Getting chippy: Some bloggers think that the iPod Shuffle's accessory situation is a nightmare scenario for iPod fans.
(Credit: CNET)In not-so-shocking news, iLounge is reporting that third-party headphones and headphone adapters for the new buttonless iPod Shuffle will require an Apple-licensed authentication chip.
This doesn't come as any great surprise to us because exacting licensing revenue from iPod accessory makers has become a brilliant way for Apple to add to the company's bottom line. But that "Apple tax," so to speak, does get passed on to consumers, and iLounge and others are now assuming that Apple headphone adapters will cost a minimum of $19 and possibly as much as $29. The handful of VoiceOver-compatible headphones that have been announced carry a starting price of $49.99.
The question, of course, is whether Apple has gone too far in requiring you to use only its headphones--or some sort of Apple-approved adapter or headphones for the device. (You can plug third-party headphones into the new Shuffle, and it will play music, but you can't control the volume or navigate songs).
iLounge is calling it a "nightmare scenario" for longtime iPod fans. "Are we entering a world in which Apple controls and taxes literally every piece of the iPod purchase, from headphones to chargers, jacking up their prices, forcing customers to repurchase things they already own, while making only marginal improvements in their functionality?" iLounge Editor in Chief Jeremy Horwitz asks in his review of the new iPod Shuffle. "It's a shame, and one that consumers should feel empowered to fight."
Meanwhile, over at Engadget, Nilay Patel is calling Apple's attempts to "lock down headphones" a sad new low that "makes the lack of physical controls on the Shuffle seem even more ridiculous."
What do you guys think? If the report is correct, is Apple going too far, or is this just a smart business move?
(Source: iLounge via Engadget)
Update: Gizmodo's posted a story going back and forth on whether the chip is an "authentication" chip or a "control" chip that's required for approval as part of Apple's "made for iPod program." It appears "control" is the correct description, but that hasn't been confirmed by Apple.
CNET tends to review products from the outside looking in (see Donald Bell's full review of the new Shuffle). But the good folks over at iFixit make it habit to start right from the inside. In the case of the third-generation Shuffle teardown, like with all recent iPods, Apple doesn't make it easy to crack the case. And although only one screw had to be removed, iFixit describes how it had to insert a "metal spudger into a crevice between the rear cover and the rest of the Shuffle" to get the device open. As you might expect, things are pretty simple--and tiny--under the Shuffle's hood.
There are a couple more pictures after the jump, but the full dissection (with lots more photos) is available at iFixit, where one unsatisfied reader writes:
"Have you disassembled the headphones with remote yet? Have you figured out, how the buttons work? Do they work by connecting two lines with a resistor? Is it possible to add such a remote to other headphones?"
As always, feel free to comment.
See more pics after the jump. ... Read more
I recently trashed the third-generation Shuffle in a blog post, saying it was "a disaster." Well, I meant it. A button-less, tiny, entry-level MP3 with special "VoiceOver" features just seems so unnecessary. But then a reader made an interesting point to me. What if the lede got buried in Apple's Shuffle announcement?
Is Apple's small talk really a precursor to big interface changes across its entire line?
(Credit: Apple)While everyone was harping about how the thing's really small (I say too small), requires an adapter for you to use your own headphones, and has a voice-over feature that doesn't seem to really add much (we know what our favorite songs are, right?), the real story may be that Apple's getting ready to launch all this voice stuff across its whole line of mobile products.
The reader, Charles, who e-mailed me, asks this question: "Would you have thought to design a 'voice report' plus device-decentralized 'hard controls' into an $80 music player appliance?"
No. So, why do you do it?
"Well," he goes on, "if you were testing consumer acceptance of a new product module...you'd probably do well not just to tweak but educate your adopter audience on the sensory essentials of your new interface. Technology is best delivered in metered morsels to be digested."
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.
The controls for the new iPod Shuffle are built into the headphone cord, which means you can only use Apple's earbuds.
(Credit: Apple)Let me start by saying that I'm a fan of the iPod Shuffle. I run with one and I just recently bought a second refurbished gen-two Shuffle for $30 to give to my brother. But with the new gen-three Shuffle, Apple made some design decisions I just can't understand.
First off, the old Shuffle was small enough. There's small--and then there's too small. Yeah, it's great that the gen-three Shuffle is the size of a small USB thumbdrive, but the smaller the device is, the easier it is to lose. I feel the same way about microSD memory cards. It's great that they're tiny, but they end up disappearing really easily whenever you take them out of your phone (or other device).
But the size thing is a minor infraction compared to what Apple did with the controls for this new Shuffle: it moved them to the cord of the headphones it bundles with the device (see video demo on this page). The only problem is I--and a lot of other people--simple can't use or don't like the earbuds that ship with iPods. We want to use our own headphones, particularly if we're using the Shuffle as an "active" MP3 player. The fact is the Apple buds just don't stay in your ears when you're running with the Shuffle (and yes, the new smaller form factor should appeal to runners).
As for the whole voice-over feature, it just seems like one of those "cool" innovations that isn't really necessary for a basic MP3 player--and I don't particularly want to hear a computerized voice in my ear announcing songs. In other words, I don't see it as a big selling point (the simpler thing to do would have been to just add a small display like competing entry-level models do). The generous 4GB of memory doesn't do much for me either, because without a display storing more than a few hundred songs on a Shuffle seems like overkill.
Now, Apple does say third-parties will be able to sell their own headphones that have the controls built-in as well as adapters that will allow you to use your own headphones with the new Shuffle. But that would just add another $15-$30 to the $79 price tag. So, thanks very much, Apple, but I'll stick with my second-generation Shuffle.
What do you guys think?
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