“Since Apple Computer Inc. introduced the iPod in 2001, competitors have been scrambling to match the simplicity and style of the popular digital music player. But try as they might, the original just keeps getting better. The latest flavor, the diminutive iPod shuffle, proves that fewer bells and whistles can be just as good as more,” Ron Harris writes for The Associated Press (AP).
“Unlike previous models, it uses flash memory instead of a hard drive. It’s also much more compact. And, starting at $99, much less expensive,” Harris writes. “And despite the absence of a display to tell you what’s playing, the Shuffle’s ease of use is unrivaled. It’s also a solid performer with sounds that holds up against most other flash memory-based MP3 players you’ll find on store shelves.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This AP article will be featured in thousands of media outlets via syndication and read by literally millions of people. Somewhere right now we hope Apple has factories stamping out iPod shuffles by the metric ton.
<Homer Simpson voice> Mmmmmm, Metric ton….
That’s 2.2 tons in real weight measurement.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! got mine three days ago! Rock on!
You know. I’ve been shopping for a 512K thumb drive and i can’t find one for much less than $99. So what the hell… I’ll just buy a shuffle and then i’ll also have a sweet player for workouts and short drives. Besides it’ll have the neat lanyard and the ever cool Apple™ and iPod™ logos. Apple kicks butt-ox.
The Win minions just don’t get it, they have spent the last year adding all kind of “extras” to their ‘iPods’ (it’s now officially a generic name for mp3 player) only to have Apple sell more of less…
FYI it’s spelt ‘tonne’ if you are talking metric.
Wow. A metric ton of shuffles works out to be 45,223.03 shuffles. That’s a lot of shuffles.
I don’t look at the screen very often on my iPod. The shuffle has its place. Still, I’m happy with my 2nd gen iPod.
Smythe, my iPod mini shipped today, so i’ll get it in about a week..
I can’t wait!
I went in looking for a shuffle, but then I thought about it, and the idea of having multiple playlists on my iPod is just too much fun.. plus it hold contact info and has some neat games..mostly the idea of having a choice of playlists depending on my mood was the big one.
Hey guys.. I just realized why Apple is selling socks…And I just want to buy one, not six…
So I’ll be using one of my own socks around my iPod mini…
That’s kinda like taking a Bentley through a McDonalds drive-thru huh?
My old PE teacher always told us that the key to winning anything was to use the KISS stratergy,
KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!
That’s what Apple has done, and that’s why the shuffle will dominate.
“Somewhere right now we hope Apple has factories stamping out iPod shuffles by the metric ton.”
ROTFLMAO!!!!
Yeah, but what if it falls on you during an earthquake?
A metric ton is 1000 kg, vs. 2000 lbs. of the “old-fashioned” ton. Therefore a metric ton is 1.1 tons.
1 ton = 2240 pounds
1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds
1 tonne = 1000 kilograms
1 tonne = 1.016 tons
using the word “tonne” in contrast to “ton” is effective only in writing, but if u use it in speaking, it’s best to refer to the former as Metric Ton.
Jump, I love ur comment
My shuffle shipped on the 22nd…I transfer Garageband files and mixdowns back and forth to work. I have burned and wasted tons
of CD’s doing this as each song progresses. Now, I am going to partition my shuffle in half and transfer the .band file from one half and listen to the itunes mixdown on the other half. So cool and so efficient!! Now if FedEx would just hurry up!
Just watch now. Everybody follows Apple but usually doesn’t quite ‘get’ it. Other companies will now start removing features from their products right and left but will probably not get it right.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.”
-Albert Einstein
I think Steve has got his Reality Distortion Field hooked up to some sort of major amplifier and its range has extended to world wide proportions. If you would have asked me 2 months ago if I would buy an MP3 player with no screen to check what is playing I would have laughed. Now, I am almost assuredly going to pick one up.
When I impose a Vulcan like mind discipline on myself I can admit that I still would prefer that it had a screen…. But I am still gonna buy one…. And I’ll bet I will be quite happy with it. Because I think Steve saw through the obfuscating cloud to how people really would be using it and what was really important for a product aimed at this particular niche. Simplicity, Strength, Ease of Use, Capacity, and most importantly PRICE. I don’t think they could have hit this price point with this capacity if they had put a screen on it.
Plus of course it has to work with ITMS.
man, firefox rules…
i am going to upgrade my 3rd gen ipod to an iPod photo, and buy an ipod shuffle, got the high AND low end baby!
Here’s a question to ponder…
Is it good or bad for Apple if the generic term for MP3 players becomes “iPod”?
Confusing the real thing with zillions of crappo jobs may not be so good. Or will it become the de facto standard because of the generic term?
Metric is current, the other is Imperial – obsolete.
I think the generic term for mp3-players is iPod killer. The real thing just is the real thing.
At the Creative R&D department:
– Hey, I’ve been thinking of something.
– Yeah?
– I think minimalism is the new loud.
– Aha?
– I mean, what if we drop all the nonsense like the crappy radio and voice recorder and just make a plain…mp3-player.
– Yeah, that sounds like something. Haven’t thought about that.
– And then we cut the display, no one needs that.
– Wow, that’s a bold move.
– But we don’t stop there, we cut the “back”-button too. And we call it Creative Forward. And the slogan will be “Life is linear. Move forward”. Price point: 98$.
– Wow. Cool. True minimalism. Why didn’t anybody think of that? This must be why we’re called Creative.
Don’t eat the shuffle if there is an earthquake in your neighborhood.
God bless you Mr. Enderle – you’ve given us years worth of comedy.
I suspect “earthquake” references will abound henceforth.
Also i am glad that MDN has finally decided to refer to our favourite fellows as “pundits” instead of analysts or writers or columnists. (i suggested this about a year ago)