Klipsch, Scosche announce VoiceOver-compatible iPod Shuffle earbuds
A day after the launch of the third-generation iPod Shuffle, companies have already begun to announce accessories for the device.
Scosche's upcoming VoiceOver compatible earbud line.
(Credit: Scosche )Apple said it would have third parties developing accessories for the new third-generation iPod Shuffle, and sure enough, they are. First out of the gate: Klipsch and Scosche. And by the end of the week--if not the end of today--we should be hearing about more.
As Engadget notes, Klipsch's press release was pretty weak--the company only said that it would have VoiceOver-compatible Shuffle 'buds by summer and that they would cost $99.99.
Scosche was a lot more specific. It plans to have three earphone models--the IDR350M, IDR450M, and IDR650M--that feature an integrated control surface and range in price from $49.99 to $99.99. Interestingly, the release also notes that a miniature microphone built into the back of the control surface will allow users to record voice memos on the latest iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPod Classic 120GB.
Scosche has a VoiceOver-compatible headphone adapter in the works as well.
(Credit: Scosche)Scosche is also developing an inline control adapter kit that will allow you to use "any standard set of headphones and enjoy all of the advanced features of the third-generation iPod shuffle." The inline control will also allow you to plug your third-generation Shuffle into any vehicles' auxiliary input and maintain full control of the iPod. No word on how much the dongle will cost but we have a call into Scosche's public-relations agency, and we'll let you know if Scosche gets back to us with a price (apparently, the dongle was literally designed in the last couple of days).
As I said, we expect to see a lot more companies announcing just these types of headphones and accessories--so stay tuned.
Anybody else think this is kind of ridiculous? Why couldn't Apple just equip the new Shuffle with a VoiceOver headphone adapter of its own? Oh, yeah, it probably collects a licensing fee from these guys. Genius.
Via Engadget.
