iPod Shuffle Released

[pbook15]

Then buy an iPod, doofus. Why the hell to people have to knock a new product just because it's not exactly what they need. Do I need to remind you how many people said the original iPod was dumb and way overpriced and would never fly? Yeah, they sold 4.5 million of them in the last three months. I was skeptical of the Shuffle at first but now I think it's downright genius. $99 and it doubles as a USB2 data drive? I'll be getting one ASAP.

I bought one because i can use it as a data drive and i wanted something less vulnerable to take snowboarding and when it's warm enough mountain biking. I don't like taking my iPod out and risking damage when i'm just going to play a 100 song playlist on random anyways, this is a great solution. I can see how this isn't for everyone and i agree with the comments posted. I think cameras on cell phones are stupid so i refuse to buy one, no point complaining about it, some people love them, it's just personal preference.

 

[mox358]

As an original 5GB iPod owner and a future iPod photo owner, I have to say this thing appeals to me. There are so many situations where I go buy a few CDs or download an album or 2 from iTMS and just want to listen to those songs for a few days. I don't necessarily "NEED" my entire collection with me if I'll be gone for a few hours, or maybe a day. My 5GB iPod is old, battle worn and the battery isn't quite what it used to be. How perfect would this be? Just rip my cds, or sync up the 2 albums I want to hear, and take off. Also having a 1GB flash drive to haul files back and forth between Macs would be VERY convenient. I could see this thing making up its price within 6 months saving me so many blank CDs I have to burn. I think Apple just sold another one of these

Mind you, this coming from the guy who sells MP3 players for a living and always tells people how crappy the Motorola and Lyra players are. Damn you Steve... you always win.

 

[cyanide]

Gross! No screen, freakin idiots, gosh!
Main selling points of ipod:
great user interface-gone
scroll wheel-gone
big space-gone
I want an iPod, not a usb flash mp3 player like everyone else!

They actually have those.. they are called iPod Mini, iPod, and iPod Photo. If you would like to purchase one, please visit store.apple.com . In the meantime, "everyone else" will be buying an iPod Shuffle.

 

[cyanide]

Dont' mind no display, like the size, battery life, and storage size, but I hope that someone writes a hack that will allow it to download and play *in order* songs from an iTunes playlist so if you want a specific structure for the day you can have it. For some of us who also listen to classical music (multi-movement works) the ability to keep those movements in order would be helpful--so Mozart doesn't get shuffled with Schwanter. (though that might be interesting)

you can play in order. just flip the switch in the back, presto! when you want randomness, flip 'er again. easy as pie.

 

[Flowbee]

I just bought one from the Apple Store in San Francisco. Demand is so high that there is a employee standing at the door with cartons of the 512MB model* handing them out as people walk in, and instead of asking, "Do you want one?" he's asking, "How many do you want?" The line at every cashier is at least 15 people deep, and everyone is clutching the little green package—many are buying three or four.

Of course MWSF is just down the street, but still, they were sold out when I got there about 6:30 this evening.

 

[KindredMAC]

ORDER UP!

The wife and I ordered our 512MB iPod Shuffle tonight right after dinner. I showed her everything that came out today and she was shocked at the $99 price tag and it fits into our needs perfectly.

We have a 10GB 3G iPod and while it is great for hooking the iTrip up to and playing in the car or our home theatre system's FM receiver, it is just sometimes way to bulky and clumsy to have on your person for working out, cleaning the house or making dinner. Plus our cats just chewed through my new pair of in-ear buds on saturday so we kinda view it as getting the iPod Shuffle for $69 and a set of new ear buds for $30

Besides I don't need my entire collection of iTunes music with me ALL the time. I only listen to a couple playlists worth anyways if I'm laying on the couch or on my back patio swing relaxing.

Good job Apple! I don't think you will see the $99 model last on the shelves for the next 3 months. It is THE perfect gift. Too bad they didn't opt for a pre-Christmas release. Can you guys imagine how many stockings would have been stuffed with these??????

 

[humara]

rio cheeba... so much better.

Man, the rio cheeba is so much better. 256mb is $134.99. its quite a bit bigger which means it must be more durable. and it has a screen. i can't believe apple dropped the ball again. the same people that knew the ipod mini would fail must be right again.
cheeba, 1/2 the storage, 33% more in price, way more screen. usb 1.1 because usb 2.0 is just not really out there yet.


sarcasm. my 1gb is on the way!!!!

 

[mxpiazza]

i dont get where people want to call it overpriced...

this is the first product in a while that apple is actually offering much better prices than competitors. best buy and circuit city sell USB flash drives for the same size and price as the shuffles... and they aren't iPods.

i understand that people on here ALWAYS find room to complain, but at least do your homework first!

humara... don't you just want to explode when people say the cheeba is better? i have 3 friends that are CIS majors and so anti-mac they swear by rio products... hillarious

 

[keisuke_7]

airport express controller??

I dont know if anyone has wondered... if apple or some third party can add an adapter to the end of the ipod shuffle so that it can have bluetooth or wi-fi support then it would make the perfect airport express/itunes controller!

And if this happens then maybe the crew at Salling Clicker can turn the ipod shuffle into a vlc controller.... the possibilities are endless...... now if only apple or some third party company are reading this thread.....

 

[macidiot]

not for me

After seeing the ipod shuffle, now I know why Jobs has been pushing hd based devices. And why the hd iPods have been selling like crazy. Not Apple's fault, but seems like a lot of money for what you get. The iPod mini doesn't seem all that much bigger physically, but holds way more and offers more functionality. And frankly, offers a lot more style. Seems like a no brainer to go for the mini if you can afford one. Its only $100 more, for 4 times the capacity...

I hope Apple sells a buttload of these, but it doesn't seem that compelling to me. Besides, an iPhone would pretty much make the Shuffle useless, at least to me.

 

[reggie]

I got mine today!

I got mine today and it works perfectly as advertised. Downloaded the iTunes update and plugged it in. Flawless! Now my problem is to not put it into my back pocket and sit on it in the car....

The salesperson at the AppleStore in SF said they went through two truck loads of them, they started to limit customers to no more than 10 each, and I saw several people carry that many out.

 

[notjustjay]

file storage

I'd get one as a turbo-charged USB memory key. But I don't get why I have to allocate (with that slider panel) storage space for music and for data. I don't have to allocate how much of my 15 gig iPod is to be used for file storage...

 

[thecoleorton]

already ordered mine...

and the reason is....

Why not? It's a memory stick that plays music as well.

Plus, Student Charge is a beautiful thing. Looks like i'll be getting mine for only $50 "real" dollars, then student charge the rest of it. I will still represent my 3G 10GB, and remember that I was one of the 733,000 people who had an iPod before this Christmas*.

*watch the MacWorld keynote.

 

[Loge]

I'd get one as a turbo-charged USB memory key. But I don't get why I have to allocate (with that slider panel) storage space for music and for data. I don't have to allocate how much of my 15 gig iPod is to be used for file storage...

I guess it's so you can continue to use Autofill. If you are using some of it for data, you wouldn't want Autofill to use up all available space each time.

 

[JFreak]

Hey I was seriously hedging my bets that Apple would introduce AACplus, so iTunes could convert songs at 64Kbps to the iPod shuffle, thus fitting 200% more songs.

itunes5 maybe?

 

[Sir_Giggles]

Seems like a no brainer to go for the mini if you can afford one. Its only $100 more, for 4 times the capacity...

I can see where the iPod shuffle would be better than the mini. I snowboard alot and I'd rather destroy a $99 device than a $249 one. I guess Apple's made the shuffles so cheap, we've gotten to the point of them being almost disposable. You could even conceivably keep 2 or 3 shuffles around the house and pick-choose which one you want to listen to.

 

[Flowbee]

The salesperson at the AppleStore in SF said they went through two truck loads of them, they started to limit customers to no more than 10 each, and I saw several people carry that many out.

Bastards! That's why they were sold out by the time I got there.

 

[Savage Henry]

After seeing the ipod shuffle, now I know why Jobs has been pushing hd based devices. And why the hd iPods have been selling like crazy. Not Apple's fault, but seems like a lot of money for what you get. The iPod mini doesn't seem all that much bigger physically, but holds way more and offers more functionality. And frankly, offers a lot more style. Seems like a no brainer to go for the mini if you can afford one. Its only $100 more, for 4 times the capacity...

I hope Apple sells a buttload of these, but it doesn't seem that compelling to me. Besides, an iPhone would pretty much make the Shuffle useless, at least to me.

Agree with you. Nice toy but not up my street. I'll wait for that slightly larger iPod mini.


But I do wish people would stop talking about the iPhone.

 

[Loge]

Interesting that stories about rumours of the screenless iPod were rated more negative than positive, but when it is actually released, it is rated more positive than negative.

 

[elfurbe]

:'(

My name is Furbe and I hate the iPod Shuffle.

Am I the only person that thinks this is a total dilution of the iPod brand? iPods are known for their exceptionality. They are "the best". By market share, by user adulation, by critical acclaim, undeniably "the best". This is not the best. This is not even close. With no screen, no playlisting, not even some adapted version of the classic iPod click/scroll wheel, what's the point? Not only do I not know how long the current song has, I don't know what the next song is until I memorize my playlist, and even if I'm in love with random, I can't even choose a song to start the randomizing on. This is inane. I know the iPod brand has the thunder of god behind it right now so everything stamped iPod is gold, but why would they choose to under-feature their device compared to currently available competition and expect us to believe it's somehow better? Danger! Reality distortion field at maximum! Let's scan the real world for a second. Shuffle isn't new. I'll wait for your shock to wear off. That's right folks; shuffle has been a feature since digital music began. Shuffle existed before digital music. Shuffle worked on my last TAPE DECK. Everything that plays music has shuffle. It's not a selling point. It's a REQUIRED FEATURE. No scroll/click wheel is not an improvement. It's a travesty. No screen isn't streamlined. It's a mistake. This is to an iPod what a MINI is to a BMW. It's not one. Period. Even if they make them in the same building. You wouldn't try to pass off a spiffy new MINI Cooper as a low-end Beamer, and this is absolutely no different.

This is not an iPod, this is a joke. This is corporate bottom-lining taking over. Apple has a cash cow, now they're gonna milk the brand-name for all it's worth, quality be damned. I wouldn't touch this with a 10ft Dell-branded pole. It's so underwhelming the urge to cry consumes me. It features NOTHING that makes an iPod an iPod: not visually or stylistically, not software interface, not physical interface, not storage space, not a thing. Not one single thing that has defined and pushed the iPod brand to the pinnacle of portable audio is there, except white Apple plastic with a half-eaten fruit on the back. This could just as easily be an Apple-brand USB memory stick, or even an Apple logo ink pen holder, from what it looks like, who would know.

The fact that everyone and their brother intends to buy one doesn't justify this. Pandering low-end feature-poor products to everyone is Rio's job. Little Timmy doesn't have an iPod because Little Timmy doesn't need one. Cheapening the iPod's quality and capabilities to make it more attractive to Suzy Simpleton is 100% debasing Apple's nature. If they can afford to do it better AND as cheap as the other guy, do and do well, but it'll be a cold day in Satan's Workshop before I support Apple in lowering their standards to accommodate price points of their competition, playing on the success of a revolutionary device to pimp a catastrophe of a device like the iPod Shuffle on the unsuspecting masses.

Time has shown with the original iPod and the iPod Mini that people WILL PAY. Competing products sell for half as much and move only a small percentage of iPod's units sold. iPods are the best because Apple chose to maintain the quality of their product and produce something better, cleaner and more attractive than anything on the market then, now, or coming, price point be damned. And it worked. And now, now they want us to cheer like frenzied cult members as they take something innovative and debase it into something average at best, with no justification but the bottom line? Red flags should fly when you're trying so hard to think of a GOOD thing about your digital audio product that SHUFFLE SEEMS BEST. No thanks Steve, you can keep the tagline and the extra-helping of brainwashing. I'll continue to use my real iPod with real features, real Apple style, and real industry-defining clout, and hang my head in sadness each time I have the dubious good fortune to see a Shuffle in use.

 

[Sir_Giggles]

My name is Furbe and I hate the iPod Shuffle.

Am I the only person that thinks this is a total dilution of the iPod brand?

You may call it dilution. I call it positioning for total world wide dominance.

iPods are known for their exceptionality. They are "the best". By market share, by user adulation, by critical acclaim, undeniably "the best". This is not the best. This is not even close.

Excuse me? Can you please define your definition of "best"? Because until you do, your ranting and justification just doesnt hold any water. Why? Because the shuffle is meant for a completely different market. Runners, joggers, athletes, students & other poor persons. Remember, without iTunes, the iPod would still be a niche product.

With no screen, no playlisting, not even some adapted version of the classic iPod click/scroll wheel, what's the point? Not only do I not know how long the current song has, I don't know what the next song is until I memorize my playlist, and even if I'm in love with random, I can't even choose a song to start the randomizing on. This is inane.

Looks like an iPod mini would be better served for you. Why would Apple want to bring out another mini clone, but with only 1GB memory and a price that has to be at least $200? Makes no sense to me. iPod shuffle was meant to be differentiated from the other iPods. So no screen, no clickwheel.

I know the iPod brand has the thunder of god behind it right now so everything stamped iPod is gold, but why would they choose to under-feature their device compared to currently available competition and expect us to believe it's somehow better? Danger! Reality distortion field at maximum!

Steve already eluded to this point. He said the other flash mp3 players had lousy navigation controls, small unuseable screens, etc. Why would Apple want to do the same thing? this iPod shuffle was meant to be as small as possible and as easy to use as possible, which mean no screen, and shuffle mode of songs, since as Steve himself said, most iPod users just listen to their songs in shuffle mode. Myself included.

Let's scan the real world for a second. Shuffle isn't new. I'll wait for your shock to wear off. That's right folks; shuffle has been a feature since digital music began. Shuffle existed before digital music. Shuffle worked on my last TAPE DECK. Everything that plays music has shuffle. It's not a selling point. It's a REQUIRED FEATURE. No scroll/click wheel is not an improvement. It's a travesty. No screen isn't streamlined. It's a mistake. This is to an iPod what a MINI is to a BMW. It's not one. Period. Even if they make them in the same building. You wouldn't try to pass off a spiffy new MINI Cooper as a low-end Beamer, and this is absolutely no different.

Shuffle aint new. Ok, nice argument. Thanks.

This is not an iPod, this is a joke.

Tell that straight in the face of those people lined up to buy it. Laugh at them for being stupid and dumb. Joke to you maybe, but then your argument for why it sucks has so many holes.

This is corporate bottom-lining taking over.

Corporations are out to make a profit, no joke.

Apple has a cash cow, now they're gonna milk the brand-name for all it's worth, quality be damned.

I'm sure the shuffle is engineered and built well. Build quality is fine. If you drop it, it'll probably survive. Cant say the same for the regular iPod.

I wouldn't touch this with a 10ft Dell-branded pole. It's so underwhelming the urge to cry consumes me.

I have some Kleenex if you need them.

It features NOTHING that makes an iPod an iPod: not visually or stylistically, not software interface, not physical interface, not storage space, not a thing.

What in God's green earth are you talking about? OMG. Visually, it is very striking. Clean, uncluttered, looks very easy to use. Software interface? You got iTunes to handle that. Why do you need an expensive software interface and backlit screen to traverse through 120 songs? Sounds too idiotic to me.

Not one single thing that has defined and pushed the iPod brand to the pinnacle of portable audio is there, except white Apple plastic with a half-eaten fruit on the back. This could just as easily be an Apple-brand USB memory stick, or even an Apple logo ink pen holder, from what it looks like, who would know.

Nice argument.

The fact that everyone and their brother intends to buy one doesn't justify this. Pandering low-end feature-poor products to everyone is Rio's job. Little Timmy doesn't have an iPod because Little Timmy doesn't need one. Cheapening the iPod's quality and capabilities to make it more attractive to Suzy Simpleton is 100% debasing Apple's nature. If they can afford to do it better AND as cheap as the other guy, do and do well, but it'll be a cold day in Satan's Workshop before I support Apple in lowering their standards to accommodate price points of their competition, playing on the success of a revolutionary device to pimp a catastrophe of a device like the iPod Shuffle on the unsuspecting masses.

Time has shown with the original iPod and the iPod Mini that people WILL PAY. Competing products sell for half as much and move only a small percentage of iPod's units sold. iPods are the best because Apple chose to maintain the quality of their product and produce something better, cleaner and more attractive than anything on the market then, now, or coming, price point be damned. And it worked. And now, now they want us to cheer like frenzied cult members as they take something innovative and debase it into something average at best, with no justification but the bottom line? Red flags should fly when you're trying so hard to think of a GOOD thing about your digital audio product that SHUFFLE SEEMS BEST. No thanks Steve, you can keep the tagline and the extra-helping of brainwashing. I'll continue to use my real iPod with real features, real Apple style, and real industry-defining clout, and hang my head in sadness each time I have the dubious good fortune to see a Shuffle in use.

I've gotten too tired to respond further. Go do yourself a favour, and stop beating yourself over the head and buy a iPod mini. Its only $150 more.

 

[elfurbe]

I've got a very nice 3g 20gig, and the colors don't entice me. But at least it looks and feels like an iPod.

 

[rogo]

So a couple of stats I'm not sure are here:

* The "baby Samsung" -- which was the world's smallest MP3 player period for awhile -- is actually 35% larger in total volume than the Shuffle.

* The Samsung is more than 1" shorter, but lacks a built in connector to a PC, unlike the built in USB on the Shuffle.

* The Shuffle weighs less with battery than the Samsung weighs without battery.

* Both sizes of Shuffle are bargains for the capacity they include. Inarguably. Among name-brand products, there is nearly nothing to compare (not nothing, I'm sure, if you pricegrabber enough). It's rare for Apple to go to the lower price first and shows the strategy.

----

Now, some other factors:

* The $199 price level is empty. It's where the 4GB (soon to be 5GB) Mini is going sometime this year. A 10GB Mini will fill the $249 slot late in 2004.

* It's possible that when that happens, the Shuffle will go to $79, $129, $169 with a 2GB added at the top. (Or pick some similarly sensible price scheme.)

* The Jobsian RDF is out in force on the lack of screen. Let me propose the following UI for a 1 1/2 line screen (the 1/2 line uses smaller type).

>>> Turn the UI sideways.
>>> Add one small button labeled "Playlist / Songlist"
>>> When use press the button, the screen says "Playlist" in the top line with perhaps a (1 or 3, 2 or 3 ... x of y) on the opposite side. The "skip forward" and "skip back" buttons that now move one song at a time would move one playlist at a time. The screen shows the name of the playlist on the big line.
>>> Press the small button again... The display reads "Songlist" on the top line with the x of y (i.e. 133 of 240). It's sorted by alpha. You press skip back or forward once and it goes once. Hold it down and it gets faster after a few seconds -- just like your $9 clock radio does!
>>> Hell, make the one button also offer Shuffle if you want. Hell, make the toggle switch on the back have three settings: Shuffle, Playlist, Songlist. Sorry, but if people are going to grok the current UI, the UI proposed here would be as easy or easier to grok
>>> When a song plays, the top of the short line can have a counter ticking away the minutes:seconds and showing the complete total after a slash. Not needed, but still nice.

The beauty of what is proposed is that it's as simple or moreso than the Shuffle as conceived. Indeed, it's essentially the same thing with a playlist function and the ability to see what's going on. I'm not proposing clutter like having a next song button or any such thing. Just a screen to manipulate what amounts to an 8 - 20 disc changer depending on what era your music is from.

I believe a screen is about $4 and would, therefore, add about $20 to the price. I expect the next generation of the Shuffle will include a screen at these prices with the screenless models moving down below $100. Jobs will then say, "Screens on flash players all suck... Until now... Apple unveils the SuperShuffle."

 

[elfurbe]

Even if they revived the old Sony MiniDisc "lcd display on the wired remote control" they'dve checked off one of my big complaints, but as it is, I just find the thing distasteful, if that wasn't clear enough already. Heck, give me a fully wireless bluetooth remote with a shrunken clickwheel and a small screen that doubles as a wireless headphone interface, NOW you've got a feature. It's new, it's clever, it's what Apple does. But the spark just isn't there on the shuffle.

 

[asif786]

i think i'm on the same boat as many others here: i'm going to buy one because I need a usb memory chip - and this is priced very well - having a built in MP3 player is an added advantage.

I think I'll mainly use it for listening to audiobooks in the train..perfect!

btw, those people complaining about no screen - if apple really wanted to put a screen on this thing, they could, but the whole 'shuffle' concept is going to do *incredibly* well i think..

/asif