Apple iPod Mini Available Friday at 6 p.m.

from the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and Apple Authorized resellers according to an Apple press release. There are some 100,000 pre-orders. Steve Jobs announced at the iPod Mini Macworld introduction that they would be available in February.

“The response to iPod mini has been off the charts,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “iPod mini broadens the market for iPod by competing head-on with flash-based players. iPod mini costs only about $50 more than a 256MB flash-based player, yet it holds 16 times the music, is smaller, is easier to use and provides superior audio.”

The iPod Mini holds 1000 songs, weighs less than 4 oz, comes in 5 colors and costs $249. Here is the full Apple press release.