Smaller iPod shuffle?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

An American Technology Research analyst (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/80080/apple-to-shrink-shuffle.html) claims that they have heard that Apple may be working on an even smaller form factor for the iPod shuffle (http://guides.macrumors.com/IPod_shuffle) as well as a introduction of a choice of colors.

The price points and storage capacity, however, are expected to remain at $99/$129 and 512MB/1GB in order to minimize overlap with their recently introduced iPod nano (http://guides.macrumors.com/IPod_nano).

Apple recently added "black" option for the 5th Generation iPod (http://guides.macrumors.com/IPod_%285G%29), and previously offered iPod minis (http://guides.macrumors.com/IPod_mini) in a choice of 5 colors.

[iAFC]

A black iPod shuffle would be really nice! I'll buy it.

[savar]

Maybe this is the long-awaited ipod flea?

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/ipod-flea-p1.php

<snicker>

[Superdrive]

snip

An American Technology Research analyst (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/80080/apple-to-shrink-shuffle.html) claims that they have heard that Apple may be working on an even smaller form factor for the iPod shuffle (http://guides.macrumors.com/IPod_shuffle) as well as a reintroduction of a choice of colors.

snip

The shuffle had colors? Would this not be an introduction of colors to the Shuffle line? Anyways, I hope if we see anything besides black (which would be sweet on its own), that the colors are bright iMac style colors and not pastel Mini style colors.

[G5Unit]

Wouldn't 1gb(99$) and 2gb(150-200$) be better? It may overlap with the nano, but smaller form factor would bring the price up.

[Superdrive]

Maybe this is the long-awaited ipod flea?

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/ipod-flea-p1.php

<snicker>
Oh I hate windows media player. But the flea could easily be the Nano Rev B ;). By the way, those tic-tac colors could be introduced on any Apple product and I'd by it.

[Mechcozmo]

It is hard to improve on the Shuffle. When you do so well with only a few things available to do well, it will be interesting to see how they attempt to improve the Shuffle.

I like my 512MB Shuffle all the same. Rev. A and no problems, hoo ya!:p :D

[gammamonk]

This sounds pretty cool. There are lots of flash based mp3 players that are smaller than the shuffle at the same memory / price points.

Cut the size in half or more, and it's a necklace. I'm also all for colors.

[howard]

i've said it before...
but has soon as the shuffle gets a redesign theres a 99% chance I'll buy one immediately.

[DakotaGuy]

I don't know how much smaller I would want it. If it gets too small it would just be easier to loose.

[Lacero]

Well, I've always wanted a smaller iPod shuffle since my initial reaction to the first one was a little disappointed, especially with the height of it. The new shuffle hopefully 30% shorter, rounder, and more sweat-proof.

[xli_ne]

if it was the same size, but thinner, people will be breaking those things all the time.

[iDM]

I have had problems with my iPod Shuffle 1gig, although I think they are much more involved with software rather then harder. I don't think it shuffles well and I don't think the buttons are very response when pressing them. On another note the thing gets loud real loud, and the battery lasts FOREVER(although for some reason it doesn't seem to diminish if if you change songs, which makes sense for a HD based .mp3 player but nor for flashed based) and it is already so small that I have reached into my pockets and have not found it or could not distinguish it from my chap stick or other junk. I'd love to see them make it smaller although I honestly can say i do not want it to be any smaller or lighter, i like the form factor as it is, they do however need to add a proper hold button because how it is turned on now is well a joke and a hassle. I'm still hoping for a firmware upgrade that addresses the restart from the same song regardless of pausing or stopping half-way through another, faster responding buttons, and a more random shuffle rather then hearing the same 20 songs out of the 250 that i have on there!!!

[iAFC]

For $99 I don't know what's better: a Palm Z22 or an iPod shuffle. Advices? :confused:

[revjay]

Wouldn't 1gb(99$) and 2gb(150-200$) be better? It may overlap with the nano, but smaller form factor would bring the price up.
I would never want a shuffle any bigger than 1gb, unless there was some way to select between a few playlists.
2gb of music sounds great, but do you really want a 500 song playlists?
Sounds frustrating to me.

[Object-X]

Maybe they will give it remote control abilities and sell Front Row for the rest of us.

[QCassidy352]

I would never want a shuffle any bigger than 1gb, unless there was some way to select between a few playlists.
2gb of music sounds great, but do you really want a 500 song playlists?
Sounds frustrating to me.

I agree. I'm not actually going to listen to 500 songs; the ability to hold that many is only useful if I can select among them.

It would be great if they could make the shuffle a bit smaller; it would be nice if a shuffle didn't block the second usb port when plugged in to an ibook.

[nagromme]

Makes sense--there's certainly still room in the market for low-end, ultra-light, ultra-simple iPods. Not to mention the Shuffle is the one iPod that requires NO cords.

Some kind of price drop would make sense too, though, in keeping with the trend of falling cost per MB.

[DTphonehome]

Hopefully it will fit in my nostril.

[drater]

I agree. I'm not actually going to listen to 500 songs; the ability to hold that many is only useful if I can select among them.

It would be great if they could make the shuffle a bit smaller; it would be nice if a shuffle didn't block the second usb port when plugged in to an ibook.
I like the idea of the shuffle, but a screen would be nice. I would only buy one to work out with, don't see much use in bringing a bigger (my 30gb ipod video) ipod to the gym, but chicks dig it so maybe if I brought both I would be a god there....j/k, but really, a 500 song ipod shuffle like product with a screen would be nice...as long as they kept the price range.

[Raid]

Imagine that an MP3 player you can swallow, or implant in your ears! :rolleyes:

While small gadgets are 'sexy', tiny gadgets can get pretty impractical (fragile and hard to use). It seems if apple keeps this up, they are going to have to develop a new mini-jack standard for earphones... The nano is probably as thick as it is because the mini-jack port is only so small!

[DavidLeblond]

It would be great if they could make the shuffle a bit smaller; it would be nice if a shuffle didn't block the second usb port when plugged in to an ibook.

Amen! I hate having to unplug my mouse to plug in my shuffle.

[bigandy]

hmmm. maybe a little shorter, and that's it. in black or white. small price drop, to make it a little more competitive with usb stick drives (some of my friends said they'd buy it if it was a more competitive price).

sorted.

no other changes - there's no need to increase the capacity, it's pointless for a screenless player.

[Steamboatwillie]

I still think a brushed aluminum shuffle would be cool

[shamino]

Hopefully it will fit in my nostril.
How about lodged in your throat (http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=050626)?

[telecomm]

Amen! I hate having to unplug my mouse to plug in my shuffle.

My first purchase after getting the shuffle was a USB extension cable so I can leave my mouse plugged in. (The 12" PB has this problem too.)

For those who think a 2GB shuffle wouldn't be useful without a screen, I disagree. If 1GB of songs isn't a problem to manage (and I haven't found it to be) having another 1GB for data files wouldn't hurt.

[Seasought]

I think they're already TOO small =).

Great for running I'm sure, but any smaller and I'd go nuts worrying about losing it.

[efoto]

I can't imagine the Shuffle getting smaller. It is already quite tiny, and any smaller and you have a Nano.

The Shuffle has no screen, and hopefully won't in the future either, but if you make it even smaller then it's going to feel too toy-ish. It already borders on cheap feeling....making it even smaller I can't imagine that it will be come more robust.

[lolex]

I wish Jobs would let it come with a tiny screen, that will be a perfect ipod on-the-go.;)

[lolex]

Amen! I hate having to unplug my mouse to plug in my shuffle.

Why don't you get a Usb hub.:D

[sushi]

I would never want a shuffle any bigger than 1gb, unless there was some way to select between a few playlists.
2gb of music sounds great, but do you really want a 500 song playlists?
Sounds frustrating to me.
Maybe it would be marketed towards those who want an MP3 player and a USB Thumb drive.

2GB gives plenty of room for music and data.

Sushi

[Yvan256]

This sounds pretty cool. There are lots of flash based mp3 players that are smaller than the shuffle at the same memory / price points.

Cut the size in half or more, and it's a necklace. I'm also all for colors.

With the included lanyard and the fact it can already be used as a necklace (a huge one), the only obvious enhancement would be to reduce its size (I'd cut it in height).

A price drop would help too. And as far as offering it in black and white, it's also obvious (since the other two iPod models are also offered in black and white).

[nemaslov]

But it will cause much religious/political debate! :cool: :p :D :rolleyes:

[Yvan256]

Imagine that an MP3 player you can swallow, or implant in your ears! :rolleyes:

While small gadgets are 'sexy', tiny gadgets can get pretty impractical (fragile and hard to use). It seems if apple keeps this up, they are going to have to develop a new mini-jack standard for earphones... The nano is probably as thick as it is because the mini-jack port is only so small!

There's already an existing smaller standard: 3/32" (compared to 1/8").

[slightly]

To misquote The Onion, "Apple has made a lot of promises over the years, but finally, I can now shove 1000 songs up my arse".

[Sonofhaig]

i've said it before...
but has soon as the shuffle gets a redesign theres a 99% chance I'll buy one immediately.



What is the 1% chance you won't? :)

[syklee26]

here are some of the things I want from a new shuffle

1. addition of one more switch option for creation of 2 playlists. so it would go something like off-play1-play2-shuffle or off-play-shuffle list 1-shuffle list 2

2. addition of lanyard earphone like the one in nano. as good as shuffle is, it is somewhat tangle-prone. although this might eliminate the earphone plug, if it comes with a lanyard earphone, I am actually willing to buy even if it would jack up shuffle price to 109 and 139. (which is $10 more) this would also eliminate loss of cap problem.

3. better battery life.

4. sliding USB port to complement number 2 above. it would completely eliminate any cap part in shuffle and look neater.

5. more than white-black color. I want some navy, silver, etc.

well....that would be enough. heck, i am willing to pay $119-$149 for those!

[pimentoLoaf]

A smaller form-factor for the Shuffle? I voted 'negative' as I think this model is small enough.

What are they aiming for? An iPod that fits in the ear canal? :eek:

[nemaslov]

:p

[Chundles]

I know we're all thinking it, but I figure I'll be the one to come out and say it....

TiTunes.... (http://www.dehavilland.co.uk/webhost.asp?wci=default&wcp=EntertainmentStoryPage&ItemID=15066781&ServiceID=8&filterid=345221&searchid=234672)

[SiliconAddict]

Apple may be working on an even smaller form factor for the iPod shuffle

Ummm....why? :confused:

[Tupring]

Switching to Apple after MWSF 2006!
Until that, I have to continue using my crappy PC...No you don't!

[.mp3]

I made a iPod Shuffle prototype in Photoshop, I'm pretty pleased with the result:

[camomac]

the choice of colors only makes sense after the demise of the mini.

[andrewm]

Well, I've always wanted a smaller iPod shuffle since my initial reaction to the first one was a little disappointed, especially with the height of it. The new shuffle hopefully 30% shorter, rounder, and more sweat-proof.

While I liked the width, I think that a round pendant would be neat--*just* the controls, about the rim, making it look like a designer medallion or something. Think the medallion of Nur-Ab-Sal from the old game, 'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis,' except that it plugs into a computer and does neat things with music that no game programmer ever could with sampled MOD-style sound.

That was a fun, if loose, analogy. But--seriously--I recall (on MacBytes?) a thing about a mobile telephone prototype in Japan that one carries on a necklace. Why not make the iPod Shuffle *into* sweat-proof jewellery (optional; you could keep it in a pocket or wear it on your arm, of course)?

[efoto]

I know we're all thinking it, but I figure I'll be the one to come out and say it....

TiTunes.... (http://www.dehavilland.co.uk/webhost.asp?wci=default&wcp=EntertainmentStoryPage&ItemID=15066781&ServiceID=8&filterid=345221&searchid=234672)

Best idea ever. I'd stick my face in the middle and get stereo. This is the excuse I have been waiting for! :D

[Squonk]

Hopefully it will fit in my nostril.

Beware, it's cold and flu season...:eek:

[axcess99]

I think it should stay about the same size. I think it currently has a small-but-not-too-small form that fits nicely in one's hand. Different colors or aluminum could be cool.

Definitely increase capacity and *maybe* drop prices by $10/$20.

The only thing I think needs to be changed about the form is to narrow it somewhat especially by the connector, but the hard part about that is that the "click wheel" is already pretty small and it is just thin enough to fit as is. So they may be at their limit for form dimensions. (and no it doesn't need to be thinner at all)

[p0intblank]

I would love to see Apple go back to flavors. I would be interested in a lime green iPod shuffle. :) White is still the "prettiest" color, though. :)

[schatten]

So is the size of the iPods in reverse proportion to the size of Apple's MP3 Player market share?

If so, were Apple to get 100% of the market, would the iPod cease to exist?

[Sox]

As it was my very first iPod, I thought the Shuffle was great. I had been using the old Nike mp3 players before I made the switch to Macs, and the Shuffle was the perfect music accessory for a workout.

Unfortunately, it doesn't handle sweat. Like, at all. I tend to spring a few leaks after running for 75 minutes, so it was only a matter of time before the sucker shorted out.

I've recently moved to the Nano, which seems to be doing just fine, but I'd feel more comfortable tearing around the gym and the trails with a Shuffle. If they some how make it more resistent to moisture (especially around the power switch/slide on the back) I think it will be perfect.

[SeaFox]

If they aren't going to up the capacity, they should lower the price. Flash memory has gone down a lot since the Shuffle first came out.

[Tupring]

I can't imagine the Shuffle getting smaller. It is already quite tiny, and any smaller and you have a Nano.Isn't the Nano bigger than the Shuffle :confused:

[revjay]

So is the size of the iPods in reverse proportion to the size of Apple's MP3 Player market share?

If so, were Apple to get 100% of the market, would the iPod cease to exist?
???wha???

[heaven]

Omg, that would be so great. I d get one for sure! Just have to choose which color to get :P Can't wait to read more about this rumor :D

[bbyrdhouse]

I have had problems with my iPod Shuffle 1gig, although I think they are much more involved with software rather then harder. I don't think it shuffles well and I don't think the buttons are very response when pressing them. On another note the thing gets loud real loud, and the battery lasts FOREVER(although for some reason it doesn't seem to diminish if if you change songs, which makes sense for a HD based .mp3 player but nor for flashed based) and it is already so small that I have reached into my pockets and have not found it or could not distinguish it from my chap stick or other junk. I'd love to see them make it smaller although I honestly can say i do not want it to be any smaller or lighter, i like the form factor as it is, they do however need to add a proper hold button because how it is turned on now is well a joke and a hassle. I'm still hoping for a firmware upgrade that addresses the restart from the same song regardless of pausing or stopping half-way through another, faster responding buttons, and a more random shuffle rather then hearing the same 20 songs out of the 250 that i have on there!!!

I am not trying to be mean but I felt like I was going in circles as I read this post. :confused:

[Performa]

Your article said, "Apple recently added a black option for the 5th Generation iPod."




I don't think that statement is true. They didn't ADD a black option for the 5th Gen iPod....the 5th Gen iPod has been offered in white or black since it was announced by Steve Jobs.

Maybe your meaning was that the 5th Gen release of the iPod made a black option available, but your wording could be interpreted as a black option having been added on since the original 5 Gen release...since it says "recently added." I've had my Black Gen 5 iPod for about a month now....I guess it depends what your definition of "recent" is.

[johnbro23]

Maybe this is the long-awaited ipod flea?

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/ipod-flea-p1.php

<snicker>
Why doesn't my Mac play the video in this website??

How do I get it to play? I run into this problem all the time and I'm dying to fix it.

[capvideo]

So is the size of the iPods in reverse proportion to the size of Apple's MP3 Player market share?

If so, were Apple to get 100% of the market, would the iPod cease to exist?

Yes, but it would weigh far too much.

Jerry

[Superdrive]

Why doesn't my Mac play the video in this website??

How do I get it to play? I run into this problem all the time and I'm dying to fix it.
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherproducts.aspx?pid=windowsmedia" (http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherproducts.aspx?pid=windowsmedia)

Download this, quit Safari, install, and you should be good to go.

[maya]

The iPod Shuffle will introduce a new feature, it will become a multi-media remote for the iMac G5, iPod 5G, etc...

Worth a try. ;) :)

[dongmin]

A smaller form-factor for the Shuffle? I voted 'negative' as I think this model is small enough.

What are they aiming for? An iPod that fits in the ear canal? :eek:
i'm waiting for the ipod neuron: an ipod the size of your neuron that you can implant directly in your brain. just stick your pinkie in the USB 2.0 socket of your mac, and voila, auto syncing of your favorite tunes. the ultimate in portability, battery life, and useability.

[dan-o-mac]

I made a iPod Shuffle prototype in Photoshop, I'm pretty pleased with the result:

Sweet! It better come with a case. it looks oh so scratchable.

[pubwvj]

So now Apple will need to put a warning label on the iPod Shuffle:

"WARNING: Choking hazard. Not for use by children under the age of three."

It will be featured in the new upcoming movie:

"Honey, I shrunk the stereo - and swallowed it without choking!"

[lucas]

a 2gb (or even 4gb) shuffle would be sweet IF (and only if) it had a bluetooth remote with screen. im thinking shufflephones (http://homepage.mac.com/jimyounkin/PhotoAlbum19.html) with a remote in your pocket.

[.mp3]

Sweet! It better come with a case. it looks oh so scratchable.
Yeah, I used the same design that the iPod and iPod nano has. But if the new Shuffle has the same design and material as the iPod and iPod nano, I hope that Apple have fixed so that won't be so scratchable.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I can see it now... Apple.com...

"*Do not inhale the iPod shuffle."

[thejadedmonkey]

yeah, so here's what apple should do.
Make headphones. descent ones this time. they wrap around our head somehow, and feel good. than, there's a bt remote in your pocket that controls the headphones. The headphones would hold the MP3 player, while the BT remote would hold the controls for it.

Imagine that...the shuffle being the first BT ipod! :eek:

[pubwvj]

No, no, make it an earbud. Call it the "Banana" so that then you can say...

"Huh? I can't year you, there's a Banana in my ear!"

(old joke)

Of course, some people will insist on stereo so they can just go and buy two. :)

[jared_kipe]

Too much smaller and it isn't really useful or a joy to use.

[d.perel]

I would love to see Apple go back to flavors. I would be interested in a lime green iPod shuffle. :) White is still the "prettiest" color, though. :)
Yeah. Imagine a shuffle with the metal old-school iPod Mini color bodies instead of el-cheapo plastic

[beatle888]

Best idea ever. I'd stick my face in the middle and get stereo. This is the excuse I have been waiting for! :D


:eek: have you really been waiting for an excuse to get implants?

[aswitcher]

If they aren't going to up the capacity, they should lower the price. Flash memory has gone down a lot since the Shuffle first came out.

I agree. I think a 30%+ drop in price at least.

Or, add OLED displays like the Sony stuff.

Both would be even better :)

[BlueRevolution]

So is the size of the iPods in reverse proportion to the size of Apple's MP3 Player market share?

If so, were Apple to get 100% of the market, would the iPod cease to exist?

possibly. but, as their market share grows it would also accelerate, since the iPods would be shrinking and people would keep losing them. :D

[winmacguy]

Best idea ever. I'd stick my face in the middle and get stereo. This is the excuse I have been waiting for! :D
Heck I do that now its just that the sound that I hear is not from my iTunes playlist!;) :D

[anlugonj]

Here is my idea for the next iPod Shuffle.

Andrew

[Photorun]

It would decrease the risk of choking hazard if it was the size of a vitamin.

[savar]

Here is my idea for the next iPod Shuffle.

Andrew

I'm guessing that picture is slightly smaller than life-size. If so, that makes the screen, what...about the size of my thumbnail? I'm 22 and have great vision, but I won't be able to read 5 lines of text off of that screen. I don't think I could read more than a few characters without straining my eyes.

Does the USB connector flip out like a switch blade? I don't see why they would want to do that -- why waste space inside the case?

[coreybox]

I would never want a shuffle any bigger than 1gb, unless there was some way to select between a few playlists.
2gb of music sounds great, but do you really want a 500 song playlists?
Sounds frustrating to me.

Having a 2gb shuffle would not force you to have a 500 song playlist.
But if it was on shuffle i don't see why it would matter....

What i would see as most useful for a shuffle with a larger capacity is more in being able to use it as a flash drive (say taking my projects source code from the lab to my room, carrying some pictures around to distribute to some friends, ect.) without having to sacrifice songs space.

I think it sounds great being able to have a gig of music, but also a gig of storage handy whenever i might need it.

[coreybox]

Here is my idea for the next iPod Shuffle.

Andrew

i would be upset if the shuffle switched from the built in USB to a dock connector.

[bassism]

One thing that would be nice about having a 2gb shuffle is having higher bitrate songs.
The shuffle is regarded in the audiophile world as having about the best sound you can get in an mp3 player. The only problem being there isn't a whole lot of storage when you get into higher bitrates.
On my 4gb nano, with mostly 192vbr aac and lame vbr, I get about 550 songs on average.

So, a 2gb shuffle would be useful for audiophiles with large vbrs, or even lossless.

That said, I don't think that Apple would increase the capacity. If I had to guess, I'd say they'll streamline the form factor, thin it out like the nano, and maybe drop the price point a little bit, but keep capacity the same

[Chundles]

i would be upset if the shuffle switched from the built in USB to a dock connector.

It doesn't. His design doesn't feature a dock connector port.

[ijimk]

hmmm good thing i held off on getting one this long, this may make we wait until their release...

[themacman]

they need to add some new featre that none of the ipods have to keep it competitive with other players.

[EricNau]

I think it will get smaller, but that's about it. Apple will keep the same prices (like they always do). And I suspect it will hold the same - as to not get in the way of the Nano. Oh, yea, of course it will be in Black or white.

[hyperpasta]

Introducing the new iPod shuffle from Apple! Selling for just $99 (1GB), the shuffle comes in white, green, and orange. The switch on the back has three tactile ridges for an easier grip, and a new podcasts setting that plays podcasts in order. It now gets 14 hours of battery life, and is only slightly smaller than the current model.

It is introduced in February so as not to detract from the bigger announcements at MWSF.

[2nyRiggz]

well well well....a smaller shuffle....dont they think its small enough....soon there gonna turn the nano into a REAL nano player that u stick in your ear.

Bless

[mikewestlake]

One thing thats bugged me about the Nano is how small and brittle it feels. What about making the thing flex? The screen would be rigid, the memory would be rigid but bound in a flexible case so when you sit on it it gives and doesn't (or at least shouldn't not) break. Possible?

[pubwvj]

they need to add some new featre that none of the ipods have to keep it competitive with other players.

Hmm... here's a killer feature. It acts as a remote control so that you can turn off all the televisions in a store. Click... ah, quiet...

[coreybox]

It doesn't. His design doesn't feature a dock connector port.

My bad if it does not, but the last picture seems like it has the dock cord plugged into it, and the horizontal pictures seem like the dock connector connection slot

[anlugonj]

My design consisits of a smaller than production version of the ipod shuffle, I screwed up when figuring out the dimensions. The screen is a 5 line oled, and on the bottom is a slide out usb connector. it slides and clicks out to keep it stable. You slide it back up when you aren't using it. There is a standard stereo headphone jack on the top.

I hope this clarifies everything.

Andrew

[fklehman]

Hopefully it will fit in my nostril.

I think that bringing up fitting an iPod into a bodily crevice is taking the conversation down an unhappy path...where do YOU keep your iPod while you're jogging???:D Wow he runs funny, and why does every track have so much reverb?:D :D :D

Anything to keep it aay from the podjackers, right? Of course it also takes "podjacking" to a whole new level...:eek:

[coreybox]

My design consisits of a smaller than production version of the ipod shuffle, I screwed up when figuring out the dimensions. The screen is a 5 line oled, and on the bottom is a slide out usb connector. it slides and clicks out to keep it stable. You slide it back up when you aren't using it. There is a standard stereo headphone jack on the top.

I hope this clarifies everything.

Andrew

yeah, thanks alot.

The slide out usb thing would be pretty cool, as long as it was high quality and didn't wear and break.

[Hoffer]

I've got a 1 gig shuffle now. If they come out with a black one and it's even smaller, I'd buy it.

[flir67]

Hmm... here's a killer feature. It acts as a remote control so that you can turn off all the televisions in a store. Click... ah, quiet...

I would love to do that to all the cars now who have tv's in them . Click, mommy why did the tv cut off. LOL........


:D :D

[gammamonk]

Here is my idea for the next iPod Shuffle.

Andrew
Your post reminded me of this: round lcd monitor (http://www.geeks.com/pix/wootlp.htm)

[ebunton]

Since the controls are similar to the Frontrow remote, they could pretty easily make it work as an alternative remote.

Good idea?

[Photorun]

I'm not going to be happy until I get one these:

http://www.imagewranglers.com/blog/ihump.gif

[Lacero]

I'm not going to be happy until I get one these:
Hey Photorun, what's that in your mouth? I'd love it if the next shuffle were the size of what you're holding. :p

[amacgenius]

I still don't see the full point of the iPod shuffle right now as it is, it has NO SCREEN, although that could just be a pet peeve of mine or something, but smaller isn't always better Apple ;).

[oskar]

I could imagine a smaller iPod in the form of the "old" iPod remote that came with previous iPods in black and in white to go with the current iPods.
But then again we can't expect anything smaller than the smallest of USB flash drives, can we?

[EricNau]

I still don't see the full point of the iPod shuffle right now as it is, it has NO SCREEN, although that could just be a pet peeve of mine or something, but smaller isn't always better Apple ;).
It's all about what you want. There are many people out there, who only have 100 songs, and don't care which order they hear them in. - The Shuffle was meant for people like this. Usually these are also the people that use the Shuffle while Jogging/Exercising, when it is not possible to look at a screen.

A screen of any size of shape would ruin the iPod Shuffle. If you are someone that needs to have a screen, then don't buy the iPod Shuffle - as it was not made for you.

[thejakill]

they need to move that sliding switch off the back. have a little switch on the front, so all the buttons are there. having buttons on the front and back feels off to me.

[EricNau]

they need to move that sliding switch off the back. have a little switch on the front, so all the buttons are there. having buttons on the front and back feels off to me.
It would be even more "off" to have buttons on the top and bottom of the front, to switch whichever button ended up on bottom you would have to use two hands.

[ArkabaS]

Why is everyone so opposed to a small LED screen that would show the current song being played?? Nothing like the Nano screen, just a small monochrome 1 line screen. It wouldn't de-shufflize the Shuffle and would attract soooo many more sales.

Does anyone know of any current flash mp3 players that function as viable USB keys (i.e., the USB connecter is part of the player, no need for wires)???? If Apple won't release this not-so-unrealistic mp3 player, someone else simply has to. It can't be that illogical of an idea...

[Mechcozmo]

I still don't see the full point of the iPod shuffle right now as it is, it has NO SCREEN, although that could just be a pet peeve of mine or something, but smaller isn't always better Apple ;).

I just put all my good songs on there. Then I don't care-- they're always good. :D

Plus I stopped wanting to deal with my songs. Just play something, and play it fast! That's why I like my Shuffle.

they need to move that sliding switch off the back. have a little switch on the front, so all the buttons are there. having buttons on the front and back feels off to me.
It would be even more "off" to have buttons on the top and bottom of the front, to switch whichever button ended up on bottom you would have to use two hands.


I agree with EricNau. I like the one-handed operation that goes with the Shuffle.

[shamino]

It's all about what you want. There are many people out there, who only have 100 songs, and don't care which order they hear them in. - The Shuffle was meant for people like this.
There are also tons of people like myself, with thousands of songs, but always listens in a "shuffle everything" mode. A shuffle is just fine for someone like me - autofill it with a random assortment of songs and have the device shuffle its contents for playback.

I do this right now with a mini (using some smart playlists to approximate the behavior of autofill). While the display is sometimes useful when a song comes up that I don't recognize, most of the time, it's superfluous.

(Now, the dock connector is different. I like that. I have an iHome radio in my office. I like being able to dock my mini with it. You can interface a shuffle with the iHome, but it won't recharge a shuffle's battery.)
A screen of any size of shape would ruin the iPod Shuffle. If you are someone that needs to have a screen, then don't buy the iPod Shuffle - as it was not made for you.
I don't know about ruin, but it would raise the price. If the price approaches that of a nano, people will just buy nanos.

[shamino]

Does anyone know of any current flash mp3 players that function as viable USB keys (i.e., the USB connecter is part of the player, no need for wires)????
Yes. The shuffle. Use iTunes to enable disk use. See page 18 of the iPod shuffle user guide (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iPodshuffleUserGuide.pdf).

[Photorun]

I like the one-handed operation that goes with the Shuffle.

Among other things.

[ksz]

Why is everyone so opposed to a small LED screen that would show the current song being played?? Nothing like the Nano screen, just a small monochrome 1 line screen. It wouldn't de-shufflize the Shuffle and would attract soooo many more sales.

A small LCD (not LED) would be okay, but it would be even more clever to skip the LCD in favor of voice synthesis on iTunes that digitizes the names of the song, artist, and album and attaches them as 'thumbnails' to all the songs transferred to the shuffle. Now press and hold Play for 2 seconds and the shuffle just speaks out the song, artist, and album names.

[madmaxmedia]

I still think a brushed aluminum shuffle would be cool

That would be the PowerShuffle. It has 1.1 GB of flash memory, 10% faster USB 2 transfers, and costs $249.

[madmaxmedia]

A small LCD (not LED) would be okay, but it would be even more clever to skip the LCD in favor of voice synthesis on iTunes that digitizes the names of the song, artist, and album and attaches them as 'thumbnails' to all the songs transferred to the shuffle. Now press and hold Play for 2 seconds and the shuffle just speaks out the song, artist, and album names.

That's neat, but not as usable. Say you want to find a particular song. On a display you can keep forwarding until the right song is shown. If you had to use voice playback it would take much longer.

I think the main reason people want a display is for navigating, not for finding out the song that is playing.

It would also be more expensive than a display.

[madmaxmedia]

It's all about what you want. There are many people out there, who only have 100 songs, and don't care which order they hear them in. - The Shuffle was meant for people like this. Usually these are also the people that use the Shuffle while Jogging/Exercising, when it is not possible to look at a screen.

A screen of any size of shape would ruin the iPod Shuffle. If you are someone that needs to have a screen, then don't buy the iPod Shuffle - as it was not made for you.

Yeah, but if they add a small screen then it will be for everybody.

By now, they can improve the Shuffle incrementally without increasing the price (such as what happened with the iPod.) Colors alone won't cut it.

[EricNau]

I think the main reason people want a display is for navigating, not for finding out the song that is playing.

Then these people should not buy a "Shuffle."

[madmaxmedia]

Then these people should not buy a "Shuffle."

No, they shouldn't. But the Shuffle is Apple's only low-priced mp3 player. If Apple wants to increase Shuffle sales (which are generally regarded as not great but probably solid), then adding a small single-line display would help.

It's not like it would ruin functionality-

[Mechcozmo]

It's not like it would ruin functionality-

Screens get yucky when you run with them. They take up space, get sweat covering them so it is hard to read the words, and often times, doesn't even get used.

The Shuffle should not have a screen. It is meant so that you don't need to micromanage your music, like it feels like you do with the other iPods.

[Shaun.P]

I feel that the shuffle looks and feels a bit 'cheap'.

I would buy one tomorrow if it came all metal, i.e. like the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium or something.

[thejakill]

I just put all my good songs on there. Then I don't care-- they're always good. :D

Plus I stopped wanting to deal with my songs. Just play something, and play it fast! That's why I like my Shuffle.



I agree with EricNau. I like the one-handed operation that goes with the Shuffle.

you could have the switch on the front and still use it with one hand. what bothers me is the sliding switch allows sweat to get inside, so if you have the shuffle stuck next to your skin under your biking jersey or running shorts waistband, it gets all sweaty. you can buy a case, but that is bulky and harder to keep in one place. and i don't like the lanyard for biking.

[ksz]

That's neat, but not as usable. Say you want to find a particular song. On a display you can keep forwarding until the right song is shown. If you had to use voice playback it would take much longer.

I think the main reason people want a display is for navigating, not for finding out the song that is playing.
I never considered navigation to be important in the shuffle. You cannot navigate a radio station, but you can see what is playing if the station broadcasts RDS data.

It would also be more expensive than a display.
Adding a display would be more expensive than keeping the shuffle as-is while adding voice-synthesized 'thumbnails' via iTunes.