Mar 11 2009
Warning…The New, Even Smaller iPod Shuffle…Do Not Eat!
Published by eric at 12:20 pm under Entertainment, Lifestyle, Technology (1302 views)
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Today, Apple unveiled a new iPod Shuffle. What was their smallest model in their line of iPods has gotten even smaller. And yes, the packaging does offer a warning, for those of you who would rather taste your tunes, DO NOT EAT. Who is this warning for anyway? It can’t be for very small children since a child young enough to want to put this in their mouth probably can’t read. So is it for the parents who might otherwise feed this to their children? Anyway, Apple had this warning on the previous generation shuffle as well. Wonder what frivolous lawsuit caused this ridiculous, unnecessary modification to the packaging.
On to new features
Well, now with an even smaller device, there is less room for buttons, knobs and switches. The only control on the device is a 3 position power switch. Off, on with shuffle and on without shuffle. Where did the controls go? Apple has moved the Shuffle’s controls to the headphone cable. Volume, track advance and playlist selection.
Multiple Playlists
Apple finally added multiple playlist capability with the Shuffle. However, with such overly-simplistic controls, the user may initially have a hard time figuring out the push, hold, click, press combinations to finally get the playlist or song they want.
Shuffle Speaks
As usual, Apple must innovate, why we here at ErixClix love them so much. The new Shuffle isn’t just smaller, it now speaks to you. Without a screen and with new multiple playlist capabilities, navigating your tunes might be confusing. Press and hold the center button on the controller and the iPod will speak the title and artist of the song you’re currently listening to. Continue to hold and after a short beep, it will help you navigate your playlists. The voice differs whether you’re syncing your iPod Shuffle with a Mac or Windows. From the video on Apple’s web site it sounds like the Mac voice is much more intelligible. (Yet another excuse to finally upgrade to a Mac!)
iPod Shuffle
As the worlds smallest 4GB music player, offered in silver or black and retailing for $79.00, we believe this new iPod Shuffle has been advanced more than enough to make this a great buy. Adding voice, multiple playlists and getting even smaller, it’s at least the most inconspicuous way to carry 1,000 songs around wherever you go!
