Comments on: Apple shrinks its iPod Shuffle

The new model is smaller than a AA battery yet holds up to 1,000 songs. A new VoiceOver feature can recite song titles, artists, and playlist names.

[BtmnHatesRbn]

I lost my original Shuffle, and it wasn't THAT small. I predict lots of lost iPods now...

[abundantsnotbob]

It looks like you can only use the headphones that come with it(because that's where the controls are). I like the old one better, and i think i like the first version the best, because you can't lose the USB cord. For $20 more you could get a brand new Zune 4 with free laser engraving for letters, and optionally pay for pictures. What happened to, "double the capacity, keep the same price"? I had lately been wondering if Apple would ever make a 4GB shuffle, but I thought it a bad Idea because it would be hard to find 1,000 songs. I thought the voice feature to be cool for blind people (even though they would probably lose it). I think the iPods are small enough, and as technology gets smaller, they should add features, like radios or just put better sound chips in, but taking off the buttons seems like a pretty stupid move to me.

[skillingssucks]

Epic Fail!

[AppleSuxLeo]

Dude , it`s like so Epic ! Dude I like "got big air" !

[AppleSuxLeo]

Palm, Inc. Moves 14.95% On Higher Volume

[AppleSuxLeo]

Yup is a word ? It is apparent English was not your major. Maybe you have no formal education at all ?

[Azzuro10]

Impressive...it will sell although I would have preffered the same voice technology software on the old shuffle instead as it has controls on the actual device as well. I predict the next shuffle will just be a set of headphones with the ipod integrated in the headphones themselves. Might as well, since you don't control the songs on the actual ipod anyway.

[z7mh]

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[xbrando7]

Apple has done it again. First, they force you to buy display adapters for the MacBooks, and now you can only buy their headphones. Another tyrannical move. My hate/love relationship with Apple is continuously being stressed.

[Jonathan]

good going Apple. Now I'm going to have to spend money on an adapter, probably Apple only since you probably have it chipped so only Apple approved hardware works, to be able to use a good set of earbuds...oh wait. I stopped using Apple crap a year ago because of crap like this. Its just another way they are nickle and dimeing people to death and I stopped giving a crap about the fruit company when they started equating innovation with making something smaller. You fail Apple at anything other then getting gullible consumers to fork over money on the initial purchase and then on a dock, the on a "premium headset, then on an Apple care, the on, and on, and on.

[userric1554]

The ipod shuffle seems cool, but i think they should have a voice that is easier to use or the option to change the voice, because the voice used i difficult to understand and i can see it getting annoying after a few days. But overall i think it's a going to be a great product.

[coryschulz]

I think this product design is great. I'll probably buy one for when I go running when the weather gets nicer.

[soundcorsair]

I couldn't believe it, I was online this morning at a blog from http://www.vstinternetsolutions.com and I had read about this new shuffle.

Its hard to believe it lacks almost all buttons, but it will talk to you. In terms of available Accessories for this new iPod, only time will tell. It might prove a bit discomforting with the standard 'hard' earphones that come stock with most iPods.

Either Way, I am extremely excited about this new design of the shuffle, and It will be arriving very soon!

[hutchike]

What Apple are missing here is that there are thousands of people like me who love the old 2GB Shuffle because it was "just right" and the controls were super-easy to use with *any* headphones. I use some in-ear Sennheisers with mine and clip it on a belt hoop in my jeans. I love the old Shuffles so much that I bought 2 (purple and red). I really can't see myself "upgrading" to shorter batter-life and headphone lock-in.

[bdaughtry]

The new design is proof that Apple has lost it's way without Steve Jobs!

Removing the buttons from the player itself was just plain stupid. Apple is is the same camp as Microsoft now. Rather than improve a wildly successful product (XP) Microsoft replaces it with a dud, Vista, and Vista Redux (Win7). Rather than increase the current version of the Shuffle to 4 gig and add a tiny screen, Apple introduces a new, poorly conceived design!

My prediction, Apple revenue and stock price takes a dive soon.

[xcopy]

What a great idea from apple. Adding "voice over" to their ipods means they can have full time control over the less-than-bright fanboys and iSheep. All the iSheep can tune in and we'll feed them subliminal, and sometimes not so subliminal, instructions on what to think and what to buy... This will be great.

sample Instructions played every 1 minute in a small burst (over laying whatever you were actually listening to of course":

"Buy apple. you're cool because you buy apple. queue up! queue up! time to buy, spend."
or
"Bleet, bleet! Buy apple! the herd is buying. Buy now, Buy now, Buy, Buy, Buy. Bleet. Apple is cool"

special and optional instructions can be downloaded of course. Popular choices include

1) You may not be smart, but you're our kind of consumer
2) Be cool! sale on black apple T's for only 49.99. Rush with the herd. Be a member of the herd!
3) overpriced gear going fast, buy now. you're cool because you buy. Bleet, Bleet, Bleet
4) Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy

[Steev227]

Here's my issue - I rip my songs at ultra-high fidelity, so that a 3-minute song is generally 2.9 GB. With a 4GB size, I'll only be able to hold one song at a time, making the whole shuffle thing useless.

[Raycf]

Thats really small iPod Shuffle play Music

[tehooper]

Like the smaller size and larger capacity, hate the proprietary headphones and buttonless interface.

Apple, you should've kept the Shuffle size and doubled the hard drive.

[dragontsd]

my god...someone get a truck load of bottles for all these babies. Stop whining and wait two weeks for the adapter to come out...my god.

[dragontsd]

Points that are absolutely rediculous:

1) "Wahhhh!!!!!, I have to use the Ipod earphones!" stick your binkie back in your mouth and wait a few weeks for adapters to surface for goodness sake. It isnt apple's responsibility to make everything work with your technology, regardless how close you snuggle with it at night.

2) "I cry foul, evildoer! Apple thinks its way is the right way! How dare they!" What do you want them to do, think their way is the wrong way? Good business model, geniuses...probably why we're all here posting on Cnet at work and they're busy working on new product designs.

3) "Apple should have done X, that way I could do Y and everyone would be happy" Granted, Apple locked down the iPhone from most accessories. It's also a revolutionary device (insert argument that I am going to completely ignore here). to my knowledge, the other devices still have such a rediculous amount of accessory options that you couldnt possibly list them all. What did you want apple to do? Release the design to all the knockoff shops in bangledesh and china before they released it here? That way, there would be a nice crosssection of accessories to keep all you toddlers from wetting your shorts.

Apple isnt about accessories, it's about the device. all of the devices have had limitations, the public has come up with some pretty awesome stuff to overcome them. I know it makes people think, and many of you arent comfortable with that, but it's for the best...trust me.

Disclaimer: I have owned one Ipod (a 5th gen 80 gig that still works fine after 2 years, by the way) and I got an iphone about a month ago. by no means am I an apple nut. I am a mechanical design engineer who knows how it feels to have your design crucified by people who a) dont even try to understand the design features of the device before whining about it and b) couldnt come up with anything remotely close to your design in terms of usability or aesthetics.

/rant

[Brian]

For a device designed for running and exercising, this device needs something better than that flimsy clip.

Also, the headphone idea is lame.

Who has time to wait and wait and wait to hear every playlist in their entire library read to them when the moment they hear it, they fumble for the control and the cycle is done.

Now you have to repeat, meanwhile, listening to a tune you'd rather not hear.

What happens when those lousy headphones plop off from your ears?

Oh sure, that's not a problem for iPod users. After all, one size fits all, right?