Apple Computer, Inc. made an announcement to launch new iPod music players earlier today.

The new iPod will include an iPod Mini version with 6GB of storage (capacity to store up to 1,500 songs) and will retail around $250.00. In order to encourage sales of its previous 4GB iPod Mini, Apple announced a price cut that would drop down its price to approximately $200.00.

The company also introduced a higher-end version of its popular music player series, which brings an iPod photo with a colored screen. The iPod photo will come with 30GB of on-board storage, will cost around $350.00 and allow the user to transfer pictures directly to the device via an add-on component. The add-on camera component will cost around $30.00.

In additional features, the new iPod Mini will have an increased battery life – of up to 18 hours, according to Apple.

While Apple seems to be doing quite well on its music end, industry analysts have mix feelings about the company’s strategy. Some tend to believe that although Apple is doing well with its iPod series, it could damage its profit margins with the company’s Macintosh computers. Others, however, rebutted and said iPod is helping Apple gets its name across the industry, somewhat like branding.

Research reports confirmed Apple’s solid market shares in the portable audio industry; Apple’s market shares (for portable audio players) rose from 37.5 percent in the third quarter last year to 40.2 percent in the fourth quarter, which was also the peak time for iPod sales due to the holiday season. The company also managed to double its market shares from 30 percent to 60 percent in 2004.

While many things are going in favor of Apple’s iPod, the company, along with industry analysts, said the competition is getting tougher by the minute. At the recent 2005 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada – Creative had its eyes set on Apple with its portable audio players. Apple said it’s working harder than ever to ensure it maintains its value in the market.