On January 6, 2004, apple introduced the first iPod mini. It had 4 GB of storage and a retail price of $249, only $50 below the 15 GB third-generation iPod. Again critics panned it as too expensive yet it proved to be so overwhelmingly popular that stores had difficulty keeping up with demand.

iPod mini saw the introduction the popular click wheel that would later be incorporated into the standerd iPods models. The clickwheel itself housed the four control buttons with the center of the wheel acting as a select button. Although navigating through menus had been easy beforehand this change had made operating the iPod a delight in itself.

February 2005 saw the release of the second generation iPod mini with a new 6 GB model at retailing at $249 and an updated 4 GB model priced at $199. Most notably, both models featured an increased battery life of up to 18 hours. In addition, they featured richer case colors with the color of the lettering on the click wheel now matching the color of the iPod mini. With the introduction of the nano production of the mini ceased and the range was discontinued.