Apple slashes iPod prices


24 Feb 2005

In a surprise move, Apple has lopped nearly €200 off the price of its top-spec music and imaging gizmo, the iPod Photo 60GB, less than three months after it was launched. The device, which had a price tag of €659 (inc Vat), will retail at €469 from now on.

Apple has also decided to cull the 40GB version of the device, which retailed at €549, and replace it with a new 30GB model. This holds up to 7,500 songs and 25,000 digital photos and costs €369.

Although the price cuts suggest that the iPod Photo is not meeting its sales targets in Europe, a spokesperson for Apple Ireland was unable to confirm this. He said it was corporate policy not to comment on the performance of individual products and would only say that it was a general trend in the market for technology to get cheaper.

Meanwhile, the price of the 4GB iPod Mini, introduced last summer, has also gone south – from €269 to €209 – and a new 6GB model with 50pc more storage has been introduced, priced at €249. Both models feature increased battery life of up to 18 hours, USB charging and a lightweight design available in four colours.

The regular 20GB iPod has come down in price slightly – from €339 and €319 – while the price of the U2 iPod remains unchanged at €369.

A total of 10 million iPods have been sold since it was launched in 2002. Some 8.5 million of these have been sold in the past 12 months, with four million units purchased in the three months leading up to Christmas.

By Brian Skelly