Apple delays international launch of iPod mini until July

Cupertino (CA) - Apple will shift the launch of its entry level music player to July. Much stronger than expected demand in the US has exceeded the available supply through the end of June, the company said.

Apple declined to comment on the exact numbers how many iPod mini devices were produced and have been sold. "The iPod mini is a huge hit with customers in the U.S. and we’re sure it will be the same worldwide once we can ramp up our supply in the July quarter," said Tim Cook, Apple’s executive vice president of Worldwide Sales and Operations. "The iPod mini adds further momentum to the iPod."

The iPod currently is the best selling music player with roughly 31 percent market share and more than 730,000 units sold in 2003 according to annual earnings report of the company. The iPod mini is priced from $249, which is $50 below the price of the starting price of the regular iPod. Offering a 4 GByte harddrive the iPod mini went on sale last February and since then has topped the sales charts of Apple’s online store and also became widely available in popular retail outlets such as Target.