Apple Releases Smaller 4GB iPod Shuffle in Black and Silver

[madmaxmedia]

Yep. I hope Apple's design goal for this wasn't to make something so small there was no room for controls. It seems like a dangerous focus to me. but what do i know. I thought the new Mac mini with no keyboard and mice included was a stupid idea but it seemed to work out for them.

In combination with moving to headphone controls, it does make sense. It reduces the production cost even further, which is very important for these low price point products.

I personally really like the VoiceOver feature, simply because you can now navigate playlists. It's obviously not as fast as a regular iPod, but much better than clicking the forward button 40 times if you wanted a particular album on the regular Shuffle.

 

[The Samurai]

Excuse my ignorance - I can't read all the previous posts but could someone briefly tell me why the neg votes are the majority for this new product?

Cheers

 

[brygruver]

Seriously, don't you just love Apple apologists?

WAKE UP! The last product that Apple made that was truly innovative was the iPhone in 2006. We have had 2 years of nothing but incremental upgrades and change in materials (iMac design revision). Teach these hype-riding idiots a lesson by selling your Apple stock - his Jobsness should've been deposed once his health started affecting his design.

Seriously, I first saw this on Engadget and my first reaction was "Is this a joke?" It looked like something the Onion would do.

1) No 3rd party headphones
2) No repeat functionality of any kind, not even a manual repeat where you would just click "back" at the end of the song.
3) That computer voice is going to crap on the mood of the song.
4) It takes too long to get anywhere.

If Apple wanted to introduce VoiceOver as a gimmicky feature it should have been an OPTIONAL entity, not forced upon the user in combination with forcing the user to stick with their earbuds.

If you don't at least doubt Apple in the slightest after this, then you're truly crazy.

You proved yourself to be an idiot in Number 1. (No 3rd Party Headphones)

Read the Press Release BEFORE you speak.

 

[madmaxmedia]

Nice, I like it. But what concerns me is how Apple have increased the price on this thing. The previous 1GB was £31, now this one is £59. Sure, you get 4GB, but I still think Apple should offer a lower end model. This seems to be the case with the laptops and desktops too. They are getting more expensive.

The old one is still available, that's your low end model right there.

 

[Sonicjay]

Hehe, agreed. "iPod Vista; ruining a perfectly good product for no reason"

 

[kingtj]

Probably so ... but not a deal-breaker either, really.

The people throwing a fit about needing the proprietary earphones, I don't quite get? I mean, I've got some great 3rd. party headphones and pairs of ear-buds too -- but they typically cost as much or more than a Shuffle itself!

If you're that into "great sound quality" (and there's NOTHING wrong with that!), I don't see why you'd settle for the cheapest, display-screen lacking model of iPod there is?

Heck, one of my good pairs of Seinheiser headphones has a 1/4" jack on it, that you have to add an adapter to to convert it to 1/8". By the time you put that adapter on it and plug it into a Shuffle, the JACK is as big as the music player!

I just figured most people buy a Shuffle as more of a "throw away" player they can take to the gym and so on, and it not be a huge loss if it gets lost or stolen?

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.

 

[Ade-iMac-177]

My mate is a freaking genius!!!
The Voice Over function is the wrong way around. It has no screen so the machine talks to you. When i said voice over he assumed you could talk to it!! that is the way it should be! you should tell it what song and playlist you want and it will go to it! I want voice recognition!!

 

[sushi]

The headset is NOT proprietary. Stop regurgiating useless info.

Please show me where I can get some alternative in ear headphones with remotes from companies like Sony, Bose, Teac, Shure, etc.

 

[emaja]

You are unfit to be a parent. "a negative lesson for her"? What, that things change? That when it takes you a year (or however) long to save up a miniscule $50 that you aren't always going to get what you want? Wow, yeah a real negative lesson there. Its called LIFE, get her used to it. There are always refurb older iPods out there, or just go to Best Buy or some place similar that sells olders ones, not that hard. Maybe you haven't taught her how to shop around yet, hmm...The people that have the cash on hand when something new comes out that they want are the ones that "win".

You sir are unfit to comment on my parenting. Keep the personal attacks out of this and raise your own children the way you want to raise them. Your comments are completely uncalled for and uninformed.

For an 8 year old to save $50 is a big deal. Not teaching her to shop around is a little much to ask for at that age - isn't it? I wanted her to have a goal to shoot as an incentive to save and now that target has moved.

In the meantime, I will continue to teach my children lessons in saving and patience while you teach your children what you want to.

 

[GodWhomIsMike]

I love how you now can't use any other headphones that don't have a controller on them.

Not far off the iPod flee spoof now

This makes it completely impossible for me to use this, as I can't wear earbuds, due to the shape of my ear.

 

[GodWhomIsMike]

The people throwing a fit about needing the proprietary earphones, I don't quite get?

Not everyone can wear earbuds. That's what annoys me the most about this product.

 

[Jay42]

Can I press play on the Apple phones and then plug in some real headphones and go running?

If so, I'll might buy one, but its a terrible reason to do so.

When i said voice over he assumed you could talk to it!! that is the way it should be! you should tell it what song and playlist you want and it will go to it! I want voice recognition!!

This is the way it should be, a much more "Apple" solution to the problem that would let you use any headphones provided the mic was on the unit. C'mon Apple, we expect better than this attempt.


Put me down for a 2g shuffle, if they aren't sold out already

 

[Mariusz1977]

This is just another way to force people to pay "The Apple Tax" when they have to replace their proprietary earbuds. They sell you the shuffle for cheap but lock you into a product-lifetime "service contract" cycle of buying their overpriced, overcomplicated earphones.

I guess Apple's mad at me that I "beat the system" by using their 1st-gen Shuffle REFURB (the chewing gum one) with the perfect pair of $5 earbuds (Phillips hs-310 that I bought a dozen pairs for $5 each when they discontinued.)

In a way this is good for me, because the flaw in their plan is easy to see. It should drive up the resale of my 1st gen shuffle, if I choose to sell. To Apple's credit, the unit seems like it will last forever. I will keep feeding it $5 earphones. Hey, I am a cheap b@stard

 

[sushi]

I want voice recognition!!

That would be sweet.

 

[jackfrost123]

The people throwing a fit about needing the proprietary earphones, I don't quite get? I mean, I've got some great 3rd. party headphones and pairs of ear-buds too -- but they typically cost as much or more than a Shuffle itself!

If you're that into "great sound quality" (and there's NOTHING wrong with that!), I don't see why you'd settle for the cheapest, display-screen lacking model of iPod there is?

Heck, one of my good pairs of Seinheiser headphones has a 1/4" jack on it, that you have to add an adapter to to convert it to 1/8". By the time you put that adapter on it and plug it into a Shuffle, the JACK is as big as the music player!

I just figured most people buy a Shuffle as more of a "throw away" player they can take to the gym and so on, and it not be a huge loss if it gets lost or stolen?

They are -insert expletive- that's why. Like you said they shell out $150 for earphones and these earphones are somehow supposed to do justice to a small finger sized $60 product, but they can't shell out a few more $ to get a mini....

 

[Winni]

Another thing the world doesn't need. And now you're not only locked-in to iTunes, you also --have-- to use Apple's earphones. Which will be sold separately at probably the same price as the whole iPod.

Then you have an even higher usability nightmare. I already hate voice menus in phone systems. Now I need to listen to a walkman instead of just using the lousy thing.

No, I'm not impressed and find this whole approach more disturbing than interesting. But I'm certainly not the target audience.

The kids will buy it anyway. Let them be happy with it.

 

[Furrybeagle]

Seriously, don't you just love Apple apologists?

WAKE UP! The last product that Apple made that was truly innovative was the iPhone in 2006. We have had 2 years of nothing but incremental upgrades and change in materials (iMac design revision). Teach these hype-riding idiots a lesson by selling your Apple stock - his Jobsness should've been deposed once his health started affecting his design.

First off, the iPhone was in 2007. Second, Steve Jobs doesn't "design" anything, and his involvement in this was probably minimal at best, considering he is on medical leave. And god forbid Apple doesn't release something revolutionary every six months. What, exactly, were all the revolutionary products that Apple released before the iPhone. iMac G5... iPod?

Seriously, I first saw this on Engadget and my first reaction was "Is this a joke?" It looked like something the Onion would do.

Didn't people say this when they dropped the screen on the first Shuffle?

1) No 3rd party headphones

False. See previous threads.

2) No repeat functionality of any kind, not even a manual repeat where you would just click "back" at the end of the song.

Except when you click back at the end of headphones. Or flip the repeat button.

3) That computer voice is going to crap on the mood of the song.

I think the voice is used to announce playlists, or songs when you're seeking.

4) It takes too long to get anywhere.

Because the previous Shuffles were SO efficient at finding songs.

If Apple wanted to introduce VoiceOver as a gimmicky feature it should have been an OPTIONAL entity, not forced upon the user in combination with forcing the user to stick with their earbuds.

If you don't at least doubt Apple in the slightest after this, then you're truly crazy.

The iPod Shuffle is the disposable iPod. The majority of people who buy either buy it as a secondary iPod, or buy it as a gift/stocking stuffer/give away item. It's not a significant product for Apple. I don't doubt them at all. They're basically experimenting with the idea of a controlless iPod. If it's a big flop, they're really not going to care.

 

[sharp65]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

Only Apple knows how to milk their customers for all there worth.

 

[AlexisV]

If you're an Audiophile you wont be uisng ANY Apple products (unless they have valves!) .... and certainly not their headphones! depends on your definition of the word 'Audiophile' though ... what exactly is an Audiophile because I listen to music regurlary (with expensive home systems) ... but I'd still use a Shuffle (well, not now!).

As I said in an earlier post, just because I want to use a cheap player, it doesnt mean I have to settle for using por headphones ... and (as such) if this is a cheap player, then its not really cheap compared to what else is out there!

Yep, they should bring out an iPod with valves!

I get your point, but to be honest I've found nothing wrong with Apple's white earphones. I really don't know why some people moan about them.

Sure it's tough if you've got weird ears, but that could apply to any company's earphones.

 

[gothamm]

apple is encouraging the masses to stick with their poor white earbuds...terrible.

Shame on you, apple.

 

[phoneboy]

Not a fan

The idea of making something like headphones proprietary is not very nice to consumers. What if you want to use a nicer pair of headphones, or want to connect the Shuffle to a pair of speakers or your home stereo?

Without an Apple pair of headphones or licensed 3rd party pair, the product doesn't function.

They're trying to make MP3 players wasteful like printers (rather than buy new ink, most folks just buy a new printer).

 

[redking31591]

gizmodo says they have talked to apple and apple said that there will be a accessory to work with other headphones. problem solved.

 

[Consultant]

Please show me where I can get some alternative in ear headphones with remotes from companies like Sony, Bose, Teac, Shure, etc.

Took 3 seconds to search. Here is one from Shure that has 4 pins
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ZPOPIS/
it is stated in a review that it works with iPod touch.

There are adapters with buttons and microphone
that will allow you to connect any headphones to it.

 

[Small White Car]

Please show me where I can get some alternative in ear headphones with remotes from companies like Sony, Bose, Teac, Shure, etc.

Those companies are free to make them. If they haven't yet, that doesn't mean it's proprietary. It means they're not making them yet.

Perhaps you should complain to them. Apple says they've worked with companies so that others can produce headphones. If they're not out soon, you need to ask those companies what the deal is.

The idea of making something like headphones proprietary is not very nice to consumers.

If you don't know what "proprietary" means, stop using the word until you do.

Consultant just posted proof that they're not proprietary.
Are there many good options yet? No.
Does every product have to come out on the exact same day? No.

 

[mcdermd]

I wonder how well it speaks Spanish?