Why anyone who doesn't care about sound quality would concern themselves with ANY device that exists for the sole purpose of being listened to is beyond me. Being small and less expensive than a higher capacity unit has nothing to do with my desire to hear music at as good a quality as I can afford via the headphones.
Average teens are the target buyers for the Shuffle due to relatively low cost, small size, and durability. How many 12 year-olds you've meet put sound quality over price? You will be surprised how many people don't know the difference between 128 bit and 256 bit or mp3 and AAC. Many don't even notice the difference. Not everyone is music and tech savvy.
It's true that some people buy the Shuffle as a secondary iPod but they already know the limitations and compromise and they accept it.
Quote:
Your argument is like saying buying a $1200 26" NEC monitor to use with a mini is useless. Not so, the image quality you are willing to pay for or need has nothing to do with how much you spent on the CPU. Your eyes still work the same so a good quality monitor you can calibrate is important no matter what you attach it to.
Then does it make since to buy a $1200 HiDef LCD TV to use it with a $10 DVD player to watch SD content?!
Heh, heh. This update is incremental, but it will give them better margins due to smaller form factor (less materials) and a necessary upgrade on the headphones. Pretty smart move for them to keep squeezing every nickel out of these low-end lines.
Very true- But I want to talk about Woz's form factor- he was hysterical and the genius bar itself got a mention to millions. Talk about good, free publicity for Apple.
I don't know if it just me, but I can't help but feeling that this really doesn't look like an Apple product. I am unsure if it is the blank face of the shuffle that makes me feel this way, but any thoughts on whether or not Steve's influence is missing in this product. You also have the headphone problem, which is a big issue for me.
I'm thinking that maybe Apple are missing Steve's influence in their products. Yes this is innovative, but nothing so very brand new considering VoiceOver is taken directly from OSX. This is echoed throughout the new updates in the Apple line, they seem to be scared to innovate without Steve there.
Many of those that "go to the gym" wear their fashionable new iPod right out where it can be seen to impress all the other "go to the gym" people. Most of the time it's not even turned on, it's just conversation bait. Same as their $200 trainers and designer label "go to the gym" clothes.
Funny how so many forum-crawlers are suddenly fitness buffs.
You obviously never go to the gym or else you would know that you can wear the shuffle on your waistband of your shorts/pants at it can just as easily be seen.
How do you know I'm not replying on a treadmill right now?
Many of those that "go to the gym" wear their fashionable new iPod right out where it can be seen to impress all the other "go to the gym" people. Most of the time it's not even turned on, it's just conversation bait. Same as their $200 trainers and designer label "go to the gym" clothes.
Funny how so many forum-crawlers are suddenly fitness buffs.
LOL.. Yeah I know.
I don't know what's the point though. I personally have an old video iPod with an armband that I use when I go running. It didn't make sense to me to buy a new $50 iPod Shuffle to avoid damaging my $50 (at current market value) iPod video!! If I can find an armband that doesn't require my iPhone to be taken out of the protective case I would buy it and use my iPhone instead!I even have an Nano that I got free when I bought my wife's MB a year back.. No one is using it!! The iPhones basically retired all our iPods.
Really? Just because you can't buy what you want on day one?
Just because you might have to wait a few weeks? Do you think your
investment quality headphones are going to break down before you
can get the accessory you need?
Seth Myers or Amy Poehler fan?
Really. Well, that is if Apple wants to sell them to as many people as possible as soon as possible (which is the goal for most people who sell things). I'm guessing at least some of their share holders would agree (even ones who won't be buying new Shuffles). I already have the devices I want at the moment, at least w/re: iPods, so I won't be buying any shuffle of any kind until it dies. I was referring generally to anyone who has headphones they may prefer for what ever reason (sound quality, comfort, whatever) not just my self. A few weeks? I guess if Apple gave a heads up to other manufacturers in advance that's possible. Otherwise it seems to me a few weeks is a pretty quick turn around to design, manufacture, and bring to market a new product to compliment another company's product from scratch, especially if you want to wait a little to see if their sales warrant the investment. Of course I could be wrong.
Since Apple already makes the controller, why not just adapt the design to a version that's the same unit except one end is a female audio jack instead of earphones. That way they can satisfy all of their potential customers (or most anyway) rather than just targeting people who take whatever Apple shoves their way with glee.
Settle down, you don't have to take anything said against (what is apparently your beloved) Apple or any particular new product they offer so personally. Believe it or not, I have been an Apple fan since 1985. However, I have no emotional connection to any corporation and I have no delusions about Apple as a corporate entity vs. any other company whose products I support as deserving all praise or all critique. My real point is that Apple is heading ever further down the road of releasing products that have fewer and fewer options designed to limit customer choice, either to force you into buying only Apple branded products, or abandoning reasonable choices in favor of what they fancy rather than what their customers do. Regardless of what you may want to believe, all you have to do is read posts on the web to see that this trend is pissing off more, and more of their customers. That is never a good thing for any company to ignore.
Ultimately, apple are hoping to catch people with the halo effect from their wider product range. Cant afford a nano/touch, get a shuffle. Sure you will have to spend more ($$ to apple) to actually get a product that isnt limited by their cheap ear buds, but at least most who are wanting the symbol will keep the white headphones, right?
But for the gadget guys, the new shuffle is limited. Which is ok by for the ipod business unit, as its a massmarket thing, not specialised groups.
If you dont like the iLighter, don't fret, there are plenty of other great quality units available, often with FM, sound recorders and a screen, even within a small sized unit. They can also cost less. I have a philips model, does great for the gym, a little larger than teh old shuffle, but that small differences is not enough to notice.
It doesnt sync with my itunes library but thats a just the price to pay, which was also 1/2 the cost of the same sized shuffle (2nd gen)...
This is probably the most horrible design I've seen of the Shuffle yet. I think in this case, form does not triumph over function. Apple is always hell-bent on making their gadgets smaller and smaller, but seriously? First, it looks like a simple boring brick of aluminum from the front. They should have at least stuck the Apple logo on the front and not the clip. Second, the controls being on their headphones is simply ridiculous, and all that this is going to do is piss off those who don't prefer Apple's headphones (at least until 3rd parties come out with their own variations in whatever form), but I think its principle. Why, if someone buys this new Shuffle, is Apple essentially forcing those who already own other premium headphones to go and shell out additonal money for a connector (surprise surprise?), or a new pair of headphones.
Or simply not buy the new shuffle, no one is forcing you to buy it
Correct. Gyms are for people who sit in boxes all day for a living, and can't afford an active lifestyle. Unless you're a pro athlete. That's gotta be it, you're one of those really smart pro athletes I hear so much about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
...you can wear the shuffle on your waistband of your shorts/pants at it can just as easily be seen.
Sounds like you've been lookin' around, eh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
How do you know I'm not replying on a treadmill right now?
Could be. A lot of your posts sound like your brain is starved for oxygen.
A good friend of mine is from Croatia, and she jokes that when she first came to the states the technology was overwhelming. She used to wash her clothes by hand in cold water and never even had a cell phone, and is to this day amazed at everything technological. It's amazing how spoiled we've become.
And we are considered several years behind the curve to some of the Asian countries... South Korea, Japan...
Really. Well, that is if Apple wants to sell them to as many people as possible as soon as possible (which is the goal for most people who sell things). I'm guessing at least some of their share holders would agree (even ones who won't be buying new Shuffles). I already have the devices I want at the moment, at least w/re: iPods, so I won't be buying any shuffle of any kind until it dies. I was referring generally to anyone who has headphones they may prefer for what ever reason (sound quality, comfort, whatever) not just my self. A few weeks? I guess if Apple gave a heads up to other manufacturers in advance that's possible. Otherwise it seems to me a few weeks is a pretty quick turn around to design, manufacture, and bring to market a new product to compliment another company's product from scratch, especially if you want to wait a little to see if their sales warrant the investment. Of course I could be wrong.
Since Apple already makes the controller, why not just adapt the design to a version that's the same unit except one end is a female audio jack instead of earphones. That way they can satisfy all of their potential customers (or most anyway) rather than just targeting people who take whatever Apple shoves their way with glee.
Settle down, you don't have to take anything said against (what is apparently your beloved) Apple or any particular new product they offer so personally. Believe it or not, I have been an Apple fan since 1985. However, I have no emotional connection to any corporation and I have no delusions about Apple as a corporate entity vs. any other company whose products I support as deserving all praise or all critique. My real point is that Apple is heading ever further down the road of releasing products that have fewer and fewer options designed to limit customer choice, either to force you into buying only Apple branded products, or abandoning reasonable choices in favor of what they fancy rather than what their customers do. Regardless of what you may want to believe, all you have to do is read posts on the web to see that this trend is pissing off more, and more of their customers. That is never a good thing for any company to ignore.
Just calm down and wait for a little while. Why are you getting in such a flap over nothing?
Do you need a new shuffle right now?
Very shortly you will be able to buy a cable that does exactly what you want, enable you to connect your over priced head phones to the cheapest iPod. It will not be a huge adapter, it will simply be a cable that allows your headphones to be connected.
For someone who says the have no emotional connection you seem to be getting very emotional about a $79 iPod that you don't even need.
Correct. Gyms are for people who sit in boxes all day for a living, and can't afford an active lifestyle. Unless you're a pro athlete. That's gotta be it, you're one of those really smart pro athletes I hear so much about.
Sounds like you've been lookin' around, eh?
Could be. A lot of your posts sound like your brain is starved for oxygen.
I don't need the new shuffle yet, but I am actually surprised by the poor quality of the speech tech. Sure the thing is small, which could compromise its potential, but it's funny to see them try and sell this feature when it just sounds terrible.
No one mentioned, not even AI, that this is the first Shuffle that can play Apple Lossless. I guess that means that Lossless isn't as important as people want it to be.
I think that means that Apple has not only changed the exterior, but also beefed up the internal components enough to play the lossless files. Though I suppose more sophisticated codec could account for the change.
I don't need the new shuffle yet, but I am actually surprised by the poor quality of the speech tech. Sure the thing is small, which could compromise its potential, but it's funny to see them try and sell this feature when it just sounds terrible.
It sounded like the best, mort advanced default voices that come with Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard. I hope that if one change the default voice in VoiceOver Utility to make the voice anything you wish with varying rates of speech.
I doubt the Shuffle reads the metadata and then creates the voice. It would be far faster and easier to have iTunes do it by creating audio files of the artist and song as it copies the playlists to the device.
No one mentioned, not even AI, that this is the first Shuffle that can play Apple Lossless. I guess that means that Lossless isn't as important as people want it to be.
I think that means that Apple has not only changed the exterior, but also beefed up the internal components enough to play the lossless files. Though I suppose more sophisticated codec could account for the change.
That's great, a plus, provided the player itself outputs a higher quality sound than the previous model. And by that I don't mean audio-file quality. The tests at the iLounge and other iPod sights will determine this most important factor to many of us.
I still don't get the omission of the click wheel which renders it useless to me so far. Will you still be able to get wireless headphones for this shuffle?
Comments
Why anyone who doesn't care about sound quality would concern themselves with ANY device that exists for the sole purpose of being listened to is beyond me. Being small and less expensive than a higher capacity unit has nothing to do with my desire to hear music at as good a quality as I can afford via the headphones.
Average teens are the target buyers for the Shuffle due to relatively low cost, small size, and durability. How many 12 year-olds you've meet put sound quality over price? You will be surprised how many people don't know the difference between 128 bit and 256 bit or mp3 and AAC. Many don't even notice the difference. Not everyone is music and tech savvy.
It's true that some people buy the Shuffle as a secondary iPod but they already know the limitations and compromise and they accept it.
Your argument is like saying buying a $1200 26" NEC monitor to use with a mini is useless. Not so, the image quality you are willing to pay for or need has nothing to do with how much you spent on the CPU. Your eyes still work the same so a good quality monitor you can calibrate is important no matter what you attach it to.
Then does it make since to buy a $1200 HiDef LCD TV to use it with a $10 DVD player to watch SD content?!
Heh, heh. This update is incremental, but it will give them better margins due to smaller form factor (less materials) and a necessary upgrade on the headphones. Pretty smart move for them to keep squeezing every nickel out of these low-end lines.
Very true- But I want to talk about Woz's form factor- he was hysterical and the genius bar itself got a mention to millions. Talk about good, free publicity for Apple.
Ballmer will probably follow; always copying.
I'm thinking that maybe Apple are missing Steve's influence in their products. Yes this is innovative, but nothing so very brand new considering VoiceOver is taken directly from OSX. This is echoed throughout the new updates in the Apple line, they seem to be scared to innovate without Steve there.
Many of those that "go to the gym" wear their fashionable new iPod right out where it can be seen to impress all the other "go to the gym" people. Most of the time it's not even turned on, it's just conversation bait. Same as their $200 trainers and designer label "go to the gym" clothes.
Funny how so many forum-crawlers are suddenly fitness buffs.
You obviously never go to the gym or else you would know that you can wear the shuffle on your waistband of your shorts/pants at it can just as easily be seen.
How do you know I'm not replying on a treadmill right now?
chil-lax! Sheez
Ok, but who cares about some robotic voice spewing " Baby Got Back; Sir Mix-A-Lot".
Many of those that "go to the gym" wear their fashionable new iPod right out where it can be seen to impress all the other "go to the gym" people. Most of the time it's not even turned on, it's just conversation bait. Same as their $200 trainers and designer label "go to the gym" clothes.
Funny how so many forum-crawlers are suddenly fitness buffs.
LOL.. Yeah I know.
I don't know what's the point though. I personally have an old video iPod with an armband that I use when I go running. It didn't make sense to me to buy a new $50 iPod Shuffle to avoid damaging my $50 (at current market value) iPod video!! If I can find an armband that doesn't require my iPhone to be taken out of the protective case I would buy it and use my iPhone instead!I even have an Nano that I got free when I bought my wife's MB a year back.. No one is using it!! The iPhones basically retired all our iPods.
Really? Just because you can't buy what you want on day one?
Just because you might have to wait a few weeks? Do you think your
investment quality headphones are going to break down before you
can get the accessory you need?
Seth Myers or Amy Poehler fan?
Really. Well, that is if Apple wants to sell them to as many people as possible as soon as possible (which is the goal for most people who sell things). I'm guessing at least some of their share holders would agree (even ones who won't be buying new Shuffles). I already have the devices I want at the moment, at least w/re: iPods, so I won't be buying any shuffle of any kind until it dies. I was referring generally to anyone who has headphones they may prefer for what ever reason (sound quality, comfort, whatever) not just my self. A few weeks? I guess if Apple gave a heads up to other manufacturers in advance that's possible. Otherwise it seems to me a few weeks is a pretty quick turn around to design, manufacture, and bring to market a new product to compliment another company's product from scratch, especially if you want to wait a little to see if their sales warrant the investment. Of course I could be wrong.
Since Apple already makes the controller, why not just adapt the design to a version that's the same unit except one end is a female audio jack instead of earphones. That way they can satisfy all of their potential customers (or most anyway) rather than just targeting people who take whatever Apple shoves their way with glee.
Settle down, you don't have to take anything said against (what is apparently your beloved) Apple or any particular new product they offer so personally. Believe it or not, I have been an Apple fan since 1985. However, I have no emotional connection to any corporation and I have no delusions about Apple as a corporate entity vs. any other company whose products I support as deserving all praise or all critique. My real point is that Apple is heading ever further down the road of releasing products that have fewer and fewer options designed to limit customer choice, either to force you into buying only Apple branded products, or abandoning reasonable choices in favor of what they fancy rather than what their customers do. Regardless of what you may want to believe, all you have to do is read posts on the web to see that this trend is pissing off more, and more of their customers. That is never a good thing for any company to ignore.
Ultimately, apple are hoping to catch people with the halo effect from their wider product range. Cant afford a nano/touch, get a shuffle. Sure you will have to spend more ($$ to apple) to actually get a product that isnt limited by their cheap ear buds, but at least most who are wanting the symbol will keep the white headphones, right?
But for the gadget guys, the new shuffle is limited. Which is ok by for the ipod business unit, as its a massmarket thing, not specialised groups.
If you dont like the iLighter, don't fret, there are plenty of other great quality units available, often with FM, sound recorders and a screen, even within a small sized unit. They can also cost less. I have a philips model, does great for the gym, a little larger than teh old shuffle, but that small differences is not enough to notice.
It doesnt sync with my itunes library but thats a just the price to pay, which was also 1/2 the cost of the same sized shuffle (2nd gen)...
This is probably the most horrible design I've seen of the Shuffle yet. I think in this case, form does not triumph over function. Apple is always hell-bent on making their gadgets smaller and smaller, but seriously? First, it looks like a simple boring brick of aluminum from the front. They should have at least stuck the Apple logo on the front and not the clip. Second, the controls being on their headphones is simply ridiculous, and all that this is going to do is piss off those who don't prefer Apple's headphones (at least until 3rd parties come out with their own variations in whatever form), but I think its principle. Why, if someone buys this new Shuffle, is Apple essentially forcing those who already own other premium headphones to go and shell out additonal money for a connector (surprise surprise?), or a new pair of headphones.
Or simply not buy the new shuffle, no one is forcing you to buy it
You obviously never go to the gym...
Correct. Gyms are for people who sit in boxes all day for a living, and can't afford an active lifestyle. Unless you're a pro athlete. That's gotta be it, you're one of those really smart pro athletes I hear so much about.
...you can wear the shuffle on your waistband of your shorts/pants at it can just as easily be seen.
Sounds like you've been lookin' around, eh?
How do you know I'm not replying on a treadmill right now?
Could be. A lot of your posts sound like your brain is starved for oxygen.
A good friend of mine is from Croatia, and she jokes that when she first came to the states the technology was overwhelming. She used to wash her clothes by hand in cold water and never even had a cell phone, and is to this day amazed at everything technological. It's amazing how spoiled we've become.
And we are considered several years behind the curve to some of the Asian countries... South Korea, Japan...
Seth Myers or Amy Poehler fan?
Really. Well, that is if Apple wants to sell them to as many people as possible as soon as possible (which is the goal for most people who sell things). I'm guessing at least some of their share holders would agree (even ones who won't be buying new Shuffles). I already have the devices I want at the moment, at least w/re: iPods, so I won't be buying any shuffle of any kind until it dies. I was referring generally to anyone who has headphones they may prefer for what ever reason (sound quality, comfort, whatever) not just my self. A few weeks? I guess if Apple gave a heads up to other manufacturers in advance that's possible. Otherwise it seems to me a few weeks is a pretty quick turn around to design, manufacture, and bring to market a new product to compliment another company's product from scratch, especially if you want to wait a little to see if their sales warrant the investment. Of course I could be wrong.
Since Apple already makes the controller, why not just adapt the design to a version that's the same unit except one end is a female audio jack instead of earphones. That way they can satisfy all of their potential customers (or most anyway) rather than just targeting people who take whatever Apple shoves their way with glee.
Settle down, you don't have to take anything said against (what is apparently your beloved) Apple or any particular new product they offer so personally. Believe it or not, I have been an Apple fan since 1985. However, I have no emotional connection to any corporation and I have no delusions about Apple as a corporate entity vs. any other company whose products I support as deserving all praise or all critique. My real point is that Apple is heading ever further down the road of releasing products that have fewer and fewer options designed to limit customer choice, either to force you into buying only Apple branded products, or abandoning reasonable choices in favor of what they fancy rather than what their customers do. Regardless of what you may want to believe, all you have to do is read posts on the web to see that this trend is pissing off more, and more of their customers. That is never a good thing for any company to ignore.
Just calm down and wait for a little while. Why are you getting in such a flap over nothing?
Do you need a new shuffle right now?
Very shortly you will be able to buy a cable that does exactly what you want, enable you to connect your over priced head phones to the cheapest iPod. It will not be a huge adapter, it will simply be a cable that allows your headphones to be connected.
For someone who says the have no emotional connection you seem to be getting very emotional about a $79 iPod that you don't even need.
Correct. Gyms are for people who sit in boxes all day for a living, and can't afford an active lifestyle. Unless you're a pro athlete. That's gotta be it, you're one of those really smart pro athletes I hear so much about.
Sounds like you've been lookin' around, eh?
Could be. A lot of your posts sound like your brain is starved for oxygen.
Whoah... personal attack much?
Could be. A lot of your posts sound like your brain is starved for oxygen.
I think that means that Apple has not only changed the exterior, but also beefed up the internal components enough to play the lossless files. Though I suppose more sophisticated codec could account for the change.
I don't need the new shuffle yet, but I am actually surprised by the poor quality of the speech tech. Sure the thing is small, which could compromise its potential, but it's funny to see them try and sell this feature when it just sounds terrible.
It sounded like the best, mort advanced default voices that come with Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard. I hope that if one change the default voice in VoiceOver Utility to make the voice anything you wish with varying rates of speech.
I doubt the Shuffle reads the metadata and then creates the voice. It would be far faster and easier to have iTunes do it by creating audio files of the artist and song as it copies the playlists to the device.
No one mentioned, not even AI, that this is the first Shuffle that can play Apple Lossless. I guess that means that Lossless isn't as important as people want it to be.
I think that means that Apple has not only changed the exterior, but also beefed up the internal components enough to play the lossless files. Though I suppose more sophisticated codec could account for the change.
That's great, a plus, provided the player itself outputs a higher quality sound than the previous model. And by that I don't mean audio-file quality. The tests at the iLounge and other iPod sights will determine this most important factor to many of us.
I still don't get the omission of the click wheel which renders it useless to me so far. Will you still be able to get wireless headphones for this shuffle?
And why no Apple logo- the horror?!?!