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Apple Launches 1 GB nano, Slashes shuffle

Posted by Zonk on from the new-toys-for-you-sota-freaks dept.

minus_273 writes "Apple has has released a new nano and also slashed prices on the iPod shuffle. The lowest end iPod now goes for $69. The 1 GB shuffle is $99 and the 1 GB nano is $149." From the article: "'The price of components have come down more than 70 percent, especially flash memory for the shuffle,' he said. 'And the price of the shuffle hadn't changed, so they were making a ton of profit off the shuffle. So they're passing some of those savings on.'"

43 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. Wha?? by helmutvs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Could it be... reasonably priced high-demand items from Apple? I though I would never see the day. Nonetheless... I want one :)

    --
    There are no uninteresting things. There are only uninterested people.
  2. So cheap by radicalskeptic · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow, they're so cheap, I'm gonna buy two!
    No, six!
    No, twelve!
    BAKER'S DOZEN!
    I told you that I'm crazy for those iPods, cousin!

    --
    WARNING: If accidentally read, induce vomiting.
  3. If I see one more iPod... by TheBig33Tuna · · Score: 3, Funny

    iVomit

    1. Re:If I see one more iPod... by boogahboogah · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What about all the other MP3/OGG units on the market ?

      My MPIO 20GB unit is 1/4 filled, only because I haven't spent the time yet to drop in another 50-90 albums (Whoops- CD's). Too much music for you ? Try touring 2 weeks on a motorcycle & see if having to listen to the same tunes 20 times doesn't get just a little bit irritating (like almost every commercial radio station out there, playing the same crap over & over, songs you've heard every week for the last 20 years of your life).

  4. Perfect timing by splatterboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Oh that Jobs, just in time for Valentines Day...

    --
    "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." ~The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan
    1. Re:Perfect timing by linguae · · Score: 4, Funny
      Oh that Jobs, just in time for Valentines Day...

      Time to buy myself an iPod, I suppose.

  5. A good thing, well, sort of... by ursabear · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a good thing. It will make the iPod more accessible...

    Apple will definitely do well with these, given the current reputation of iPods.

    Now, if I had just waited until now to buy the kids their 1GB iPods...

    --
    A Passionate Independent Musician
  6. Feh by vertinox · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I got a 2 gig Nano for Christmas (no complaints mind you), but I already filled it up on the day that I started moving files to it Even then I am constantly scratching my head trying to figure out what songs I can delete so I can squeeze in another favorite song I just picked up.

    I could only imagine what the 1gb would be like, but I suppose if you wanted to give someone an iPod on the cheep or had a small music collection then it would be the best route to go.

    I had thought about returning it and getting a 4gb nano, but I think that would be rude to the person who got it for me. And come to think of it, I would want around 10+ gb to satisfy my musical needs anways.

    Maybe we'll see higher memories by Christmas this year or next.

    --
    "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
    -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
    1. Re:Feh by Sepodati · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just create a playlist that selects a random 1 or 2 Gig and loads them onto the iPod. Delete all the songs from the playlist and it grabs another random 1 or 2 Gig and reloads the iPod. You can customize the playlists pretty well, so talk, podcasts, etc. aren't included unless you want them to.

      ---John Holmes...

    2. Re:Feh by Gulthek · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Think of the small pods (2 gig and down) as miniature radio stations. Don't try to cram a ton of albums on there, but make a smart playlist of 2 gigabytes (or whatever size) of highly rated music (or highly played, or not played in the last two weeks, or any combination, etc.) and have the ipod automatically load that. That's what I do for my 1 gig shuffle.

      But it is nice to also have the 60 gig iPod to tote all of my music around on :-)

    3. Re:Feh by splatterboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Im sure the person who gave you the present would tell you not to feel inferior, that size isn't everything... just work on your, um, 'deleting' and 'squeezing' skills...

      --
      "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." ~The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan
    4. Re:Feh by HuguesT · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually it's easy to wear out flash ram in certain conditions. One write every second for 70 years is only 2 billion writes.

      If you use a flashdisk as a swap partition, and the swap algorithm is not taking care to spread the writing all over the media, with only moderate usage your swap disk can be gone in a few months.

      However syncing your ipod no matter how often will not wear out the flash RAM, for sure.

    5. Re:Feh by itscolduphere · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just create a playlist that selects a random 1 or 2 Gig and loads them onto the iPod. Delete all the songs from the playlist and it grabs another random 1 or 2 Gig and reloads the iPod. You can customize the playlists pretty well, so talk, podcasts, etc. aren't included unless you want them to.

      No, you just use a "Recently Played" smart playlist to remove songs that you play through to the end (or use the click-wheel to scroll to the end of if you don't feel like listening to it). Just make the smart playlist that is selecting songs to go on your iPod to "Playlist is not Recently Played," and songs will rotate through automatically without having to re-update the WHOLE thing. Every week or two, when you get a too many songs that you just keep skipping on there, you wipe and put a whole new batch.

      If I had a Nano, I'd probably use half for that random playlist and the other half would be a playlist containing all hand-picked songs...and, of course, there'd be a playlist combining the two. Or possibly a playlist that I'd treat as a CD changer and drag several whole albums into in addition to the random one.

      As it is, I have a 1 GB Shuffle. I have a majority of my songs (and a vast majority of those that I like) rated. I have six playlists, each representing three different sets of genres, at two ratings levels (one for 4/5 star, one for 3 star and unrated...to keep some variety in there). The most recently played 300 songs are exempted. So I basically have to listen to an entire Shuffle full of songs to hear the same ones again. But the beauty is that each time a song is played, and I update, it is replaced with a song of the same genre and rating level. So if I play a 4/5-star punk song, I get another 4/5-star punk song to replace it, keeping the mix the same.

      It's beautiful. It's like a radio that only plays songs that I at least somewhat like. Of course, it wasn't possible (without hackery) until either iTunes 5 or 6, when they finally set it to set the "Last Played" flag of songs updated from a Shuffle to the time of update (as the Shuffle has no clock), instead of just increasing the play count and calling it good.

      Obviously, I went through a few months where I had a LOT of time on my hands though. As I obviously did right now, looking at the novel I just wrote. I just hope they don't trash the Shuffle...I like having an iPod that A) isn't expensive, B) doesn't have a screen to break, and C) keeps me from obsessively choosing individual songs, and thus allows me to hear music from my collection I had damn near forgotten about.

      Granted, I still keep a 15 GB around for long road trips and such. And, in a pinch, it makes a decent (if expensive) pocket HD.

  7. Sounds like a good deal... by the_humeister · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...but right now Apple is selling a refurbished 20GB iPod for $189. I think I'd rather go for that one (if I was in a market for iPods).

    1. Re:Sounds like a good deal... by engagebot · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's not the point. If you want to take your whole music collection, get a 30GB or 60GB full-size.

      The shuffle was meant for a whole different user. It's made to take to the gym or go running with. You don't always need a screen and a complicated interface for that type of activity. I know you'll say the ipod's interface isn't that complicated, but it is when you're riding a motorcycle. I just want start, stop, next track, and volume. plus, hanging it around your neck is super-conventient for the types of activites that the shuffle is meant for. not to mention it's a great generic usb flashdrive to boot.

      my sister sold her 1st gen 5GB ipod to buy a 512 shuffle. she enjoys it alot more, and ends up actually using it, where her old ipod sat in her purse.

      --
      Han shot first.
    2. Re:Sounds like a good deal... by nvrrobx · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That depends entirely on what you're doing with the iPod, really. I have an iPod Shuffle that gets used for running, working out, etc. It's solid state - I don't have to worry about damaging a hard drive.

      I went skiing this weekend and forgot my Shuffle, but had my regular iPod. Did I risk exposing it to water and the forces that exist as I tumbled down the mountain? No - that surely would have destroyed it.

      They both have their markets. You just may not be the market for the solid state one.

  8. Passing savings on? by arkham6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought that was only economic utopia, not reachable in the real world.

    Ptah, passing savings on to customers? as if!

    1. Re:Passing savings on? by timeOday · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Passing savings on? I thought that was only economic utopia, not reachable in the real world.
      It's corporate doublespeak for "nobody was paying $100 for a 512 MB player with no user interface."
  9. Passing on the savings to us... by G+Samsonoff · · Score: 2, Informative

    So they should. The Shuffle is a flimsy, easily damaged product (I have owned two 512 MB units). Its advertised as a unit to use when exercising, but my experience has been that it is not robust enough to be used in any situation where you and the Shuffle are in motion... Both of mine experienced a steady degradation of the rear slider switch after getting a little damp, to the point where the first one does not power on at all, and the second only works in "sequential" mode - it will no longer shuffle, and I have to cycle the switch on/off many times to get it to start playing. The only reason I persevere with it is due to its small form factor. At $99 a pop I felt ripped off, at $69 it would be border-line acceptable...

    1. Re:Passing on the savings to us... by wornst · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Did you bring your shuffle to the sauna? If you knew it was going to get wet, why not spring for the apple water resistant case? I know, you already spent money on the product, why should you have to spend more on an addon? I got a shuffle last year and it's been fine especially because I sprang for the case. Water and electronics don't mix. Just take better care of your electronics.

    2. Re:Passing on the savings to us... by RelaxedTension · · Score: 4, Funny

      Maybe you should have read the part that said not to be used while swimming, wrestling, or playing rugby.

    3. Re:Passing on the savings to us... by falcon5768 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      christ what the hell are you doing with those things????

      I have dropped kicked thrown and accidentally gotten my shuffle stuck in a door (yay public school IT support) and its only got a few nicks in it.

      the thing is like a Lego brick, I cant imagine what you did to it to get it to be trashed other than to put it into water....

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

  10. Change the headline! by camt · · Score: 5, Informative

    The headline, "Apple Launches 1 GB Nano, Slashes Shuffle", makes it sound like Apple has stopped selling the Shuffle, especially considering the recent coverage of all the reasons Apple has for cancelling the Shuffle.

  11. Re:iCheap idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    3 techno songs is all you need - they pretty much all sound the same

  12. Nah, I have an iPod by Shivetya · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The NANO never made sense for its cost compared to regular iPods. What made sense is having a screen as well as no moving parts. $149 is almost an impulse buy these days in this market.

    I can easily make a play list or two to for times when the nano is more relevant than the full blown iPod. Any truly physical sport comes to mind. I have had my iPod take unplanned jumps to the ground that made me flinch (and reboot it more than once). I would feel much better knowing there isn't something that might suffer serious damage in a fall in there.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:Nah, I have an iPod by just_forget_it · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The price base I believe is completely planned and orchestrated by apple. Think about it. For $69, you can get a 512 MB shuffle, but the 1 GB nano is only $30. That's twice as much storage for only 45% more. The 4 GB nano is $249, but the 30GB Video is $299. You more than sextuple the storage space, plus add video capability for only 20% more. The pricing scheme makes it easy to "upsell" (which is nothing more than a new term for "Bait and switch" IMHO).

  13. You can call us Aaron Burr... by kentyman · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...from the way we're droppin' Hamiltons!

    --
    You know where you are? You're in the $PATH, baby. You're gonna get executed!
  14. Re:My problem... by LordVader717 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I bought a 4GB nano last month, and chose it specifically.
    The mainthing I like about it is the robust flash memory and it's small form.

    I know I could get 6 times the space for 50$ more, and it's not that I couldn't afford it.
    But I'm not fixated on keeping my entire music collection on one handheld device. Sure, it's less work, but most music I only listen to on short term and put something else on later. It kinda stops me getting ored from the same selection aswell.

    I just like my nano more than I'd like the standard model.

  15. Forget the nano and shuffle by LennyDotCom · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Send an ipod to your senator to fight against the broadcast flag and audio flag

    But Senator Stevens, the 82-year old committee chairman from Alaska, surprised the audience by announcing that his daughter had bought him an iPod.
    Suddenly, Stevens had a much greater understanding of the many ways innovative technology can create choice for consumers. Content industry representatives at the hearing found themselves answering much tougher questions than they typically receive.

    --
    http://Lenny.com
    1. Re:Forget the nano and shuffle by TeknoHog · · Score: 3, Funny
      Something like this was done in Finland relating to the DMCA-like amendments that went into the copyright law at the start of this year. The Minister of Culture, who is a the main figurehead for the new law, was given an MP3 player and an encrypted music CD for Christmas. She was told to get busy ripping the CD before while it was still legal.

      Och samma på finska

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  16. sorry folks, but i really dont understand nano by zr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    looks cool and everything, but what is it for?

    i have a full fledged ipod (g5 w/ video) and that works great for keeping my total music collection. its fragile, but that's fine, because i don't use it to work out nor otherwise place it in situations of physical danger.

    i also have ishuffle, and i use it for jogging and i know it'll never break. there's no hard drive, no display, nothing. and its light as a feather. no extra protection or care needed. plus it doesn't scratch (and even if it did, i wouldn't care).

    so, i have these two niches filled and just see no room for nano.

    or what am i missing?

  17. Re:My problem... by Golias · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So, you know that your music taste is exceptionally varied, and you need the spontaneity more than most other folks do, yet you still "can't see" why "anyone" would want a Shuffle?

    That's kind of myopic, isn't it?

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  18. Everything vs. somethings by dazedNconfuzed · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have a 1GB Shuffle. The 1GB & 2GB Nanos won't be much different.

    The point of having/using a small-memory player is not to put your whole collection on there, or to have lots of "if I want" music on there, it's to store those dozen or so albums you are ACTIVELY listening to (or a random mix if you really don't care).

    In no way is it meant to hold one's collection; you keep the whole collection on the computer & pick a few things you know you'll want. Small & large storage spaces require very different usage behaviors.

    ---

    The biggest loss from terminating the Shuffle is the built-in USB plug - one less cable to drag around. The Nano doesn't even have a USB socket; instead there's another specialized cable to fill up bag/briefcase space with. The "thumbdrive" format was just so very convenient, both for data transfer and recharging.

    ---

    --
    Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
  19. Re:Wrong way! by DurendalMac · · Score: 3, Funny

    Get a Video instead. My old 5gig died recently, and that gave me the excuse to upgrade. I fucking LOVE this thing. I want it inside me. I'm busy getting all my brother in law's Futurama and Family Guy DVD's ripped to it, and I'll have plenty of room to spare. The battery lasted over 21 hours when I plugged the headphones in and left it shuffling all day. Impressive.

  20. Price adjustment! by objekt · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just like clockwork! When they got rid of the iPod Minis it was just after my wife purchased a refreshed one, so she took her receipt back and got a price adjustment. Cha-ching! Wouldn't you know it she has just purchased a refreshed iPod Shuffle! This time she's taking it back and getting a 1-gig nano. We're cheap,but not that cheap.

    --
    -- Boycott Shell
  21. Re:Wrong way! by karnal · · Score: 4, Funny

    I want it inside me.

    You may want to buy a waterproof case for it if you.... want it.. "inside you"...

    --
    Karnal
  22. How well does Linux talk to iPods these days? by swillden · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Since I've recently started going to the gym regularly, I've been thinking I might finally have a use for a portable music player (other than my laptop, which has been as portable as I needed). So, I'm interested in whether or not an iPod would work well for me. A significant constraint, however, is that I don't run Windows, and althouh my wife has an iBook, I don't want to have to use her machine to manage my iPod.

    So, how effectively can I manage my iPod from Linux?

    Anyone have any recommendations on alternative players? I don't need a lot of storage (1GB would be perfectly fine), but cheaper is better. The ability to play vorbis files would be good, too, though I know that's pretty unlikely. I can always whip up a script to convert my hiqh-quality OGGs to lower-quality MP3s, if need be. If my player doesn't have a huge amount of storage, I'll probably have to convert my OGGs to lower bitrates even if the player does play vorbis files, and that's not much less work than converting to MP3.

    Another bonus would be a player with an FM tuner (another feature I believe is unavailable with iPods).

    --
    Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  23. Re:My problem... by wedgewu · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Who the heck is Nick Starr? Forgive me, I am ignorant.

    I carry a DS and a PSP with me usually (games are more important than music to me), so every little bit of space helps. The Nano is significantly smaller and thinner - I could probably fit one into my pants pockets. And don't even try to tell me that I'd fit a 60GB ipod into a pocket. Girls pants aren't designed like that.

    I don't have an ipod yet (since I don't listen to music much), but I've been watching very closely to decide which one I want. If it weren't for the video feature of the new ipods, I would definitely go with the nano.

  24. Re:My problem... by rjstanford · · Score: 2, Insightful

    My point is, why get something as small as a gig, when you can get 60 gigs for a little bit more?

    Because it fits your needs, elegantly and simply? In a lot of ways your current post is like saying, "Why get a BMW 3-series when you could get a Crown Victoria for less money?" Size, contrary to popular belief, is far from everything.

    --
    You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
  25. Re:iCheap idea by saintlupus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Insightful?

    Only because there's no moderation for "Obvious".

    --saint
    (It's a joke, son.)

  26. Music players suck. by twitter · · Score: 2, Informative
    Check out GTKpod. It ships with Amorak on Mepis, so you can try it live. TuxMobil has links to all the other questions you might have.

    Getting a decent music player that does OGG and normal USB mass transfer is still not cheap or easy. The Xiph list is informative. Iriver players are one of the few ogg players widely available. They don't do USBfs out of the box, and I suspect most "works for sure" players suck that way and you won't find a good cheap player down the street in the US. This leaves you needing to copy your music to mp3 in order to enjoy any of the bazillion cheap portable music players out there but available music managers don't deal with this very well. Even then, finding a player that also works with USBfs is hit and miss.

    PDA's running Familiar, OZ or whathave you may provide a better route to music than music players do.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  27. Re:Like I said in the last posting on this topic.. by CottonEyedJoe · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Judging by the number of shuffles I see at the gym and on people who run/cycle/etc... they are quite popular with that segment of the market. Of course you also see other types of iPod and the odd "other player" or two. The new lower shuffle price will probably clinch the sale for me. I've been eyeing them ever since they came out, but as the owner of a 3G 20 GB, Its been hard to justify $100+ for another player. The nano fits the market for those who want more functionality. Apple probably considered a small LCD for the shuffle and decided they couldnt do anything other than "clunky" with it. Apple dosent do "clunky".

    >not that I think that iPod gaining marketshare is a good thing...

    I have mixed feelings... as a Mac and iPod owner, I want to see Apple do well. OTOH, a near monopoly is never a good thing. Its nice not to be marginalized for a change (something *BSD, linux and Mac users can understand).

  28. Re:My problem... by theurge14 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Your schwartz is as big as mine.