Apple's New iPod Shuffle Prompts Mixed Debate

By: Jennifer Hong
Staff Writer
Published: Mar 14, 2009

Apple released its new iPod Shuffle last week which has prompted mixed reviews and debate. The tiny gadget could either become the next revolutionary music player, or it could totally fail.

Apple Inc launched a new version of its iPod Shuffle last week which is promoted as the very first music player that talks to you. The gadget has received mixed signals from critics. The new Shuffle is only 1.8" in height and 0.3" in width.

"To create the world's smallest music player, we moved the controls from iPod shuffle to the earbud cord. This allowed us to make the new iPod shuffle dramatically smaller," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.

Apple moved the controls to the ear buds stating they are now easier to access and use. It is a new way to control the music player, but the one new feature that has everyone talking is VoiceOver. The new feature announces the title and artist at the end of each song.

The new Apple iPod Shuffle talks and becomes your personal music announcer.

VoiceOver will also tell you when your iPod battery needs charging. Apple claims that a lot of planning when into the new design in an effort to create a talking iPod Shuffle, "that not only talks, but says the right things. It all begins with iTunes and its seamless integration with iPod," Apple said.

The nice thing about the new Shuffle is the price. It's only $79 which even received praise from most critics. Apple has once again surprised us all with this new state-of-the-art personal electronics device.

While it has no buttons or lights, it's a device that is designed to shuffle music. The iPod Shuffle now supports multiple play lists. A play list can be selected by holding down the controller's Action button which prompts the device to speak the names of the play lists.

Once your play list has been heard, you simply squeeze the Action button again. This is a good feature for those that are in the car or jogging. This is definitely a talking iPod Shuffle.