Apple Introduces iPod shuffle

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/' target='_blank'>http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Time to mix things up. Meet iPod shuffle, the unpredictable new iPod. What will it play next? Can it read your mind? Can it read your moods? Load it up. Put it on. See where it takes you. Choose from pocket-size 512MB or 1G models starting at $99 and surprise yourself."</i><br /><br />The price is right, but no display? I don't half fancy having to rely on a blinking LED for visual feedback. According to Apple, the iPod shuffle is designed to do just that..shuffle through your playlist. Or it can playback an entire album at a time. But the the most significant aspect to this new iPod is clearly the price tag it carries (starting at $99) which will put it in far more users pockets than the mainstay iPod models. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/indextopb20050111.jpg" />

[James Fee]

Want to make some money? Start a company that sells replacement caps because people are going to lose these things. I like the concept and I'm not sure there would be a better way to do it, but I hate to think how many of these might be lost.

[Tim Williamson]

2. Do not eat iPod shuffle

LOL! :lol:

Looks neat and has a good price point, but no display sucks. Their marketing is genius though and makes up for the lack of display. Since it doesn't have a display then you don't know what song is going to be next so hey lets make it shuffle through all the songs and call it the iPod Shuffle!

[Filip Norrgard]

2. Do not eat iPod shuffle

Or, do not eat iPod souffle... :P

[Tim Williamson]

Haha!

[treo007]

Want to make some money? Start a company that sells replacement caps because people are going to lose these things. I like the concept and I'm not sure there would be a better way to do it, but I hate to think how many of these might be lost.

Yeah, I'll agree on that one. I'll bet this is one of the first changes they make in the next generation model.

[sojourner753]

I'm confused.
Doesn't the Ipod have a shuffle function? Doesn't Itunes have a shuffle function?

Whats the purpose of this device? :?

[James Fee]

I'm confused.
Doesn't the Ipod have a shuffle function? Doesn't Itunes have a shuffle function?

Whats the purpose of this device? :?Its an MP3/AAC player. I think the point of shuffle is that if you don't have a screen to navigate, then you shuffle.

Its all marketing....

[Tim Williamson]

I'm confused.
Doesn't the Ipod have a shuffle function? Doesn't Itunes have a shuffle function?

Whats the purpose of this device? :?

It's pure marketing...who would buy an MP3 player without a screen these days? But you see it's super duper fun to have a device that will randomize your songs for you! And why would anyone need a screen on a super duper fun MP3 randomizer player. So it doesn't matter if you have a screen or not. There's probably some marketing term for this but I don't know what it is...

[sojourner753]

I thought so. Just wasn't sure if I missed something. It seems like Apple has shifted into a mass market mode and will ultimatly find trouble there. They should stick with what they do best. Stylistic Niche consumer electronics.

[klinux]

Who would buy it?

Who would have bought those original HD iPods? I mean, it has no FM, No line-in, no WMA/OGG playback, expensive, no cool blue lights, etc. And yet...

[treo007]

They should stick with what they do best. Stylistic Niche consumer electronics.

Stylistic? Yes, but it's pretty hard to refer to the iPod as Niche at this point, don't you think?

[Janak Parekh]

Since it doesn't have a display then you don't know what song is going to be next so hey lets make it shuffle through all the songs and call it the iPod Shuffle!
Research has been done on how an astonishingly large number of people actually just shuffle their iPods all the time. I think Apple has done its consumer research, and while it won't satisfy neither you or me this thing will sell. As per Gizmodo (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/ipod/ipod-shuffle-first-review-029488.php): "By the way- floods of people were streaming in as I left the Apple store and several employees at the door were handing out shuffles from boxes by the dozens. People were buying 3, 4, 5 of these things at a time. Amazing what a brand can make people do."

Who would have bought those original HD iPods? I mean, it has no FM, No line-in, no WMA/OGG playback, expensive, no cool blue lights, etc. And yet...
Agreed -- if you go back to the announcement of the 1G iPod on Slashdot, it was almost universally panned by the geeks.

--janak

[Fitch]

Whats the purpose of this device? :?

I know you understand it now, but you're the 2nd person who hasn't 'gotten' it

Someone at my office actually thought it added a feature to make your iPod have shuffle, and felt smart for figuring out that it would be a rip off. :roll:

[Jason Eaton]

I'm confused.
Doesn't the Ipod have a shuffle function? Doesn't Itunes have a shuffle function?

Whats the purpose of this device? :?

I believe the name illustrates more then the music play back option, the name also tells of iTunes second function.

The shuffle name also alludes to the iTunes function of transferring music to the device. While this function is available now it makes more sense for this device.

What you can do is have a music library much larger then what the device can hold and as you connect it to the machine it goes ahead and removes listened too songs and replaces them with songs from your library you haven't heard. So say you have 5 gigs of music and you like the shuffle here, all you need to do is connect it to the computer and iTunes will 'shuffle' new music automatically back and forth.

So bit-rate aside if you listen to 240 songs or less a day you can constantly have your music shuffled for you. Or about 720 minutes (3 minute song) or 12 hours of new music each day before you hear the same song.

That is the purpose.

:)

[Tim Williamson]

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but it really is pure marketing, possibly marketing genius, but we'll have to see how it does saleswise.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Geez, this is really marketing at its "finest": taking a weakness and calling it a feature!

[Jason Eaton]

I guess the saying is true, you can't have it both ways...

Either Apple is stupid for not having a flash based player in the line up, or Apple is stupid because it has a small flash based player in the line up.

512mb and 1 gig is still 512mb and 1 gig not matter how you slice it.

[klinux]

I guess the saying is true, you can't have it both ways...

Either Apple is stupid for not having a flash based player in the line up, or Apple is stupid because it has a small flash based player in the line up.

512mb and 1 gig is still 512mb and 1 gig not matter how you slice it.

Or, one can say Apple is smart by introducing the cheap flash products last. This is as they can maximize and not cannibalize the profitable HD-based digital audio player market - which had a much higher margin and which Apple now controls up to 80% by some estimation.

As for small - it is indeed physically small and still have much capacity than many, if not most, of the flash players out there.

[Phoenix]

It's an interesting product, considering that it doesn't have a display. But soon enough we'll see how people like it.

Maybe someone will come up with some new fangled way of using it... Or not.

Quite frankly, if I could buy any flash player, I'd like to buy this one. (http://portableaudio.engadget.com/entry/1234000930026729/) Too bad we'll probably never see it in North America with an English ROM. You never know, but I'd buy one in a second.

Bottom line... I'll be passing on Apple's flash player. For me? No screen = no sale.

[Janak Parekh]

This is as they can maximize and not cannibalize the profitable HD-based digital audio player market - which had a much higher margin and which Apple now controls up to 80% by some estimation.
Exactly the reason the iPod shuffle doesn't have a screen. They'd seriously cannibalize sales of the iPod Mini if it did, as 1GB might be "enough" for a lot of people. And at $249 they must have a pretty decent margin on the Mini.

As for small - it is indeed physically small and still have much capacity than many, if not most, of the flash players out there.
The one way it appeals to me as a geek is the size -- it's basically a USB stick with the ability to play music. The MuVos are also very small and has USB, but they're actually more expensive than the iPod shuffle for the same amount of money.

--janak

[sojourner753]

They should stick with what they do best. Stylistic Niche consumer electronics.

Stylistic? Yes, but it's pretty hard to refer to the iPod as Niche at this point, don't you think?


Tis true.
But you must admit it is a captive audience. After all the money invested in the iTunes format, where would they go if something better did come along?

[Janak Parekh]

After all the money invested in the iTunes format, where would they go if something better did come along?
There's a reason 99.9% of my music is from CDs. :P

But yes, they do have lock-in down very well. And I don't like it. :( I hate choosing between the lesser evils of proprietary DRM schemes.

--janak

[sojourner753]

Thats why I've never bought from the store. And why I'm considering re- ripping my music into Mp3 .

For the freedom of use.

[treo007]

Who would buy it?

Who would have bought those original HD iPods? I mean, it has no FM, No line-in, no WMA/OGG playback, expensive, no cool blue lights, etc. And yet...

I will, and I already own a 20GB iPod 4G. It's great, but a little too big to work out with (and obviously a little more fragile than a flash player). At $99, the Shuffle is almost a 'no-brainer'.

Something that always gets lost in both the hype and hate the iPod receives is its iTunes integration. iTunes is still the easiest way for me to download, categorize, and transfer my music to a mobile player. I've tried to use Windows Media Player, along with other download services in the same way, and have found it more or less confusing.

[treo007]

They should stick with what they do best. Stylistic Niche consumer electronics.

Stylistic? Yes, but it's pretty hard to refer to the iPod as Niche at this point, don't you think?


Tis true.
But you must admit it is a captive audience. After all the money invested in the iTunes format, where would they go if something better did come along?

It's a pain, but doesn't require a great deal of expertise to convert an iTunes song into an MP3 via an audio CD burn and rip.

[klinux]

Who would buy it?

Who would have bought those original HD iPods? I mean, it has no FM, No line-in, no WMA/OGG playback, expensive, no cool blue lights, etc. And yet...

I will, and I already own a 20GB iPod 4G.

I know. Tons of people will. I have a 20GB 2G iPod and I would consider buying this as a gift. My comments were sarcastic and aimed at those who make purchases based on # of features.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Hehe, nothing like watching the Apple fans go.

[Janak Parekh]

Hehe, nothing like watching the Apple fans go.
Hey, if we weren't passionate about technology none of us would be here...

--janak

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

But this passionate? errrr... sorry, just not me. Technology is a means to an end, not an end to itself. I guess I don't get the bickering.

As a business student, this product makes a great marketing case study. Beyond that, it, to me, is just another average product in a very crowded market. It's biggest advantage is probably price (but not necessary value), and to some, the brand and integration with itunes. But watching how some defend it is ermm.. scary?

[Janak Parekh]

But this passionate? errrr... sorry, just not me. Technology is a means to an end, not an end to itself. I guess I don't get the bickering.
I know -- but that bickering isn't contained to just the Apple fanboys, you know. ;)

But watching how some defend it is ermm.. scary?
And likewise, how some are convinced it's the worst possible thing.

--janak

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Yea, the zealousness however is rare. =P

[treo007]

Who would buy it?

Who would have bought those original HD iPods? I mean, it has no FM, No line-in, no WMA/OGG playback, expensive, no cool blue lights, etc. And yet...

I will, and I already own a 20GB iPod 4G.

I know. Tons of people will. I have a 20GB 2G iPod and I would consider buying this as a gift. My comments were sarcastic and aimed at those who make purchases based on # of features.

Hehe...yea, I was a little obtuse on that one. Sorry. :oops:

[Janak Parekh]

Yea, the zealousness however is rare. =P
Not so sure about that! The anti-Mac crowd is just as vociferous as the Mac crowd. Granted, the anti-Mac crowd is only a small segment of the PC crowd, but since the PC crowd is so huge nowadays...

--janak

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Is it? *shrug* Regardless, I just don't like this kind of zeal. I prefer to be more objective. =)

[klinux]

Objective? Please, everyone here is objective! :)

I echo everything that Janak said. I am dual-platform (started using Macs again with OS X 10.1) and get called a PeeCee fanboy all the time by the Mac zealots of which there are many.

But in the PC world, you also have the fierce fanaticism of Intel vs AMD or ATI vs Nvidia.

I am not a business student but am in the marketing analytics group of a big company. Shuffle is a good marketing case study, won't argue with that. However, you call it average but then argued that it's advantages are price, brand, and iTunes integration and that the advantages are different for different people. (You forgot to mention too that although Shuffle is not the smallest flash player, many people love it for its size as well.)

To me, you have just replied to yourself why the iPod Shuffle is not such an average product afterall.