Samantha Rose Hunt12 March 2009, 12:40 AM
Well, that was unexpected. Apple has quietly released a new buttonless Shuffle with voice-over technology. Those parodies are coming true!
So you want new Apple products, eh? Well, the company has delivered. If you thought the possibility of losing the tiny iPod shuffle was imminent before, now you'll have even greater chances.
Apple has tiptoed up to the debut of its new 4GB iPod shuffle. The new shuffle though larger on the inside, with an ability to store much more music (almost as much as the original full-sized iPod), is tiny on the outside. The new shuffle only has a mode switch, aside from that there are no other buttons. The controls are located on a earbud cord, that means you'll have no choice but to utilize Apple earbuds until third parties begin production of their own models. If you're like me, this isn't exactly exciting.
Has the issue of figuring out which song you're listening to, or the desire to skip through until you find your favorite song always caused you to shy away from a shuffle? Well, that's no issue anymore.
The new shuffle comes equipped with its own voice. When you hold the center button on the remote during your favorite song the device's "VoiceOver" feature will tell you the artist and song name. Additionally it will scroll aloud through your playlists.
This feature will be great as you're on the go, with no ability to read a display of what you're hearing. I know I personally have music on my iPod that I couldn't tell you what it is. The "VoiceOver" function is available in 14 languages which range from English to Mandarin. The speech itself is generated via iTunes and then placed on your shuffle when you sync, this means that the voice you hear will be determined by what OS you are utilizing.
The new iPod shuffle boasts about 10 hours of battery life, which is lower than previous versions. It will also cost you a little more, but it's still an economical MP3 player, at $US80, which equates to $129 in Aussie dollars, factoring in the ghastly exchange rate and Apple Australia's mysterious profit margins. If you don't like change (and if so, what are you doing buying Apple products?), the old second gen shuffle, which holds 1GB of music can still be purchased for $US50, or $65 in Australia -- bargain.
Above: the new Shuffle, with its headphone-cord controller.
Just to give you an idea of how small the new Shuffle is. Oh, and we manicured our hands for hours to get them looking this good.
The current iPod family, showing relative sizes. There's no mistaking it, the new Shuffle looks like any titanium-look memory key made in the last five years.
Up-close in excruciating, Pixar-rendered detail. Note the clip built in to the back of the Shuffle, making it ideal for jogging (no overpriced accessory arm band need apply!)