for $349 and is available today.
"It's a home stereo reinvented for the iPod age," Jobs said.
The latest addition to the iPod family marks Apple's latest attempt to tighten its grip on the booming market for digital music machines.
Apple is far and away the leader in digital music players, with nearly 62 percent of the U.S. market for MP3 players in the fourth quarter of 2005, up from 52 percent in the year-earlier quarter, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Since the IPod's introduction in October 2001, Cupertino, California-based Apple has sold more than 42 million of the sleek devices, with about a third of that total coming in the fourth quarter of 2005. iPod sales accounted for 51 percent of the company's $5.75 billion in revenue in that quarter.
Apple also introduced on Tuesday a new Mac mini with a single core Intel chip as much as three times faster than the previous version. He also said the Mac mini with an even more powerful dual core Intel chip was nearly five times as fast as the previous version.
The Mac mini is Apple's entry level machine aimed at people who already have a computer or are thinking about replacing one because it is sold without a monitor, keyboard or mouse.
Jobs said the single core Mac mini sells for $599 while the machine with the dual core chip retails for $799. Both models are available today, Jobs said.
The new products come as Apple is moving its entire lineup of
Macintosh notebook and desktop PCs and servers to Intel microprocessors by the end of 2006.
At the Macworld conference in January, Jobs unveiled the MacBook Pro notebook and the iMac all-in-one desktop PC, both of which use Intel's chips and related elements.
Shares of Apple were trading down about 2.5 percent at $69.21 on Nasdaq.
-sigh- i know what i want when i get out.... -grin-
