Well, it's an iPod shuffle and the cheapest iPod. For example, the last I checked BMW 3rd series does not have specifications nor the luxuries of the 5th or the 7th series. If you need better sound and functions the get the Nano.
SO then why did the sound degrade from the 1G shuffle to the 2G ?
1. three taps to go to the previous song vs one tap on the old shuffle
2. I did watch the demo and got confused by the end allready. The clickwheel is very straightforward and pretty intuitive. The new hold & press gestures aren't. It's a bad thing you have to watch a demo to understand the user interface.
3. why would you wanna disrupt your musical experience by a nerdy voice
oh god, first tabs on top on safari and now voice over on the shuffle. There must be a mole from Redmond in the Apple labs \
1. Three taps on remote vs Three taps on remote - been there for ages. the buttons were nearly superfluous...
2. completely skipped over this one, didn't you... I already said there was nothing wrong with the clickwheel - you must be one of those "why do I need an iPod Touch and an iPhone?" people
3. only if you need to know what song you're on can you cue it up. its not gonna play before every song. I make playlists for my G/F all the time for her nano... sometimes she loves a song that I got her and wants to know who it is. Genius does this for me, too (finds songs I don't put in a playlist myself). I have dozens of Genius playlists for the 85GB of music I have in my iTunes Library (plus the other 105GB @ home - completely different stuff). Sometimes I want to know the name of the song. On the old shuffle, there was no way in knowing. Now there is.
The tabs are annoying, especially on my XP Workstation here at work (I made a custom theme for all of the workstations, and it doesn't seem to be compatible with the new beta)
Looks cool! But, now you're locked in to Apple earbuds for basic control? I like to use my current Shuffle with Etymotic ER-4Ps at the gym...better sound quality and blocks off the gym music being played too loudly. There are times when I would like to check on song and artist info though, that's a plus, and double capacity.
This seems to be the case. I would buy one if I could use my personal earbuds; but to be chained to crappy Apple buds....EPIC FAIL.
I had a chat once with a blind iPod shuffle user who bought it specifically because the video screen was, for him, totally useless. I can imagine VoiceOver being a _really_ nice addition in that case....
Good point. Now able to hold more music, navigate playlists etc.
I don't understand all the negative nellies bitching about the fact that you can't use non-Apple headphones with the new shuffle.
In the first case you probably can, it just won't have any volume and track controls as those are patented by Apple. Secondly, any headphones you can get that aren't Apple headphones, especially those that are of the same quality or higher, are going to cost you double the cost of the player itself.
What the heck are you buying the cheapest, lowest capacity player on the market for if you are some kind of audiophile that is too good to wear standard earbuds? Are you serious? And why should Apple twist themselves double trying to make such a tiny tiny fragment of an already tiny market segment happy?
It won't have any volume or track control. What kind of positive argument is that? I expect to able to control my mp3 player.
Actually, the original shuffle had some of the best sound reproduction of any mp3 player on the market. Apple screwed the pooch by changing their chipset.
With all due respect, a Walkman sounded better- it was fuller and had bass.
The 1G Shuffle sounded better- just bring back that sound.
And BTW, adding bass and a fuller sound is not "audiofile" quality.
Yes, the tape hiss, even with Dolby B NR was wonderful to listen to on a Walkman. If you love the 1G Shuffle so much, you have no reason to replace it. Using the shuffle at the gym or bike riding already presents enough background noise from gym equipment or outside noise. You are not going to get significant bass from a pair of headphones, nor appreciate it with the background noise in the environment where the Shuffle is mainly used. It is a $79 music player. If you want more bass, buy a Nano and use the EQ settings. I have no problem with sound quality with the shuffle and since I only listen to it at the gym or bike riding, I am not listening to it for hours to really be concerned about it. 4GB in the new shuffle is pretty funny if you think about it. Most people use them at the gym, etc., for short periods of time. Why does anyone need 1,000 songs for only about 30-45 minutes of use???
Costs $10 more for twice the size + remote headphones + New features
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
Again it's a shuffle- unnecessary feature
When you have 4GB of music - different genres - Genius Playlists - dont wanna listen to the same stuff over and over again, then its a great feature
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
For who- the lonely?
For people that want to hear what song they're listening to if they don't know (or in my case, what ever song I gave my G/F or that genius decided to put on my playlist)
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
Another unneccary improvement - like the previous one was so big it got in the way of arm curls. It's the cord, if anything, that sould be elliminated - make it bluetooth.
Redesigned / reshaped / better clip -> smaller
whether it does anything to performance is beside the fact - if you like how the old one looks, keep it, some people (probably a lot) will like the new one. They're still selling the old one, sheesh
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
And this is where your point fails. If it's madatory to have a remote control on the headphones to operate than it's a constricted device.
Or a push to make more third parties add more features to their headphones
if you want to use special headphones, get a nano
if you just want a small - cheap - easy mp3 player, shuffle (w/ or w/o click wheel) wins
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
Others buy anything and whatever Apple sells them- and your point?
And you're missing the main point - the shuffle's sound sucks and that's what needed improviing.
Then if it sucks, whats the big deal about the headphones? if you know the the quality is lack, don't try to use expensive headphones with it. Adapters won't effect the quality of cheap COBY headphones
So many Debbie Downers recently. First the revamp of Apple's desktop lineup resulted in a mad house fury of complaints, only to be silenced by recent bench mark tests with positive results in speed (depending on the 4 or 8 core systems). Now everyone is complaining about the new shuffle.
This is reminiscent of the complaints regarding the video iPod Nano relaunch, yet is sold very well with little complaints from the mainstream public (the targeted demographic). Sadly, individuals who post positive replies are getting slammed too! I suppose there is no pleasing anyone.
Pssst, there's a war in Darfur - some things aren't that important when put into prospective...
I don't know if anyone else has made this correlation or not, but the new shuffle also comes in black aluminum. Apple can most likely apply this coloring technique to the macbook line also. I have a strong feeling that we will soon see a black unibody macbook. It appears that Apple has not abandoned the black macbook, but that they will be making a black unibody aluminum macbook. Can't wait to see what it might look like.
Then if it sucks, whats the big deal about the headphones? if you know the the quality is lack, don't try to use expensive headphones with it. Adapters won't effect the quality of cheap COBY headphones
I don't- I use $15 Sony MDR-A35 S2 sports headphones and the sound sucks. I put up with it only because the shuffle is convenient at the gym
SO then why did the sound degrade from the 1G shuffle to the 2G ?
Maybe because the device target audience never considered sound quality as important feature?!
People who care about sound quality usually buy high end headphones and if you can spend a $200 on a high end larger headphone then there is no point of buying a shuffle since the main feature of the shuffle is its small size and relatively low cost.
I don't- I use $15 Sony MDR-A35 S2 sports headphones and the sound sucks. I put up with it only because the shuffle is convenient at the gym
Hell, I've said it before, I've only really used the headphones they gave me. I don't care to get different ones unless they break. I had cheap sony's from walmart - sounded like crap, too. And my headphones for my nano just broke - my iPhone's got shot when my g/f blasted them too loud too long...
I'm saying, if you don't have/want a new one, then you don't have to worry about needing a remote. If you want to ADD a remote to your current headphones, there are/will be more adapters.
Why are you so against more options of the shuffle? I mean, they are still selling the one that seems to work for you - should they not have even made this one because you don't like it and think it's pointless?
Plenty of people are happy with the included headphones. Those who aren't will look for headphones to work for it that fit better. Only when there are no options, is it a problem. But there are, so get over it.
Maybe because the device target audience never cared about sound quality?!
People who care about sound quality usually buy high end headphones and if you can spend a $200 on a high end larger headphone then there is no point of buying a shuffle since the main feature of the shuffle is its small size and relatively low cost.
Excuses, excuses. Apple takes away and you drink it. Keep drinking.
[QUOTE=teckstud;1388692]This reminds of back in the day when Sony Walkman started adding radios, clocks and other BS at the end of its life.
The original Walkman was robust and it lasted forever on its 4 AA batteries!
Then the WM-F1 was even better with FM only added. Then after that, they got cheaper in quality with more useless features, and cut the batteries to 2 AA's. However, the Sports Walkman series was nice for use at the beach with its sealed enclosure.
Agreed. So much bitching... about an iPod Shuffle??
I mean seriously, you guys are never happy.
The whole point of the shuffle is to have it as small and unobtrusive as possible. So be it that Apple has moved the controls to the earbuds. I'm sure 3rd parties will catch on soon.
If someone had shown you this tech even just 5 years ago, you'd have been "BS that small thing can store and play 1000+ songs!" rather then worrying about if it supports your precious high-end earbuds or not.
Seriously. It's amazing how much complaining goes on here. I'm pretty much sick of it by now. It's fine to bring up and discuss the pros and cons of products, but the complaining is what irritates me. By how much people complain on here, I'm starting to question their age/maturity level. You know it's getting bad when people are complaining about products you know they don't even use! To top it off, there are definitely a few "members" that clearly looooove to troll almost every topic and post negative crap, just to get reactions from people. I wish the admins would crack down on these people more. Or at least make a way for people to ignore or block certain members on the forums.
Comments
Well, it's an iPod shuffle and the cheapest iPod. For example, the last I checked BMW 3rd series does not have specifications nor the luxuries of the 5th or the 7th series. If you need better sound and functions the get the Nano.
SO then why did the sound degrade from the 1G shuffle to the 2G ?
1. three taps to go to the previous song vs one tap on the old shuffle
2. I did watch the demo and got confused by the end allready. The clickwheel is very straightforward and pretty intuitive. The new hold & press gestures aren't. It's a bad thing you have to watch a demo to understand the user interface.
3. why would you wanna disrupt your musical experience by a nerdy voice
oh god, first tabs on top on safari and now voice over on the shuffle. There must be a mole from Redmond in the Apple labs
1. Three taps on remote vs Three taps on remote - been there for ages. the buttons were nearly superfluous...
2. completely skipped over this one, didn't you... I already said there was nothing wrong with the clickwheel - you must be one of those "why do I need an iPod Touch and an iPhone?" people
3. only if you need to know what song you're on can you cue it up. its not gonna play before every song. I make playlists for my G/F all the time for her nano... sometimes she loves a song that I got her and wants to know who it is. Genius does this for me, too (finds songs I don't put in a playlist myself). I have dozens of Genius playlists for the 85GB of music I have in my iTunes Library (plus the other 105GB @ home - completely different stuff). Sometimes I want to know the name of the song. On the old shuffle, there was no way in knowing. Now there is.
The tabs are annoying, especially on my XP Workstation here at work (I made a custom theme for all of the workstations, and it doesn't seem to be compatible with the new beta)
and again about the voice, read number 3.
Looks cool! But, now you're locked in to Apple earbuds for basic control? I like to use my current Shuffle with Etymotic ER-4Ps at the gym...better sound quality and blocks off the gym music being played too loudly. There are times when I would like to check on song and artist info though, that's a plus, and double capacity.
This seems to be the case. I would buy one if I could use my personal earbuds; but to be chained to crappy Apple buds....EPIC FAIL.
Amen to that!! I think i was paying attention to the ad more
too true.
how can all these other 160 posters miss the most important aspect of this introduction?
I had a chat once with a blind iPod shuffle user who bought it specifically because the video screen was, for him, totally useless. I can imagine VoiceOver being a _really_ nice addition in that case....
Good point. Now able to hold more music, navigate playlists etc.
Were the analysts right? Did they know about any of this?
Was Wu right- is the iPod life cycle really ending?
I don't understand all the negative nellies bitching about the fact that you can't use non-Apple headphones with the new shuffle.
In the first case you probably can, it just won't have any volume and track controls as those are patented by Apple. Secondly, any headphones you can get that aren't Apple headphones, especially those that are of the same quality or higher, are going to cost you double the cost of the player itself.
What the heck are you buying the cheapest, lowest capacity player on the market for if you are some kind of audiophile that is too good to wear standard earbuds? Are you serious? And why should Apple twist themselves double trying to make such a tiny tiny fragment of an already tiny market segment happy?
It won't have any volume or track control. What kind of positive argument is that? I expect to able to control my mp3 player.
Actually, the original shuffle had some of the best sound reproduction of any mp3 player on the market. Apple screwed the pooch by changing their chipset.
With all due respect, a Walkman sounded better- it was fuller and had bass.
The 1G Shuffle sounded better- just bring back that sound.
And BTW, adding bass and a fuller sound is not "audiofile" quality.
Yes, the tape hiss, even with Dolby B NR was wonderful to listen to on a Walkman. If you love the 1G Shuffle so much, you have no reason to replace it. Using the shuffle at the gym or bike riding already presents enough background noise from gym equipment or outside noise. You are not going to get significant bass from a pair of headphones, nor appreciate it with the background noise in the environment where the Shuffle is mainly used. It is a $79 music player. If you want more bass, buy a Nano and use the EQ settings. I have no problem with sound quality with the shuffle and since I only listen to it at the gym or bike riding, I am not listening to it for hours to really be concerned about it. 4GB in the new shuffle is pretty funny if you think about it. Most people use them at the gym, etc., for short periods of time. Why does anyone need 1,000 songs for only about 30-45 minutes of use???
Cost more so why bother.
Costs $10 more for twice the size + remote headphones + New features
Again it's a shuffle- unnecessary feature
When you have 4GB of music - different genres - Genius Playlists - dont wanna listen to the same stuff over and over again, then its a great feature
For who- the lonely?
For people that want to hear what song they're listening to if they don't know (or in my case, what ever song I gave my G/F or that genius decided to put on my playlist)
Another unneccary improvement - like the previous one was so big it got in the way of arm curls. It's the cord, if anything, that sould be elliminated - make it bluetooth.
Redesigned / reshaped / better clip -> smaller
whether it does anything to performance is beside the fact - if you like how the old one looks, keep it, some people (probably a lot) will like the new one. They're still selling the old one, sheesh
And this is where your point fails. If it's madatory to have a remote control on the headphones to operate than it's a constricted device.
Or a push to make more third parties add more features to their headphones
if you want to use special headphones, get a nano
if you just want a small - cheap - easy mp3 player, shuffle (w/ or w/o click wheel) wins
Others buy anything and whatever Apple sells them- and your point?
And you're missing the main point - the shuffle's sound sucks and that's what needed improviing.
Then if it sucks, whats the big deal about the headphones? if you know the the quality is lack, don't try to use expensive headphones with it. Adapters won't effect the quality of cheap COBY headphones
SO then why did the sound degrade from the 1G shuffle to the 2G ?
EXACTLY!!! Thank you.
This is reminiscent of the complaints regarding the video iPod Nano relaunch, yet is sold very well with little complaints from the mainstream public (the targeted demographic). Sadly, individuals who post positive replies are getting slammed too! I suppose there is no pleasing anyone.
Pssst, there's a war in Darfur - some things aren't that important when put into prospective...
Then if it sucks, whats the big deal about the headphones? if you know the the quality is lack, don't try to use expensive headphones with it. Adapters won't effect the quality of cheap COBY headphones
I don't- I use $15 Sony MDR-A35 S2 sports headphones and the sound sucks. I put up with it only because the shuffle is convenient at the gym
Is Apple's lowliest product offering a glimpse of the future.
We know that Apple doesn't think keyboards should be on portable devices (apart from Macbooks).
Or even on MacBooks necessarily... ...if you haven't yet, meet the "MacBook Wheel":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
SO then why did the sound degrade from the 1G shuffle to the 2G ?
Maybe because the device target audience never considered sound quality as important feature?!
People who care about sound quality usually buy high end headphones and if you can spend a $200 on a high end larger headphone then there is no point of buying a shuffle since the main feature of the shuffle is its small size and relatively low cost.
I don't- I use $15 Sony MDR-A35 S2 sports headphones and the sound sucks. I put up with it only because the shuffle is convenient at the gym
Hell, I've said it before, I've only really used the headphones they gave me. I don't care to get different ones unless they break. I had cheap sony's from walmart - sounded like crap, too. And my headphones for my nano just broke - my iPhone's got shot when my g/f blasted them too loud too long...
I'm saying, if you don't have/want a new one, then you don't have to worry about needing a remote. If you want to ADD a remote to your current headphones, there are/will be more adapters.
Why are you so against more options of the shuffle? I mean, they are still selling the one that seems to work for you - should they not have even made this one because you don't like it and think it's pointless?
Plenty of people are happy with the included headphones. Those who aren't will look for headphones to work for it that fit better. Only when there are no options, is it a problem. But there are, so get over it.
Maybe because the device target audience never cared about sound quality?!
People who care about sound quality usually buy high end headphones and if you can spend a $200 on a high end larger headphone then there is no point of buying a shuffle since the main feature of the shuffle is its small size and relatively low cost.
Excuses, excuses. Apple takes away and you drink it. Keep drinking.
The original Walkman was robust and it lasted forever on its 4 AA batteries!
Then the WM-F1 was even better with FM only added. Then after that, they got cheaper in quality with more useless features, and cut the batteries to 2 AA's. However, the Sports Walkman series was nice for use at the beach with its sealed enclosure.
Excuses, excuses. Apple takes away and you drink it. Keep drinking.
If you hate Apple so much, why are you a rabid poster on a fan based website?
Agreed. So much bitching... about an iPod Shuffle??
I mean seriously, you guys are never happy.
The whole point of the shuffle is to have it as small and unobtrusive as possible. So be it that Apple has moved the controls to the earbuds. I'm sure 3rd parties will catch on soon.
If someone had shown you this tech even just 5 years ago, you'd have been "BS that small thing can store and play 1000+ songs!" rather then worrying about if it supports your precious high-end earbuds or not.
Seriously. It's amazing how much complaining goes on here. I'm pretty much sick of it by now. It's fine to bring up and discuss the pros and cons of products, but the complaining is what irritates me. By how much people complain on here, I'm starting to question their age/maturity level. You know it's getting bad when people are complaining about products you know they don't even use! To top it off, there are definitely a few "members" that clearly looooove to troll almost every topic and post negative crap, just to get reactions from people. I wish the admins would crack down on these people more. Or at least make a way for people to ignore or block certain members on the forums.