The new low-price iPod Shuffle has no display -- it just shuffles through your tunes.As anticipated, Steve Jobs introduced a flash-based player dubbed the iPod Shuffle at the tail end of his lengthy Macworld keynote. Despite denouncing flash-based players in the past, Apple couldn't resist the 29 percent of the market that it doesn't already dominate. Minimal as can be, the Shuffle weighs just over 20 grams, has no LCD, includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface, and comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities for the supercompetitive prices of AU$149 and AU$229, respectively.
Upside: Zero LCD, USB 2.0 built right in, and wearable -- the concepts aren't new. But the iPod Shuffle raises the ultracompact MP3 player to an art form. It is only 0.8cm thick and 2.5cm wide, and weighs a feathery 22 grams. A simple, round controller features all-tactile buttons and makes the Shuffle feel more like a wireless remote than an MP3 player. (The USB 2.0 connector hides underneath a removable cap.) The big slider power button on the back toggles between the Shuffle and standard Playlist Repeat modes.
It works seamlessly with the new iTunes 4.7.1, which includes an Autofill feature that automatically fills the Shuffle player with an optimal number of songs based on user preference. Our first 512MB Autofill stats: 488MB, 103 songs, 7.5 hours (but what happened to the other available 4.4MB of space?).
Downside: At 8.4cm, the iPod Shuffle is actually longer than most of the flash players on the market. Wearing it using the included lanyard creates an annoying mess of wires when headphones are attached (you might want one of these). The Shuffle is also missing many of the features that prospective flash-player buyers look for, such as an LCD, an FM tuner, and recording capability. After just a day, we missed having an LCD; we prefer knowing what's on our MP3 player. Finally, the rated battery life of 12 hours is abysmal, though poor battery life is something we've gotten used to with iPods. You might want to spring for one of these, too.
Outlook: Jobs and the iPod franchise are hot on the heels of the flash market (think manifest destiny). There's really nothing new in the iPod Shuffle -- including the heavily hyped Shuffle mode. And other ultracompact players offer a lot more, most notably an LCD. Still, as the long lines outside the Mac store in San Francisco on day one attest, the iPod Shuffle, with its ultralow price, dead-simple design, and iTunes integration, is virtually guaranteed to be a hit, especially among those looking for a second iPod. Apple Australia expects the iPod Shuffle to be available by the end of January.
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when will it be available in australia?
oh btw we all know this report is copied from cnet..
(you might want to get one of these)
you morons could have at least edited the page?