Apple Releases Smaller 4GB iPod Shuffle in Black and Silver

[Eric S.]

If you don't like the latest and greatest technology, there's nobody forcing you to buy it.

Everybody knows that they aren't forced to buy products, that's not the point. People should voice their concerns when they feel that Apple is making wrong technology choices, or acting primarily to increase its profit margins at the expense of better products. While this may be the "latest" technology, it certainly isn't the "greatest."

From CNET:

The only controls on the device itself are the on/off switch and the shuffle/llnear switch, Joswiak said. Apple will ship its own in-ear headphones with the Shuffle, but third-parties will be able to make their own headphones that have the controls, and they'll also make adapters that will let you use the controls with existing headphones, he said.

Whew! I mean, yeah, ya still gotta buy 'em, but...

Yeah, Klipsch is planning one at an approximate $100 price point. That will add a bit to the base price of the shuffle.

I agree. The people that use shuffles most of the time are not looking for the highest quality available. The people that I know that use the shuffle just for music use the original buds, and the ones that use them in the gym could benefit from the easier to access controls.

I use a shuffle and the first thing I did was throw away the Apple earbuds; they were terrible.

 

[NT1440]

Yeah, Klipsch is planning one at an approximate $100 price point. That will add a bit to the base price of the shuffle.

Because EVERYONE will be forced to buy another set of headphones.....especially from that one manufacturer.

 

[Eric S.]

Because EVERYONE will be forced to buy another set of headphones.....especially from that one manufacturer.

It was an extreme example. I guess I need to add a for the humor-impaired.

 

[Harlowgold1]

Only Apple earbuds?

Okay, for Apple being so innovative they sometimes make products as if we had no choice and we live in N. Korea. You can only use their headset?!? When they do stupid things like this it is when I want company's like Psystar to succeed! Jenny...

 

[NT1440]

It was an extreme example. I guess I need to add a for the humor-impaired.

My apologies, I had no idea you were trying to be humorous there.

Hug?

 

[NT1440]

Okay, for Apple being so innovative they sometimes make products as if we had no choice and we live in N. Korea. You can only use their headset?!? When they do stupid things like this it is when I want company's like Psystar to succeed! Jenny...

READ THE DAMN THREAD.

Its been said countless times that there will be both an adaptor, and apple is working with other companies to get compatible headphones made.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Wow.

I'm guessing that it will be very popular. One thing about making products that are unique: for every person who hates it, someone loves it. I enjoy the clickable microphone features on my iPhone. I wish my other iPods supported it.

Boring products elicit no emotional response. Unique products create a sense of wonder and amazement. While the fanatics bitch about the headphones, the average consumer uses them.

4GB is as big as the first iPod mini. That was the iPod that made Apple a household name.

My local news had a short mention of the new shuffle today. The anchor held it up to show how small it was. What company does that happen for? Microsoft? Nintendo? No. No one but apple.

Another successful product.

 

[AngryApple]

Ehh...it's really ugly, in my opinion. I won't buy this. If I didn't have an iPod touch and this new Shuffle came in pink, I'd think about buying it. Is there an Apple logo on it anywhere?

 

[Eric S.]

My apologies, I had no idea you were trying to be humorous there.

Well after all, no one is forced to buy the latest and greatest technology.

Hug?

OK, let's not go overboard here.

 

[NT1440]

OK, let's not go overboard here.

Just can't catch a break.

 

[joejoejoe]

this is absolutely one of the stupidest things apple has done.

shuffle is made for working out. apple ear phones fall out of ear. especially when working out.

so now you're limited to apple earphones with remote?

BS!!!!!!!!!!

(then again, this could just be a pretty evil genius plot to get all new shuffle buyers to buy the new in ear headphones. recession schmeshession!!)

 

[sundayx]

You guys argue like you're potential shuffle buyers. While I agree that it's stupid to move the controls to the headphones, most likely though the real buyers don't give a damn.

 

[K3mp]

this is absolutely one of the stupidest things apple has done.


(then again, this could just be a pretty evil genius plot to get all new shuffle buyers to buy the new in ear headphones. recession schmeshession!!)

Why would they buy the headphones that won't work?

 

[ntrigue]

I only looked at the chart once and already have the hang of controls. I just bought the Apple In-ear Headphones a few weeks back and they work as advertised

 

[SeaFox]

You guys argue like you're potential shuffle buyers. While I agree that it's stupid to move the controls to the headphones, most likely though the real buyers don't give a damn.

Actually, I am a potential Shuffle-buyer.

I currently own a 1st gen 1GB Shuffle. It has a bad memory cell in it somewhere so when I play the track recorded on that part the song will suddenly cut off. And I occasionally get other audio glitches. I've thought of upgrading to get the smaller size and fix these issues. I don't really want to deal with 4GB of music and no screen, and I do use aftermarket earphones. Not because I lost my old ones, but because I perfer better audio quality than Apple's stock phones and I'm not going to spend $79 for Apple's "better" ones when I can get another brand in the same quality for half that price.

I have short corded headphones, so Apple coming out with an adapter is good news (as it will have the remote on it and add length to the headphone cord already), but this "one button" stuff doesn't fly with me. If I'm using Autofill for my iPod I might come into a bunch of songs I don't want to hear (for one reason or another), skipping through them is already kinda a hassle with the existing Shuffle since I have to let each song start to figure out what it is (no screen to read the playlist after all), but to have to click the remote button more than once to change the track, not to mention scanning through a song - forget it!

 

[Smittay]

i mostly use mine in my car

3 problems

you have to hit play/pause 2X to advance a song
you have to hit play/pause 3X to advance to a previous song
where is the connector for the car?

can you imagine how pissed people will be trying to get to specific songs? lol

: crowd of people pressing cords, yelling at them, damnit, no, 2 songs back is 6 presses? this sucks. meanwhile robot comes on cause youve held it on too long and tells you all of your playlists in horrible english...

oh apple, remember your 3rd generation nano and the widescreen... DO OVER!

 

[drewsof07]

oh apple, remember your 3rd generation nano and the widescreen... DO OVER!

I agree with your "in-car" issues. And how DOES one reverse two songs??

As far as the 3rd gen Nano goes, the 4th gen uses the exact same screen, just in a 90 degree portrait rotation...

 

[Smittay]

I agree with your "in-car" issues. And how DOES one reverse two songs??

As far as the 3rd gen Nano goes, the 4th gen uses the exact same screen, just in a 90 degree portrait rotation...

yeah i know the 4th gen nano does it sideways, but it was a complete and utter failure, having to "redesign" the 3rd fat gen into one that worked sideways, admitting error. same will be true with this shuffle i think.

yeah so for every song you want to go back, you have to hit the middle button 3 times. going back only 4 songs (which is normal) will be twelve clicks? that sucks horribly. what about fast-forwarding songs to the middle by holding down the forward button (or rewinding for that matter)? guess thats gone too.

yeah i only use a shuffle in the car and leave it there -- the carpod. its $50. i have unlimited music. just used it in FL two days ago on vacation. oh well.

 

[Andrew K.]

They may as well welded the headphones to the player but seriously right now it seems like a problem but you know there will be other companies coming out with headphones w/controls made for apple.

Is this a bad move for apple? Yeah, not giving people a choice is a dumb thing to do. Especially when the headphones aren't the greatest sounding or fitting ( for alot of people). I think putting chrome buttons on both sides would have been cool ( iphone style ) or even touch controls on the blank side of the player.

Price: $80

$30 headphones/$40 player if you think about it.

I don't NEED a shuffle: I've got an iPhone 3G, a nano 4G but if the refurbs turn out to be like, $50 or $60 I'd get one. The black looks nice.

 

[drewsof07]

Price: $80

$30 headphones/$40 player if you think about it.

Not quite... Link

 

[Andrew K.]

Never mind I just bought one...

 

[Andrew K.]

Not quite... Link

Those aren't the ones with controls on them

 

[drewsof07]

^^^ HAHAHAHAHA awesome engraving

Those aren't the ones with controls on them

charges the same price for the special click button ones. These are the old kind which sold for the same $29.00

My point: No OEM buds could possibly be worth $30.

Edit: How hard would it have been to add a rocker special clicker button to the side?
I did it in like 2 minutes lol

 

[queshy]

Why not just include the adapter in the box?? What jerks.

 

[thejakill]

picked my new black ipod shuffle up today. loving it so far.

looks cool, feels solid, good quality. love having the multiple playlists to work with.

plan on using it for mountain biking, so i can tuck the unit away in my jersey and just use the headphones for control.

oh, and it sounds good, too.