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iPod Shuffle On The Way Out Already?
An anonymous reader writes "A CNN Money article, of all things, talks about the reasons Apple might have for getting rid of the iPod shuffle." From the article: "The shuffle may not be long for this world. The tiny MP3 player, a favorite of gym-goers, is cheap at $129, but lacks a screen. It may soon be replaced by a 1-gigabyte version of the iPod nano, according to UBS analyst Ben Reitzes. Currently, the smallest nano has 2 gigabytes of storage, enough for about 500 songs, and costs $199."
On the way out my arse! It's tiny, leightweight, unobtrusive, and works well... only losers need a screen and/or video.
Go ahead and shuffle out the door, now, Poddie...
Especially if they can come out with an upgradable 1g nano for around $150.
I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
Mac rumours is talking about Apple patent applications for multipoint touchscreen control, prompting speculation (based on clear diagrams) that a video ipod will be all screen with a virtual clickwheel (more reasonable than the tablet application at this point in time).
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http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/02/2006020207
The Shuffle was and still is a great idea. It is an extremely well made product that isn't really a lot more expensive than a plain USB memory stick (relative, folks). Both my kids love their shuffles because they're lightweight, unobtrusive, and they get to load up a day's worth of tunes at one shot (they've got 1GB Shuffles).
I really enjoy my Nano, and my wife enjoys here Mini, but to be truthful, the Shuffle is more "handy."
A Passionate Independent Musician
For $100, you can buy a full-featured MP3 player that is the same size or smaller. The Shuffle is overpriced and underfeatured; Apple needs to recreate it as the iPod Micro with 512 MB, a screen, and the UI and controls that make the iPod actually interesting.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
Hey, my 1GB Creative Zen Nano cost $89, has a screen, is half the size of a shuffle, and uses standard AAA batteries. You can keep the shuffle.
You call this a sig?
The tiny MP3 player, a favorite of gym-goers, is cheap at $129, but lacks a screen.
1. The $129 is for the 1GB version. The 512MB is very popular at $99, a full $100 less than the iPod Nano.
2. While the Nano's screen is very cool (*I* want one!), not everyone needs one. I gave my wife a 512MB Shuffle a little while back, and she couldn't be happier. As far as she's concerned, the screen is just a liability that she would never use anyway. Thus she's in no hurry to upgrade.
In fact, I probably wouldn't have gotten my wife an iPod at all if the 512MB price point wasn't so low. She asked me explicitly not to spend too much money on her (she was afraid I'd go out and get a $300 iPod), so I took the route of saving up a bit of extra spending cash here and there for a few months, and paid cash for the Shuffle. Even at $150, the Nano would be priced a bit too high for such a range.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Micro isn't smaller than nano. Perhaps you meant pico?
We recently had heard in the office over one of the Yellow Machine that's made by Anthology Solutions.
I know, but only geeks like you would complain :p
I'm looking at it from a purely marketing standpoint. They haven't used Micro, it's a commonly-used term, and that way people won't have to ask "what's Pico mean?"
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
I'm one of the aforementioned gym-goers and my iPod shuffle has been part of the reason I've lost so much geekweight(30kg) in the last year. Having a little, robust and fuss-free mp3 player with me has got me through some tough long distance runs and some gym sessions where I didn't want to be there.
I often sit there for ages with my iPod video not knowing which of the 30gb of music & podcasts I actually want to listen to, having that hassle on runs before with other media players has been more than off-putting.
Likewise one of the best uses for my Shuffle has been that I can use it as a flash drive. It works great, and loads on EVERYTHNG and is about the size a flash drive should be, which is NOT what the Nano is.
Nothing says they cant just throw a screen on the tiny Shuffle form factor, even if it mattered which looking at Apple's Sales figures, it didnt.
Looks to me this is just some more uninformed analyst chestbeating.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
I use the 60Gb for day-to-day use at home and in the car, and my wife uses her Mini the same way. But we've also got a Shuffle for two reasons:
- it's plugged into the stereo, so we can load it up with appropriate music for a party and leave it playing
- I sometimes take it kayaking.
For both of those applications, a screen and a larger capacity are irrelevant. But by the same token, neither the screen nor the larger capacity would be an impediment, so if Apple wanted to rationalize the product line a bit and bring out a Nano at the $100 price point, I'm sure they'd sell bazillions of them, even to people who only needed a Shuffle.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
Clearly, too many of them were being eaten.
" talks about the reasons Apple might have for getting rid of the Shuffle."
The real reason is Apple wants to phase it out before some dumbass sues them for hearing loss because they don't know how to turn the volume down.
You can use it as a USB drive as well.
My dad has a bit less than 20/20 eyesight. If we give him a Nano or regular iPod he would fumble around with the clickwheel to select what he wants to listen to in the car. With the shuffle he just loads it with the few things that he wants and skips around.
If it's not making business sense I understand... but it is a good product. I hope that they are just coming out with a new incarnation of the Shuffle.
Nonsense. If I wanted to buy an MP3 player with memory stick, then I would opt for the iPod Shuffle. The fact that I'd rather have a normal iPod or a Nano has nothing to do with the fact that I still would choose Apple over other producers of a particular item. I'm sure other people feel the same; thus, Apple sells these things. There's no reason why they would suddenly stop producing something that sells.
Being able to just plug it into any usb port for a quick charge is wonderful. If the Nano was able to do it, I'd get one. For now a 1gb shuffle is enough for my commutes for the week on one charge and I don't have to listen to the same song twice.
If you don't need a screen, why have one? It just adds weight, size, complexity and cost. The main reason to keep the suffle is sound quality. It has the best amp of any portable mp3 player. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1777890,00.as p
-- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.
I've had a 1 gig Shuffle since mid summer, and the only times that I've even briefly wished that it had a screen, were when I couldn't identify the song that I was listening to. The only time that the thing leaves my pocket is when I come home from class, or if I'm checking the battery life. For what it is, a screen is entirely superfluous.
Acceptance of the shuffle has been hit or miss. People focus entirely on its lack of screen, but I have to agree when Apple with their motivation for coming out with a cheap music player without a screen, you don't really need it.
I own an 30gb iPod that has my entire music collection on it. Of course it needs a screen in order to browse and find 3000+ music files. But in reality, when using the 30gb iPod, I put it in shuffle mode and rarely look at the screen. I am happy to simply let the music I enjoy be randomly selected. I know who sings the songs because, unlike a large majority of people, I don't simply download illegal music without discretion so I have countless songs I have never heard of by artists I am not familiar with. All the music on my iPod is legit and payed for and known.
The Shuffle was always intended to be an auxiliary player, NOT a music storage library. I plug the Shuffle into my Mac, it randomly fills it with songs, and I take it to the gym or on the road. I don't feel that the lack of screen has ever been a detriment to the Shuffle.
But there is a market segment of people that don't own that much music. Who were looking for a cheap player that could actually store their entire music library in 512mb or 1gb of storage space. People bought the Shuffle without realizing it's not the product that was intended to suit their purpose. And of course, these people complained loudly. At the time the Shuffle was release there was NO cheaper digital music player on the market (I looked, there really wasn't), so the Shuffle was attractive as an inexpensive music player with the high profile of Apple's iPod lineup. I can understand how some people not familiar with digital music players would buy the Shuffle without considering if it met their needs.
So, I will be disappointed if Apple drops their Shuffle product, but I can't see how it can continue. There is no reason for a Shuffle with more then 1GB of storage. Putting too much storage into a screenless player will only exasperate the problem with a screenless player. As you put more storage, people expect to be able to browse and search larger collections of music. Apple could put a screen on the Shuffle, but Apple is slow to let people feel they made a mistake or go against Apple's original convictions. Like the 1 button mouse, Apple won't simply cave in to consumer demand. Apple released the minute iPod Nano which fills in the market segment for small players with a screen, and as the price of the Nano drops, it can easily fill in the same market of the Shuffle.
But I was really hoping for Apple to release a micro sized shuffle, make it the smallest, lightest, and cheapest player on the market. I would easily buy something that was half the size and weight of the Shuffle, or even smaller. It would be a novelty item, but it would still be cool. Apple could always release a product that didn't have a screen, but create a remote attachment with a screen (it would be Apple's way of suggesting they were right in making a screenless player a success, but still give consumers what they want). Turn the Shuffle into a two piece Nano with an optional remote screen, that would be very cool.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
That is to say, it's about to shuffle off this mortal coil?
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
I've got a 4g 40 gig iPod, and it's useless at the gym. If the shuffle pricepoint was lower (as some earlier commenters suggested), I would totally get one.
So many people seem to be invested in the iPod family (husband/wife/kids/dog each have different one that suits their needs) that marketing the shuffle as a companion device is a solid idea.
Cats however... my girlfriend's cats seem to only like chilling to music straight from iTunes with the visualizations on. Kittens dig Brian Eno.
Bury me in mashed potatoes.
That would be cool, but like my DS, I bet it would scratch a lot.
Personally, I want to see a 20gb iPod Nano. It might be a while, but I realy enjoy my current Nano, but I wish it had more space.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
i think the 512MB shuffle outsells the 1GB model, right? i would guess that is due to price?
the shuffle is perfect for using it like a 8 or 16 hour mix tape (depending on the model). it is pretty adequate for most people to throw a ton of songs on their shuffle. i know a lot of people that have full sized iPods and also have a shuffle for running or the gym or whatever else. on the other hand i know people that bought a shuffle because they do not think they needed 30 days of music on had at all times...... and then realize they want their whole music collection.
i guess some of the shuffle's use could be replaced by cell phones. i have a 512MB transflash card for my Motorola E815 that i could load up with MP3s considering i often have my phone on me, and moto makes those stereo headphones that are also a hands-free device. that also is not a perfect fix because i would never take my phone out running or want it if i was mowing the lawn or at a gym. even with the sport case, the shuffle is small.
...why people insist on speding the kind of jack on an MP3 player that iPod owners do.
My wife wanted some kind of music player for working out. I found just what she needed: a SanDisk m260. 4GB flash memory, earbuds, strap, case, some software. Uses a standard AAA battery you can actually replace easily (unlike the $40 battery and removal tool I had to buy for my daughter's iPod Mini, which isn't holding it's charge after six months).
Sale price at local retailer: $150.
The sound is great and I've already dropped 330 MP3 files on it and still have 2.7 GB left to fill. It requirs no software: you plug it into an USB port and the OS sees it as a removeable drive, so you can just drag and drop files on it all day. This allows it work with any OS, including Linux (which I use) and that other system on her laptop.
Is watching video on a 2-inch screen really worth all that money? And, no, I don't work for SanDisk.
Joe Dougherty, Florida, USA
The words I thought I brought, I left behind. So, never mind.
I went out looking for a new high capacity MP3 player and everywhere I went had a shelf full of iPod variants, and maybe one other. Is there no where I can go to escape the freaking iPod?
FYI, you can get an iPod battery through Other World Computing for as low as $14.99 (depending on the model of your iPod).
I used them to replace the battery in my old iPod to give to my sister, and it's not very difficult to change out the battery. They provide everything that you need to open the iPod without damaging it (basically, two nylon tools). My model required unscrewing one of the logic board screws, to free the connecting wire, and they do not provide a small screwdriver, but you could pick that up for under $3 at your local hardware store, if you don't already have one. IIRC, it took me less than 10 minutes to open it up, put the battery in, and close it up. (I'm not as quick as the guy who did their instructional videos on how to change the battery, who does this in about 2 minutes.)
Or you can have them replace the battery for you, for $39 plus the cost of the battery. (This includes the cost of FedEx Overnight both ways, and they state a 72 hour turn-around time, including the time the iPod is in transit.)
Details on this can be found here: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ipod/batteryreplace ment/
I've had my Shuffle replaced 2 times since purchase a year ago. It brings into question the defects reported, and perhaps these are more rampant (and thus cost Apple more to handle).
Presumably, the engineering lessons learned are incorporated into newer devices. At least, I would certainly hope so.
The Nano is nice; however, for me, a "screen" in the gym is a potentially bad combination ;-) So I do appreciate the versatility of the original iPod Shuffle.
Though, Apple needs to pay more attention to design where devices are used in athletics - sweat and electronics do NOT mix very well! :-)
If they get rid of the shuffle my next MP3 player won't be an iPod.
Even if the Nano-nano is the same price as the shuffle.
The biggest advantage of the shuffle, for me, is that I can easily do all operations by feel.
That's not true for any device with the never-sufficiently-damned click-wheel.
I have a Nano, and have absolutely no protection for it except the little leather-esque sleeve Apple now ships with them (they didn't come with the earlier shipments though).
I carry my Nano daily in the little pocket (match pocket, watch pocket) in my jeans, use it almost daily sitting out in a wood/metal shop (scenery shop at a theater), and it has no real scratches on it thus far, although it does collect dust.
No screen cracking, a few small scratches near the connector, but none near the screen which is especially telling as I have one of the infamous Black Nanos.
Shawn's Tech Articles
I don't simply download illegal music without discretion so I have countless songs I have never heard of by artists I am not familiar with. All the music on my iPod is legit and payed for and known.
I have lots of music from artists I'm not familiar with. I frequent mp3blogs and visit artist's websites and download half a dozen demo songs at a time, then just stick them in iTunes like tiny time-bombs set to go off randomly in my Party Shuffle. I also buy used CDs and sometimes even cheap mix CDs from gas stations, and toss them in as well... so I never know what I'm going to hear.
Even on my iPod Shuffle.
But that's OK, I'll hear it again soon enough when iTunes gets around to playing it. If I like it, a quick trip to the iTunes Music Store gets me another half dozen time-bombs to add to my supply.
Life is random.
Long before mp3blogs and the iPod Shuffle I used to buy cheap mix CDs
That the shuffle is a "loss leader" in some ways? I personally know a couple of people who bought shuffles and liked them enough that they then later went out and "upgraded" to either full-size iPods or Nanos. Once your average punter has that investment in iTunes DRMed music, they don't have another (easy) option. (What, you expect them to search out and use a tool like iOpener? Too "geeky") Because of DRM and other issues, it seems fairly cost-effective to catch people who are just getting interested in digital music players and hooking them on Apple's software and services.
Selling shuffles at a price competitive with "low end" makes sense for Apple, I think. They prevent people from getting started in digital music with another player, drive traffic to iTunes (which is something of a "lock in" for non-technical users) and are a good entry-level player.
But I guess Apple's marketing department will have the ultimate say in whether these are cost effective or not.
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
...Even at $150, the Nano would be priced a bit too high for such a range.
One thing Steve Jobs brought to Apple on his return that was novel (to his past experience) and that has persisted is an almost rigid dedication to tiered pricing arrangements. As an iPod buyer, you have models to choose from at around $50 from each other all through the spectrum.
It's been the same for their laptops and desktops, albeit with bigger bumps for the more expensive hardware. You used to have your "Good - Better - Best" choices for most of their product lines. Their online store was built around it.
I wonder if that's changing. There are just the two new intellified iMacs so far, and two models of "MacBook." On the other hand the iPod Mini died in favor of the Nano at almost the same price points, so they replaced a rung in that ladder pretty straightforwardly, even though they were killing a very popular product.
That price points thing is something they've shown a lot of discipline over. It seems like Apple's lines are muddling a little over this right now. (And the Shuffle might be an example of that too. Is it the lowest-tier iPod, or is it a slightly different animal for the reasons you suggest? A USB key, with music as a bonus? How does it fit?)
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
A quick google finds me a lot of people who say they think this must be a problem, but I'm not finding anyone who says it's happened to them.
Personally I'm convinced I'd just plain lose a Nano, and the scratching put me off to start with, but "snaps in half" doesn't register on my list of concerns. Evidence?
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
I have two technophobe parents, my mom occasionally knows tonnes of stuff about something like a VCR or Digital TV but mostly it's pretty painful.
I've tried everything, just explaining when something is easy and something is hard can be pretty tough.
I just put shareaza on her laptop, I know it's piracy but she's trying to find some really obscure stuff... It was too complicated.
I got them 2 matched usb mp3 players (work as usb drives)... But they say they are too complicated even though they have no more features than a CD player or Walkman...
At this point the shuffle is the only thing possible, it's like a nightmare dealing with them...
I think he means iPod Zepto.
My amazing wife - Artist, Author, Philosopher - Laurie M
I've got a 3G 15GB iPod that my wife uses. Despite that, I prefer my Shuffle. I'd still prefer it to a Nano, even at 1GB. Why? It comes with a lanyard, I wear it around my neck, and I use it as a USB stick at work just as much as I use it for audiobooks. Oh! Audiobooks! Who needs a screen?
--Jim (me)
It's because it doesn't run linux...
oh well, I guess there's just no pleasing the apple zealots.
For most applications of the Ipod other than being a couch potato, the nice thing about using an Ipod is that you can use it jogging, riding a bike, in a gym (while intertwined with a midieval torture device repurposed as a very expensive gym machine), reading slashdot etc. In all of these cases, being able to push a button and having the device read you the current song info, next to play, the name of the album or song on a scan etc is way more useful than having to pull the player out of the jogging sleave or take you eyes off of your screen. Just one button and the very inexpensive text to speech technology available would let you have the player read the current song, coming song, or while skipping--set it to read the song / album prior to play so that you can keep navigating. this would be very useful--even if you had a screen, you would not want to take the player out of its holder.
There is no reason the shuffle should not have a feature like this. Why not?
I'm surprised it isn't advertised that way. I made a smart playlist and all the Podcasts go into it. Sync the Shuffle and I've got a new series to listen to. It's perfect for it. I don't want to keep them. I listen them and I'm ready for more. That alone means I don't need a screen to go through a huge archive.
At 512MB's I can get around ten on there. I can easily navigate to the one I'm looking for. I suppose I'd welcome a screen if the price point was basically close and the size of the unit was nearly the same. But need one? Nope.
Perhaps if he has trouble using an iPod in the car due to poor eyesight, he might want to avoid driving entirely. Cars tend to be less forgiving than iPods...
Did anyone go to MWSF and see the OWC guy, Jamie, replace an iPod battery blindfolded? It was a cool demo, and showed just how easy it is to do it on your own. I'm not sure if Jamie is the same guy in the video, though.
I just like OWC, though. Cool place for Mac upgrades, laptop batteries, etc.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
If you don't buy iPods for Christ, God will kick your ass! I always thought just saying a prayer was more appropriate, but God is angry and Jesus knows Kung Fu.
... and then they built the supercollider.
Actually, there is right now both the 1 GB iPod nano (with screen) abd 1 GB and 512 MB iPod shuffles ,.. with big price drops.
So the shuffles stayed for at least now.
sigh. I like the nano. there's a lot to like about it.
but in the end, its about the music and the sound. my shuffle (that I got as a gift) sounds INCREDIBLE. the nano, while its a great piece of jewelry and all - and the screen is gorgeous - the sound quality is either average or even below. quite a pity.
and now, today, they announce the shuffle is going away. if they could only merge the audio section of the shuffle with ANY other ipod, we'd be all set.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
It's already overly sensitive when in the company of video iPods.
I don't want to have to stay up another long night listening to him cry.