iPod flash

Engadget notes TheMacMind.com’s report on the supposedly forthcoming iPod flash, a tiny, flash memory-based MP3 player that will round out Apple’s music player line-up. Several things don’t jibe with the picture of the supposed iPod flash:
1. When the iPod mini was released, Steve Jobs did quite a bit of trash-talking with regard to the myriad flash-based players already on the market, did he not? Why would Apple now want to wade in to that market, when they can barely keep up with demand for the iPod mini, the company’s flash player killer?
2. Okay, let’s say Steve does an about face and wants Apple to compete in the flash-based market. I don’t see this design being it. It lacks visual feedback, and that has been the iPod’s strong suit, coupled with the physical controls’ ease of navigation, when compared to its competitors.
3. The overall design doesn’t flow with the rest of the iPod line, plain and simple. I could be drastically wrong, and if this design is real and released, it would signal a sort of departure from the iPod line.
Personally, I’m not opposed to a flash-based iPod. Such a device would be perfect for my wife, who only has need for such an audio component in rare circumstances, such as when working out. Even the iPod mini is really overkill for her needs. I just don’t believe that TheMacMind’s version is the real deal. At the least, I hope it isn’t.
[Wave of the flipper to Michael.]