After three weeks of waiting, it finally arrived: the coveted iPod Mini. Despite my misgivings about Apple's latest and greatest portable music player, I had ordered one as a gift for my wife. Though it was shipped from Shanghai, it took less than 36 hours from packing to arrive at our doorstep, which is especially amazing when considering it was custom engraved on the back.

While not getting the player until nearly a month after ordering wasn't what I would term great customer service, it beats the current estimate of 6 weeks wait on Apple's online store and is certainly better than the 400+ person waiting list at the nearest brick-and-mortar Apple store.

By design, the iPod Mini is very slick. It is light but sturdy, and small enough to fit in almost any shirt, jacket, or pants pocket. While it weighs almost nothing, it seems tough enough to survive a drop to the pavement or two. The rounded sides and scratch-resistant aluminum case make it even more attractive than the original, vanilla iPod.

The controls are all easily accessible and intuitive. The headphone jack and "hold" button sit atop the unit, and everything else is controlled via the buttons and dial on the front. Of special note is the touch-sensitive jog-dial, which allows for quick, precise scrolling through menus and track lists.

Installing the software and configuring the iPod was a breeze. The software loaded on our Windows XP machine without serious issue, though it did hiccup when trying to install an older version if iTunes from the CD (I had just downloaded version 4.5). The FireWire cable connects neatly to the cradle (previously purchased) and the iPod itself sits snuggly in the cradle. It took the machine a few seconds to recognize the iPod, but then immediately booted iTunes and began transferring our complete music library. Of course, with only 4 gigabytes, not all of the songs would fit, so iTunes automatically created a playlist specifically for the iPod that would automatically sync whenever songs were added or removed. All seamless, all very impressive. After an hour or so of building a 200-song playlist (I have yet to rip most of our CDs), the sync took less than two minutes.

While regular Apple earbuds are included, we had splurged for the in-ear headphones, well worth the $40 upgrade. The package also includes a quick-start guide, full manual, FireWire cord, USB 2.0 cord, and AC-adaptor (which is essentially useless as the iPod can be charged via either the FireWire or USB 2.0).

Unfortunately, I've yet to listen to the iPod Mini for myself. As I mentioned above, it was a present for my wife, and, now that it is configured and fully loaded, I doubt I'll ever lay hands on it again. You see, I've been forbidden to touch my wife's iPod, upon pain of death. So, though its mistress is fast asleep, the iPod sits there in its cradle, mocking me, taunting me, daring me to try it out.

But I know better. I'll just have to get one of my own.