“On Apple’s page, the device is placed next to two packs of gum, to show just how darned ‘mini’ it is,” Alyce Lomax writes for The Motley Fool. “Which leads to the footnote on the page: ‘Do not eat iPod shuffle.’ Imagine my surprise and delight at seeing such a strange disclaimer. Which, of course, has led to some joking around today. ‘Mmm, iPod shuffle, you look good enough to eat!’ ‘I love my iPod shuffle so much, I could just gobble it up!'”
Lomax writes, “The more I think about it, the more I find myself being pulled into the Shuffle’s teeny, tiny tractor beam — and thinking maybe others are having the same experience. First off, heck, the low-end model is only $99. In this day and age, that’s not exactly a massive amount of cash to shell out for entertainment, even for kids saving their allowance money. Heck, think of how easy it is to blow through a good $20-$40 on a movie for two at the local multiplex, and that puts the low price in perspective. “
“Second, maybe there’s some real marketing wisdom behind the Shuffle’s marketing tag line: ‘Enjoy uncertainty.’ Think that statement through… The Shuffle lends that element of surprise that can at times make listening to music such a pleasure. And what’s more, that element of surprise is completely made up of tunes that you handpicked yourself. Chances are, you’re going to enjoy the lineup, and there are no commercials,” Lomax writes. “CNN International reported yesterday that the wait for the newly launched iPod shuffles is two to four weeks, which, of course, evokes sweet memories of iPod Mini mania.”
Full article here.
MDN Magic word: forward. As in the Shuffle will march forward and crush the competition.
P.S. I use “competition” lightly.
I dont like uncertainty in my life….but music being shuffled. I am all for it.
Somewhere I read that the UK version instead says “Do not chew the iPod shuffle.” I wonder why that is…
It’s in case you mistake it for a stick of bubble gum.
The webpage with the disclaimer is here
http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/
On the UK website it states, “Do not chew”
http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodshuffle/
But the Asian websites do not have it
http://www.asia.apple.com/ipodshuffle/
I guess they are smarter…or have fewer lawyers…
“But the Asian websites do not have it”
Maybe the because of pressure from Singapore, where chewing gum is banned.
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Our local apple store sells 256M thumb drives for $AUS139 – now they will be selling the iPod shuffle for $AUS149. Who would buy a thumb drive??
Of course some idiot is going to eat one eventually I guess
Magic word ‘foreign’.. I’m a Brit so I guess it’s spot on
I was going to eat mine, but now with the delay, I guess I’ll just use real food to listen to music. wait…
Anyhoo. Asians would pickle theirs first if they were to eat it, and that would be okay with Apple. That’s how I see it.
Actually, I’m glad Apple has gone back to amusing footnotes. There’s also one on the Mac mini page: “Keyboard, mouse, megaphone and display sold separately.”
My absolute favorite was an old print ad fpr the Apple IIc that had the little asterisk next to the price. The footnote read:
“The FTC is concerned about price fixing. So this is only a Suggested Retail Price. You can pay more if you really want to Or less.”
and the other footnote, next to “And it weighs less than 8 pounds”:
“Don’t asterisks make you nervous? Well, this one means that the IIc CPU alone weighs 7.5 pounds. The power pack, monitor, an extra disk drive, and several bricks will make the IIc weigh more. Our lawyers were concerned that you might not be able to figure this one out for yourself.”
If you squint right, you can see it
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LOL!
We need more funny footnotes. Can’t have too many of them!
GO APPLE!
“Maybe the because of pressure from Singapore, where chewing gum is banned.”
i hope that pressure translates into an iTunes-Singapore store…
Having had an iPod shuffle in my hand just yesterday (a co-worker ordered his the very first opportunity and it came earlier this week), I can certainly see how it could be mistaken for a stick of gum.
Except for the lightly pulsing green light…
Keyboard, iPod mini, dock, hands, AirPort, Bluetooth and PC sold separately.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/design.html
Sadly, I didn’t notice this note until after I had finished consuming both that I had just purchased. They were, however, quite delicious. Not quite chewing gum, though.
Damn crunchy and hard to chew.
Dang… looks like they took it off the US site 🙁