battery life?

[daftsynth]

How is the battery life of the mini? Is it supposed to be significantly better than the iPod?

[ajm]

About the same I hear, about 8 hours - athough i am sure someone that actually has one will know exactly

[daftsynth]

I know they're spec'd to be the same on the website but was just curious because some of the media reviews reported battery life of 9 and 10 hrs with the mini. Whereas 8 hours for the regular iPod seems to be only under ideal/optimal conditions.

[dordale]

daftsynth--

I read in a review by the Wall Street Journal that the iPod mini's did exceed their rated battery life of 8 hours--

This would make the battery life significantly better than the 3g iPods. I'm lucky to get five hours on my 3g.

The mini I bought for my husband for his birthday just arrived, so soon I'll have some real world comparisons.

dordale :)

[ajm]

I heard one review said 10 hours, but another said 7hours45 so no idea...

[ZoidbergD]

I have consistently heard 8-9 hours, which is really good.

[Kenny]

I would hope it's better. Comparing it to the upcoming muvo2 which boasts 16hrs (more likely it'll have about 12-14hrs real life hours), the new mini iPod better be an improvement over our Gen3's. Especially considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player.

[chrish]

considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player

Controversial!!!

[Kenny]

Originally posted by chrish
considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player

Controversial!!!

How is this controversial? Both use the exact same HDD.

The main differences is that the iPod has the extra features like calendar, games, etc...
Also the iPod uses a scroll wheel (non mechanical) while the muvo2 has buttons. And of course the iPod mini has the larger LCD.

Take that all into account, and dont use the extra software features, and JUST use both players for pure music playing (no backlight), then shouldnt the battery life be nearly the same?

I think they should.

[duffy]

There are a couple more factors that determine battery life:
1. Earphone/output volume
2. Capacity of the battery. LiIon batteries can be a myriad of shapes, sizes, and capacities.
3. The larger LCD display of the mini will use more power than the muvo.
4. I believe the scroll wheel uses more power than a regular push button design live a muvo. Active circuity is constantly monitoring the scroll wheel so that uses power. A switch only uses power when you activate it.

I think if both players use the exact same capacity battery their run time would be comparable, but since Apple doesn't publish the battery capacity we won't know until someone hacks up a mini. :(

[sparks9]

Since the iPod mini is smaller than the muvo maybe it has less room for battery causing Apple to use a smaller battery which ofcourse gives less charge.

You have to balance between long battery life and small size.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by sparks9
Since the iPod mini is smaller than the muvo maybe it has less room for battery causing Apple to use a smaller battery which ofcourse gives less charge.

You have to balance between long battery life and small size.

The iPod mini is 3.6 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches
The muvo2 is 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.8 inches

Possibly, but the size difference is very very small between the two players, while the battery life difference is very very big.
If it werent for the muvo being such a cheaply built player, having poor menu systems, and showing almost nothing on the LCD, this would make the decision for me alot easier.

[duffy]

Possibly, but the size difference is very very small between the two players, while the battery life difference is very very big.[/B]

Going by your dimensions the mini is 33% smaller. So if the battery life of the mini is 8-9 hours * 33% longer = 10.6-12 hours.

[red devil]

Again, for those of us who may not be so math-savvy:

mini volume = 3.6 x 2.0 x 0.5 = 3.6 cu in
Muvo volume = 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.8 = 5.4 cu in

3.6/5.4 = 0.66

Meaning the mini is fully 34% smaller than the Muvo. Plus, if you hold the mini you'll notice something--it just seems to be the perfect size in your hand. The ergonomic engineers at Apple hit the nail right on the head.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by duffy
Going by your dimensions the mini is 33% smaller. So if the battery life of the mini is 8-9 hours * 33% longer = 10.6-12 hours.

Okay... before I continue this discussion, let me just say that Im in no way trying to bash the iPods, but...

You also have to take into consideration that the muvo2's size is alot more thicker than the mini for one reason... it's replaceable battery. If the muvo2 had the same internal battery the mini has, it would probably be quite a bit smaller than the mini, while still maintaining the superior battery life.

[sparks9]

Originally posted by red devil
Again, for those of us who may not be so math-savvy:

mini volume = 3.6 x 2.0 x 0.5 = 3.6 cu in
Muvo volume = 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.8 = 5.4 cu in

3.6/5.4 = 0.66

Meaning the mini is fully 34% smaller than the Muvo. Plus, if you hold the mini you'll notice something--it just seems to be the perfect size in your hand. The ergonomic engineers at Apple hit the nail right on the head.

Thx red devil

That isn't a "very very small difference" Kenny. :)

[AndyH]

Originally posted by Kenny
You also have to take into consideration that the muvo2's size is alot more thicker than the mini for one reason... it's replaceable battery.

I'm with you so far.

Originally posted by Kenny
If the muvo2 had the same internal battery the mini has, it would probably be quite a bit smaller than the mini

Probably true.

Originally posted by Kenny
while still maintaining the superior battery life.

Pure speculation on your part.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by sparks9
Thx red devil

That isn't a "very very small difference" Kenny. :)

Check my last post.

The main thing to consider is... the muvo2 has a replaceable battery while the mini's battery is internal.

Im not going to talk about which company picked the right solution for the battery, but if Creative used the internal battery for the muvo2, it would without a doubt be much smaller.
That being said, it's safe to say the increased size of the muvo compared to the iPod mini is only due to fact that the muvo2 has the replaceable battery, not because the increased size wasnt utilized by Creative by using a bigger battery. Again, the size difference between the two, because of the different solution for housing the battery, is probably negligable. So to conclude this long paragraph, why the huge difference in battery life?

[Kenny]

Originally posted by AndyH
Pure speculation on your part. [/B]

Sure it's speculation, as you cant be 100% sure about anything, but if you agree with me that the muvo2 would of been smaller if it used the internal battery like the iPod mini, should the battery not also last the same amount of hours as it does currently?

Unless of course youre thinking that by using an internal battery the muvo would have to use a completely smaller battery altogether.



You see... I can buy the excuse that the gen3 iPods only have a 6hr battery life to the zen's 12-13hr battery life, because our iPods are much smaller, and use a different HDD then the zen.

But I cant buy this same excuse for the mini vs the muvo2.

[Messiahtosh]

You know when I got to my local Apple store just 20 minutes after they started selling the mini they were already sold out of 3 colors and there was at least 50 people in line to get one of the 2 remaining colors (Blue & Silver). However when I was at Fry's the other day I didn't see anyone in line to get Creative mp3 players. I haven't seen any press releases from Creative stating that they sold over 100,000 of them even before it was in stores. I haven't seen any glowing reviews from Cnet or ZDNet over the Muvo2- I'd call their reviews of the Muvo2 less than glowing- ie ZDNet's "However, navigating lists is a pain, as you can see only one song title at a time on the one-line display. If you're the type who often wants to hear a specific song, this is not the player for you"
Or:
"But on each machine we connected to, the MuVo? froze unless we used the AC adapter/charger. Also, files developed skips when we dragged a bunch of individual folders onto the player simultaneously."

Say what??? The Muvo skips, freezes, and you can't find your music???? My iPod doesn't develop skips when I download files. It doesn't freeze either. And I have no problem listening to a specific song. Perhaps that is why I don't mind paying a miniscule 20% more for a mp3 player that actually does what I expect it to- Be able to find and play the specific music I want to listen to- right now, with no pain, no skips, and no problems.

Take that, #####es.:D

[sparks9]

Originally posted by Kenny

So to conclude this long paragraph, why the huge difference in battery life?

I don't know why it's so much shorter. I know that the size difference can't be the ONLY reason for this.

8+ hours is still good, but I hope Apple will improve it in the future (without sacrifizing size, that is :D )

[Messiahtosh]

If for some sick reason somebody needs to listen to their iPod for more than 8+ hours in a day, they can buy one of those bulky Belkin battery packs. Doing so, will make your iPod mini very enormous, but needing to have music pouring into your head for that long is just as ridiculous as the size that your iPod will become as a result.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by Messiahtosh
If for some sick reason somebody needs to listen to their iPod for more than 8+ hours in a day, they can buy one of those bulky Belkin battery packs. Doing so, will make your iPod mini very enormous, but needing to have music pouring into your head for that long is just as ridiculous as the size that your iPod will become as a result.

that's just the thing... when apple says 8 hours does that really mean 8hours? Im still waiting on the verdict for the mini iPods.

I know that for the zens, rios, dells, etc... when they say 14/15/16,etc... of battery life, people actually get around that life. But with Apples, when they say 8 hours, we only get 5-6hours max.
For me I get 5-6hours daily. Of that I'll use 2hrs in the gym, 1-2hrs on the subway, daily commute, walking around campus, etc... and the rest possibly in the library, etc...
So yes, I really have to conserve the battery so that it will last me the whole day.
And tell me this... How many gen3 iPods do you know last for anywhere close to the 8hours stated?

And this is besides the point... When it comes to the iPod mini, even if it does somehow manage to last the 8hrs, SO BLOODY WHAT?... why cant it last as long as other players?

Personally I think your stupid excuse sounds alot like the people who use their zens. I remember back in the day when their was the big debate about the different sizes... Zen users would always go: "So what if the iPod is smaller and looks better, the zen is good enough..."
Now you're basically saying the same thing: "So what if other mp3 players can last longer, the iPod mini's battery life is good enough".


This is not saying that Im very serious in considering getting a muvo2 over the iPod mini... Im just a little ticked off about how an inferior company (Creative) can create an superior product (muvo2) in regards to only sound quality and battery life. (plus Im also pretty upset about not being able to use the gen3 iPod's dock).