Apple Releases Smaller 4GB iPod Shuffle in Black and Silver

[sreehemanth]

I love the new design, but for the lack of buttons

The new iPod Shuffle design is really great!

But removing the buttons from the device and placing them on the earphone wires is not a great idea, according to me.

Cos, this completely truncates the new iPod Shuffle's user-compatibility with other earphones that do not have such controls.

Plus, having the buttons (not necessarily the click-wheel) on the player will prove as an advantage when users want to just use the device with other earphones (read as - preferred or even much better, and also most probably already or previously purchased).

it is a SERIOUS risk that, i think, Apple has taken. But the VoiceOver feature is a great new feature, which it can still work if the device has buttons on it, as against to having it on earphone wires.

 

[cg0def]

This is awesome and I love all the changes that Apple have done but ... 10 hours battery life? wtf Apple? Make it bigger if you have to but give us at least 15 hours of battery life!

 

[Ade-iMac-177]

Finally a nice bird presenting an apple product, Hanna, instead of all the luke warm losers they got on all the other products, remember the guy for the macbook....christ. I say redo all product vids with hanna!!!

HAHA!!! yeah!! i agree! Apple needs more hot totty promoting their stuff! ;-)

 

[jackfrost123]

Because you have to use their headphones, you can't plug it into a hifi or amp, it oddly doesn't work with the iPod Shuffle 2G dock, you can't skip through songs/podcasts/books.
And it's not that big an improvement of the 2G. Infact if you want buttons on the device then it's a huge step back offering only VoiceOver and 4gb in place of useable buttons.

Ok fair enough you got some reasons for whining. YOU CAN'T SKIP SONGS, WHAT? You can with the earphones, right? That can't be right. Ok so you can't stick it into an amp, big deal, so many ipods to get instead, but I am sure they will come up with an amp cable with controls.

 

[shen]

packaging?

"from the small picture it looks like the actual packaging for the new Shuffle is larger than the old one - lets hope it isn't. Apple keeps banging on about smaller packaging and i don't want to see them being accuses of hypocrisy."

Packaging? You mean they don't just keep these in a tic-tac box and shake them out for you at the counter?

 

[joeshell383]

I strongly disagree with that idea.

I'm sure that, sometimes, the opinions of this board match the opinions of the people Apple does research. So yeah, it might SEEM that way.

But if I were Apple I would see no benefit to paying attention to places like this.

No benefit to paying attention to your most loyal and diehard customers? I'm not saying that it happens often, or that Apple makes all (or any) final decisions based on forums, but there has been proof of corporate iPhones and Mac Pros visiting these forums. Most modern companies spend millions/yr monitoring what is being said on the Internet about them. It helps save on other market research costs and is more honest/natural than things like focus groups (which Steve stated Apple doesn't use anyway).

 

[AAPLaday]

Ok well i think i made my point bout the earphones, so now who ordering one? Or are you going to wait and see if other colours are released?

 

[answer348]

Wow, Apple came so close to making a product that would fit me perfectly. I have about 4gb of music that I only listen to on shuffle mode. Unfortunately, I find the standard headphones to be tragically uncomfortable and they never stay in my ears. Massive deal-breaker.

Dang.

 

[jackfrost123]

HAHA!!! yeah!! i agree! Apple needs more hot totty promoting their stuff! ;-)

Aint that so, Jesus man where have they been hiding the women in this company? Don't you really appreciate the fine neck close ups too, hehehehe. Come on apple choose another hottie to do the mac tablet!!!!!!!

 

[joeshell383]

Finally a nice bird presenting an apple product, Hanna, instead of all the luke warm losers they got on all the other products, remember the guy for the macbook....christ. I say redo all product vids with hanna!!!

For diversity's sake they use a number of employees. Hanna(h) was featured in the Apple TV video (and possibly others).

I do wonder if the employees get paid extra for the videos, or if they are simply given orders (or volunteer) to take part in the videos.

 

[walnuts]

It requires the yet-unreleased iTunes 8.1.

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/specs.html

 

[Small White Car]

No benefit to paying attention to your most loyal and diehard customers?

Ha! Loyal and diehard?

Have you looked at these threads? They're FULL of people complaining about what they hate about the newest product.

The new Shuffle won't work with my headphones and I won't buy a Nano.
The new iMac is only a little better than the last so I won't buy anything.
The Apple TV isn't a Mac Mini, so I'll never buy that.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, I've helped friends and family members buy dozens of Macs, iPods, and iPhones. Guess what? The people I know who are SPENDING MONEY at the Apple stores usually have much different priorities and concerns than the people around here (who are quick to point out how much they WON'T be spending on Apple products.)

So yes, I think Apple should pay more attention to the people coming into their stores than to the people complaining on the internet.

 

[MH01]

Apple doesn't have a team of engineers making sure every product they release suits YOUR needs, believe it or not.

Nope, they have brilliant engineers working very hard to make sure that connecting an apple product to a non apple product is a absolute b!tch (Original iphone recessed jack, Mini display port, new shuffle etc). Thank god they are keeping us safe from those unheard interfaces such as HDMI.....

 

[Cydonia]

Always the headphones - WHY?

First Post.

Love Apple, but why do they always mess with the headphones?

For example; I seem to recall some early iPods had recessed h/phone sockets so you couldn't use other standard h/phones. Apple would then revise the product, announce "the h/phone socket isn't recessed anymore" yay everyone celebrates.
However, they seem to do this all the time? 1st generation iPhone? Will they not realise a lot of people already have h/phones or they will purchase new ones if this is their first iPod. As already stated Apple do a good job with the included h/phones but not everyones ears are the same and everyone users their purchase differently, be it a couch potato or jogger.

Controls on h/phone cable = useful / good.
Not supplied as an adaptor = not useful / bad / leads to more expense.

You can "Think Different" just don't Think Too Different.

 

[MacTheSpoon]

I'm assuming someone will be selling an adapter cable shortly that has the controls and allows you to plug in any headphone you want.

Still, makes it more expensive.

Yeah, I agree. Third party adapters will come out for sure.

I wonder if we'll see iPods with voice recognition someday.

 

[jackfrost123]

The Playlist Selection Feature Is Fantastic Guys, Great Interface Inspiration, You Got To Give It To Them, Thanks Appl.

 

[Parental]

i never see a mp3 player factory that have to adapt itself to the 3rd party accessories makers.

from now 3rd party will begin to create compatible earphones.

 

[hiptobesquare]

Interesting...

But I would have to agree, proprietary headphones due to controls is bogus.

However, it is very possible, and probably likely, that Apple will release the specifications for the control signals, or said signals are standardized, so that either an Apple-brand, or 3rd-party intermediate-cord that allows 3rd-party headphones to be plugged in-line.

Also, it might be cool if someone came out with a dock-connector adapter (expanded headphone to female-30-pin iPod Dock, that fits and holds the shuffle), or other "line-out+data/control" adapter, so that this little faceless music storage can be plugged into car stereos, or other iPod-dockable devices, to allow control, and even possibly display of the information on this little thing. some dock-able devices already have redundant control for the iPods, it would become non-redundant with this little thing.

I wonder if some of the new stereos and things that can play songs from USB sticks and things... could just read and play directly from this new faceless shuffle, with it's own USB->expanded headphone plug sync cord.

That might make a real handy way of carrying 4GB worth of music, right in your car, controlled through the head-unit.

This isn't a replacement for a Nano/iPT/Classic/iPhone... but as 4gb of portable music in the smallest possible package, it does have some interesting potential.

 

[zioxide]

awful.

no controls on the device so you HAVE to use apple's headphones?

**** that. they sound like absolute **** and always fall out.

epic failure.

 

[trellus]

Apple earbuds never stay in my ears...

...so this makes this Shuffle a total non-starter for me. It's not just a matter of preference; they literally fall out of my ears even with casual use, and certainly are a total disaster if I try to run with them -- which is what I use my shuffle for, as I have an iPod Video for carrying around my entire music collection with me in the car and elsewhere. As others have mentioned, I am sure there are going to be third-party (or perhaps even Apple) adapters that have the controls and allow you to plug in 'regular' headphones.

That being said, I think it's ballsy of Apple to innovate and try new form factors. Just because it doesn't work for me doesn't mean it might not for other people.

For me, my 2nd gen Shuffle is absolutely *perfect* for my usage patterns.

 

[Roessnakhan]

Love the guided tour, don't like the product. But then again, a shuffle isn't for me, so to each his/her own.

 

[brygruver]

Then who is the shuffle designed for? It seems only recently the nano has been championed as a runners tool with the nike kit but then so has the touch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike+iPod

The sensor and iPod kit was revealed on May 23, 2006. (Almost 3 years ago.)

When I worked at the Apple Store, 90% of the Shuffles we sold were to people buying gifts for others. They bought them because they make cheap Stocking Stuffers, but still say "I Care". Corporations also liked to buy them in bulk to give out as rewards.

 

[tiguk]

Nope, they have brilliant engineers working very hard to make sure that connecting an apple product to a non apple product is a absolute b!tch (Original iphone recessed jack, Mini display port, new shuffle etc). Thank god they are keeping us safe from those unheard interfaces such as HDMI.....

So much anger.

Every electronics manufacturer I can think of attempts this. They all have their proprietary connectors, formats, software etc. It's a well known way of up-selling - getting the consumer to buy more stuff of you!

 

[ctdonath]

What a bunch of whiners. Guys, there are other products available too: whining that new product Y isn't like product X means product X is for you and product Y isn't. X is still available if you squint a little.

1) the controls are on the earbuds!

Good. I don't want to fish the main unit out of my pocket just to change the volume or skip a song.

If you want to use it with speakers, you probably want a different product - most likely one with a screen. Alternately, adapters will promptly become available - cope.

2) the cable that comes with it is 45mm long!!!

Good. I'm tired of hauling around 3-6' cables when I just need cables only a few inches long.

If you want something longer, use the USB extender or external USB hub you most likely already have.

3) there is nothing on the front now.

Good. There doesn't need to be anything on the front of it.

If you want something on the front, put a sticker on it.

4) the colours available were one of the nicest things about the old shuffle

Silver & black are good. That's the only color I want.

If you want a different color, get a 3rd-party sleeve, or wait a few weeks and (like before) other colors will be available.

5) the voice over feature

Is good. I don't need a screen if it will talk to me. I don't actually want a screen, I have long wanted an audio-only device.

If you don't like it, you can turn it off (hey, you already said that).

6) the on-off and shuffle-order switches are now one thing

Good. The fewer buttons the better. Doesn't take rocket science to triple-click for a rarely-used function.

7) from the small picture it looks like the actual packaging for the new Shuffle is larger than the old one

Good. It has to be big enough to not get lost (or trivially stolen) in the store.

If you don't like the packaging, recycle it.

That will do

Yes it will. At least you put together a more comprehensive list than most of the whiners. It's still whining. The prior style is still available (there's always the refurb store! get 'em cheap there!). If all the changes bug you that much, what you probably really want is a Nano.

Some of us DO want a really minimal, audio-only-oriented device. I'm frankly surprised they didn't go a step further and just mount the whole thing on an ear bud.

And it's not like Apple never deviates from standardized designs. To the contrary, incompatability is frequent, and well-addressed by a booming 3rd-party market.

Again, if the product isn't what you want, it's probably not for you, and there are plenty of other products available which are what you want. I'll probably get one just to spite all the whiners.

 

[jackfrost123]

hey Wake Up, Third PARTY Manufacturers Will Soon Make Every Connection And Headphone Cable Yo Want With Controls In So End Of Problem!


People I am heading a fair prices 10 day meditation retreat and yo have to join to do something about that anger, actually I am drafting you it's not a choice!!!!lol