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Apple Releases Smaller 4GB iPod Shuffle in Black and Silver

slughead said:
No kidding. I'm kind of a fan of shuffles (even though I've killed 2 via water damage from rain and sweat), but this is just silly.

I don't understand why having buttons on the thing was such an inconvenience. You can clip it anywhere and it weighs like 5 grams, why do you need a separate controller?

Also, like you said: when the headphones break, you have to replace them with Apple headphones.

I hate how Apple is shifting towards proprietary/hard to replace junk... well I guess they've been that way before and are just moving back to it.

I like the price-point and added space though. Too bad I can't buy one.
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Apple has always had proprietary junk...
 
lolcaz said:
I didn't say one would buy it if the sole purpose was to DJ parties. But if you own it already, and occasionally use it for music at parties... Better than people fiddling with your iPod Classic, or even spilling drinks on it.
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If a product doesn't fit your needs, buy a different product. What does complaining about it do? It's not like the new Shuffle is going to magically grow a set of face buttons if you stare at it enough.
 
joeshell383 said:
How about voice RECOGNITION? Instead of waiting for it to go through all my playlists, I should be able to SAY a playlist or song title/artist (and advance to that song in playlist/song order).

Also, it would be nice if the control portion had a connector for a different set of headphones/earbuds. Same for the iPhone and iPod touch earbuds/controller.
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Have you seen the size of the Shuffle? What year are you living in? 2050? Voice Recognition Software in a product smaller than a AA Battery? Keep Dreaming (For now).
 
io_burn said:
No, you see, as a true audiophile I only listen to Apple Lossless encoded music, which I rip myself using a specially crafted vacuum tube powered record player using ONLY absolute virgin records fresh from the packaging as the original audio source. Of course everything is hooked together with the highest grade monster cable...

It is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE to me that I cannot listen to these high quality recordings using Apple's low-end MP3 player.
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I agree. Apple MUST cater for 100% of the market, 100% of the time. Anything less is entirely unacceptable, especially for those of us who like Apple products generally, which is why we're here reading this thread.
 
Interesting...

Quote:
Originally Posted by raggedjimmi
Turns out you can't go back a song?

Yes you can.
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How?

I do not see this as a blunder. I bet the carping when the Mac Mini was announced was almost as bad...

The idea of the new Shuffle is built around 'playlists' and if you don't use them, then there might be issues. I hope that there is a way to get it to just play what's in it without playlists. I don't use them and prefer to just play an artist or album and then move to another one if I need to. Having no controls and the 'voice over' function is a tradeoff that might just work wonders. Notice that the voice for PC synched Shuffles sounds like a constipated robot where the Mac synched Shuffle voice sounds better. Another reason to buy Mac?

The headphone issue is another thing. Is the adapter still available that converts the 'fat' jack to the skinny non controlled headphones? I wonder if it will play without the Apple ear buds installed... Will the 'in-ear' buds even work on the new Shuffle with that microphone built in. I know they already don't work with the iPhone. You can't hear yourself talk through them.

My feeling is that Apple is vearing into a territory that they shouldn't want to go. That is making devices that are incompatible with the accessories of the other devices... The iPhone was a precursor to that. It's incompatible (but can be adapted) with third party headphone/mic sets. Now the newish (and very comfortable) in-ear buds are incompatible with the iPhone despite having a microphone, and now the new ipod Shuffle is incompatible with all the earlier ipod accessories. I wonder if the in-ear buds will work with the new Shuffle...

Don't piss off your 'religious base' Apple...

For the record, I think that the new Shuffle will be a hit. It will start off slower maybe but it will succeed... I'll buy one.
 
Yvan256 said:
Put me on the "We can't use our own headphones with it? Forget it then." camp.

Also, why do people keep talking about the price of the new iPod shuffle vs the price of 3rd party headphones? The iPods are targeted not only at price ranges but also target different usages. I have a 2nd gen iPod shuffle and an iPod touch, and different situations call for different iPods.

Also, I can't find the 2nd generation iPod shuffle anywhere on Apple's Canadian website. No images, no links, no mention of it. Also not available in the clearance section. Apple didn't keep the old model, they replaced it.

I'll have to go buy another 2nd gen iPod shuffle at a local store, just in case my current one fails. Hopefully they'll be on sale soon, too.
Click to expand...

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_shuffle_2gen?mco=MTYzNDU2Mg
 
Evangelion said:
So you are saying that the new Shuffle will flop because "people keep the headphone-wire under their shirt, not over it!"?

Like I said, the new Shuffle will be a huge hit.
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they will sell just alot, but 2nd thing I thought was my wires are usually tucked under my shirt.
 
slughead said:
Oh they fit me fine, but they fall out when I go trail running / mountain biking.

Plus: THEY WEAR OUT and cost too much to replace.

I wear cheap head-band phones I can throw away and replace. I'm certainly not an enthusiast when it comes to listening to music when working out. I just want something that works. Apple doesn't want my money.
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http://www.dealextreme.com/

They sell iPhone headphones with the in-line mic and button for $3.50. I mixed my Deal Extreme headphones up with my real Apple headphones, and no one I've been able to find can tell them apart.

Believe it or not, you can buy headphones somewhere other than the Apple Store.

It wouldn't surprise me if they start stocking these headphones at a similar price in the near future.
 
io_burn said:
If a product doesn't fit your needs, buy a different product. What does complaining about it do? It's not like the new Shuffle is going to magically grow a set of face buttons if you stare at it enough.
Click to expand...

I did buy a different product. I have a 120GB Classic to keep all my music, pics, videos, etc on, and I bought a red 1GB Shuffle the other day for a cheap player that I can walk home with at night without worrying about getting it stolen or whatever. I'm not going to buy the new Shuffle.
 
Small White Car said:
"Oh no, the iMac is too heavy to carry!"
Buy a laptop.

"Oh no, the Mac Mini doesn't come with a monitor!"
But an iMac.

"Oh no, I have to use earbuds with a speaker to give vocal commands? Why can't I use my nice headphones?"
Buy the regular shuffle.

:rolleyes:
Good god, people. This isn't hard.
Click to expand...

Maybe someone is in the market for a shuffle and already has a decent set of ear phones. While the prev gen is still available for now how long will that be the case
 
I'm interested in the sound card...

The second generation shuffles did not have as good of a sound card as the first shuffles.

These little things are nice but I can't even stand the controls on my iPhone ear plugs.

I'm sticking with my big stick 1st Gen shuffle 1 gig. It's the best shuffle for me...
 
jgbhardy said:
Indeed, that's the first thing i thought of when i saw this, how ridiculous.
nice size in both physical and memory but it needs its own buttons, what about if you wanted to play it through some speakers using a jack to phono!
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You buy a Nano.

It's a mass-market product people. It won't magically cater for everyone's wants.
 
bdkennedy1 said:
Oh my god is this thing gimmicky.

Is this the kind of crap we have to look forward to without Steve?
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Hint: The products Apple are releasing now have been in the pipeline for easily a year, if not more. Where do you think iPods come from? Some kind of magical iPod wizard?

They're designed by engineers, built in factories, all of this takes an immense amount of time. Steve was around for this, whether you want to believe it or not.
 
I like the new design, it's great for something just to clip to yourself and go for a run or whatever. Not sure why they decided to make it smaller than the last one though, doesn't seem a great deal of point to it.. its not like the old one was a brick.
 
I don't know if anyone has already noticed this or this is old news but the 2 GB Shuffle is no longer available on Apple's site. It is only the 1 GB and the 4 GB now.
 
slughead said:
Oh they fit me fine, but they fall out when I go trail running / mountain biking.

Plus: THEY WEAR OUT and cost too much to replace.

I wear cheap head-band phones I can throw away and replace. I'm certainly not an enthusiast when it comes to listening to music when working out. I just want something that works. Apple doesn't want my money.
Click to expand...

Guess What? Apple has a solution for you.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA850G/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Ng&mco=MjE0NDg0NQ

They are compatible with the 3rd Gen Shuffle and they come with three different tip sizes. SHOVE THEM IN YOUR EAR AND THEY WON'T FALL OUT.

Plus, They sound GREAT and they are higher quality/last longer.

Done.
 
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