iMP-50 ... Where does it fit?

[levinel]

The iMP-50 was my introduction to iriver - Amazon was selling them cheap last year. I've been impressed with the feature set, and I like the ability to play packet disks. (In that regard, supposedly I'm pushing my luck. :)

Anyway, my own unit seems to work ok - apart from an annoying inability to read some CD-R discs that work fine in other players. If upgrading could get me past that issue, I'd be interested.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering where this player fits in the history and development of the iMP. Is the model totally new and full of substandard parts, or is it a cheaper-to-produce rework that uses many of the same parts as a previous model?

I thought that some photos might help people recognize the lineage - if one exists. Note the unused two-pin connector on the circuit board (upper right).

http://cal.net/~levinel/imp/imp50.htm