Thursday, March 12, 2009
My Thoughts on the New iPod Shuffle
Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 10:00 AM
I weighed in on the discussion of the new Shuffle over at Apple Thoughts, and I thought my response was worth sharing on this site.
I'm all for MP3 players breaking into new ground, and thought the original Shuffle was pretty damn brilliant - a screen isn't as mandatory as everyone thinks it is for some scenarios like working out in a gym - but this new Shuffle missed the mark in a few ways.
First, the fact that you have to use Apple's headphones in order to control the device in any way at all is a big problem. From a quality standpoint, the $3 headphones that Apple includes can't measure up - ever - to the quality of stand-alone headphones that cost $99+. And even if they're "not bad" as far as headphones go, not everyone's ears can fit them - my wife for instance couldn't use the headphones on her Shuffle because her ear canals are quite small. We always have to buy her extra-small headphones. By moving the controls onto the headphones, Apple is shutting out 100% of people who:
a) Want (or already own) better quality headphones
b) Can't fit/don't like the included headphones Read more...
