Without a doubt, one of the most popular MP3 players on the market today is the Apple iPod. There's a reason for its popularity -- it's functional, attractive, well built, and marketed by one of the best-known names in the computer world.

The Apple iPod Mini has either a 4 GB or 6 GB hard drive -- suitable for storing 1000 or 1500 songs respectively. Accepted formats are MP3, AAC, Audible, and Apple Lossless.

One of the problems with hard drive MP3 players (as opposed to flash memory MP3 players) is that the music playback can sometimes skip the especially during rigorous activities like exercising. Apple solves this problem with a buffer which can provide up to 25 minutes of skip free music playback.

The slim design of the iPod Mini makes it a lightweight and easy to operate player. The ample display screen shows you information about the current song as well as allowing you to navigate through your hard drive to find songs or to adjust settings. As well as playing music, the iPod Mini has a selection of games and a storage area for notes and calendars.

Syncing up music with your computer is easy with the iTunes software. The software allows you to organize your music collection and converted into Apple's AAC format. Transferring the music (or any other computer data) is fast thanks to the USB 2.0 interface. iTunes also supports podcasting so you can listen to radio broadcasts on the iPod.

The latest generation of iPod Mini has an improved battery which last for up to 18 hours on a single charge. This is a huge improvement over the previous battery which only lasted for eight hours. There is still the problem, though, that the battery cannot be removed by the user. If it needs replacing you must send it to Apple for servicing.

Another small complaint is the slight discomfort of the ear buds which are supplied with the iPod Mini. You will probably be happier with a third-party set of headphones.

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