[chadbang]

Hmm. I like that cigarette light better.

Cool.


Hey, can you say "Beach iPod"?

 

[chadbang]

Here's another picture:

In a way, this stick is kinda a work of art. Sort of the Movado watch of MP3 players.

 

[blessingx]

"Either shuffle or album-based playback."

Thank god.

 

[frankcent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vault You know what.. I actually think Apple will kick it in with the Shuffle: 1. Most people aren't fanatical like us, who demand huge disk drives to store their music. Have a look at the ads. Focused on the sporty types who want a pretty decent ammount of music for a workout/bikeride/jog, whatever. 2. Looks pretty bomb proof to me - hazzard a guess any mums or dads would be more than willing to stump up the cash for an "entry level" MP3 player that their sprogs can skate/throw/take to school and generally abuse without the fear of destroying it. 3. I would have thought this was aimed pretty squarely at current users of iPods too. Here is a "throwaway" version of your iPod for those times you just want something to huck around. I know everyone is going on about the lack of a screen and the storage size, but for everyday stuff, you would be hard pressed to need more than about 1-2 hours worth of music for a commute every day. Just my 2c

well said. different people use different ipods. they are aiming for people who do not need a screen but a lot of songs they are not gonna get tired of. flash memory DAPs with such large capacity usually cost more than 100 usd at least. I think it will be more attractive for teenagers and beginners.

 

[doomlordis]

I like it, i think it will be popular with existing ipoders, i also think it will take a large chunk out of the current flash player market.
The current market is fragmentedm, iaudio, iriver and creative are big players but there is room for apple. I hate itunes so i wont be buying (and i have just bought sony e99 with screen!) but overall i think it is a nice design and perfect for the commute to/from work!

 

[Topspin14m]

I think it looks ok and I dont think the screen is necessary. Why? Because this is a "sport" ipod if you will. This isnt the ipod ment for taking on long trips or for sitting in your living room listening to tunes. It is an Ipod to work out with and it is perfect for that purpose.

#1. I know many people who didnt buy the Ipod or have an Ipod but dont use it for working out because it is hard drive based. You can ruin your hard drive running with a HD based player. This ipod is flashed based so no moving parts = no problem.

#2. When you are working out you dont need a screen. You are running, focusing on your breathing, your pulse your time etc. You arent looking at some screen to pick a song, if anything you just hit the forward button until you get something you like.

#3. Dont underestimate the integrative features here. If you already have an Ipod or Itunes and you just want a player you can connect to your computer hit a button and get some songs on it and then run out the door to go to the gym, this is a great addition.

This isnt an audiophile type player. It isnt for you guys. It is for people who arent sitting at computers all day but are out running and lifting weights and competing in the Olympics or something...not smokers who compare it to the size of their lighters

j/k hehe.

Sure there might be players with nifty screens and such but at this price for 512 megs or 150 for a gig I dont think its a horrible deal. For those of you looking to spend a little more for a flash player...what do people think of this?

http://www.macnn.com/news/27525

A 5G Audiovox player. I havent heard much on it...any thoughts?

 

[ayn]

Doesn't look like it plays lossless, so I will have to pick some songs, downsample them in iTunes, and move them over to the Shuffle... hmm... I was going to buy one for gym use, but maybe not...

--Andrew

 

[pank2002]

I don't like the look of it. It's too tall compared to the width. That said, I though that too when the mini was released and currently I'm looking into getting a mini. I think I've already said it, but I'm really disappointed that there was no hdd update for the mini. Oh well. Anybody knows when the MacExpo Paris is, and if they usually present new hardware? What's the chances for a updated mini at that time?
Back to the shuffle; of course it'll be a success. It's a CHEAP iPod! No screen? Well to bad, it's an iPod. iPod=Street Cred.

 

[PFRfan]

Notice I said that Apple's momentum MAY make this successful. Maybe it won't, though. If you sell a bad enough product, or over-hype it sufficiently, then people will turn off to it, also.

I agree with the intended market - joggers or commuters concerned with it taking up little space being tough to break. I don't think it'll do so well with the newbies though. Don't get me wrong - it'll probably sell well to them, but the famous iPod satisfaction will probably take a hit.

Why? Capacity. I know that 1-2 hours per day is plenty for most people. But most people don't want to plan out their music listening for the day. If they're pure shuffle-play listeners, then the AutoFill will be fine, and the Shuffle is appropriately named. If they're the types who want to listen to albums on a whim, forget it. You won't have the album you want when you need it. My wife is already complaining about having to pick which music goes on her mini. She wants to be able to pick a song on her mini when she wants to hear it - not at the beginning of the day.

When all is said and done, my guess is that it will sell well, but will not earn the excellent reputation that they've been getting in the past. I doubt it will hurt the 4G or mini's credibility though, so it's probably not going to be a bad thing for Apple.

 

[Topspin14m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayn Doesn't look like it plays lossless, so I will have to pick some songs, downsample them in iTunes, and move them over to the Shuffle... hmm... I was going to buy one for gym use, but maybe not... --Andrew

Only someone from Head-fi would want to play lossless files over a 512 meg player. Do you realize that that is only 14 songs (ok 28 with the 1gig model!)? Are you really going to notice a quality difference when you are working out? Are you going to carry an amp too when you run? You could strap it to your left arm with the Ipod shuffle on your right.

Maybe you should try more weight or a little more distance when you are at the gym....

 

[tattoou2]

Apple will probably sell tons of these things. For someone who just wants to load a handful of albums, it will probably be an ideal alternative to the other iPods. Actually it's quite nice looking and its attractiveness is in its simplicity.

Time will tell.

 

[Thisp]

Apple has been trying to appeal to people who don't know much about computers and the technology behind DAPs by creating easy to use software. Many complain about the tough interfaces on these players. Making an easier interface and software still left many out, so it's only logical that the next step to remove the interface to appeal to those who only have the intelligence to press one button.

If it's only intended to play shuffled tunes, it should be priced as such. One gig could fit over 300 of my songs - and that definately requires an interface that, at the very least, has a fecking SCREEN. I assume people will want to use a $150 player on the go and as they'd use a normal player in addition to exercising, which is why this simply won't work unless it's strongly backed by Apple's marketing.

At first I commended them for pricing a 1 gig player so low, and was very surprised. Then I read around to find out it doesn't have a screen, or any way to manage what you listen to on the player. I'm disappointed.

Quote:

#2. When you are working out you dont need a screen. You are running, focusing on your breathing, your pulse your time etc. You arent looking at some screen to pick a song, if anything you just hit the forward button until you get something you like.

For the same price, you can get a nice flash player that's small, and guess what - has a screen!

Sure, you may just be hitting forward, but perhaps on a playlist or an album you selected.

Another big aspect of Apple's players is the cool factor - which I don't think will be there as much with this player. Here's an example. The setting is a freshman high school math class, last five minutes of the period.

Quote:

"hey, joe, do you have the new eminem song on there?" "sure, let me find it" [180 clicks and six minutes later later] "here it is!" [friend walked away five minutes ago]

It's just not practical..

 

[scottder]

From Shuffle Page:

Quote:

# Do not eat iPod shuffle.

Hmmmm

 

[chadbang]

Why do people keep saying "1 or 2 hours of music", I'd say with a half gig you can easily get 5 hours of decent quality mp3s (lossless aside

)

 

[Topspin14m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thisp Apple has been trying to appeal to people who don't know much about computers and the technology behind DAPs by creating easy to use software. Many complain about the tough interfaces on these players. Making an easier interface and software still left many out, so it's only logical that the next step to remove the interface to appeal to those who only have the intelligence to press one button. If it's only intended to play shuffled tunes, it should be priced as such. One gig could fit over 300 of my songs - and that definately requires an interface that, at the very least, has a fecking SCREEN. At first I commended them for pricing a 1 gig player so low, and was very surprised. Then I read around to find out it doesn't have a screen, or any way to manage what you listen to on the player. I'm disappointed. For the same price, you can get a nice flash player that's small, and guess what - has a screen! Sure, you may just be hitting forward, but perhaps on a playlist or an album you selected.

You are right you could. For the same price as an Ipod 4G you could get a player with an FM tuner, a voice recorder and interoperability with Windows Media Player, etc. etc. Not everyone wants that stuff.

Remember when we all had tape players? They didnt have screens and a lot of people liked that just fine. They didnt even have tracks...My parents still listen to their tapes all the time. I am sure a lot of people still do as well.