iPod mini voted Gadget of the Year

Detroit Free Press tech columnist Mike Wendland has gone mental over the mini. He names it
his pick for 2004 Gadget of the Year for its sound quality, design, and uber-coolness factor:

it delivers a sound quality so big and so pristine that it's hard to believe it's coming from something so tiny. It's
cutting-edge, high-tech chicness.

In Mike's book, none of the competition comes close:

But none of the rival players can match the mini's size and the aura of the iPod, not to mention the compatibility
with the iTunes Music Store, Apple's standard-setting download site.

It's true, there is an aura to the iPod. That aura is so chic that geeks everywhere are basking in the glow of it to up their coolness factor, and the already cool are scrambling over themselves to get to a retail store and pick one up.
And they're not just picking up iPods; they're picking up each other. When a product is so hot that hipsters are falling in love at retail stores, you know it's got to be something good.