Something ELSE Apple won’t let me do...

Something ELSE Apple won’t let me do: sync podcasts to my 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle.

WHY, APPLE?  WHY randomly decide no auto syncing of podcasts allowed on Shuffles??

Do Apple engineers sit around with various features written out on cards pinned to the wall so they can throw darts at them to decide which to leave out?

Seriously. WTF, Apple??

Apple Jumps the Shark with New iPod Shuffle

OK, for years now, it's been easy to see why Apple does so well. The only time I've ever really wondered what drugs they were on was when they introduced the first iPod Shuffle. With no display screen I was puzzled as to just what I was supposed to do with the thing. Years later, a friend gave me his since he wasn't using it and I realized that, for me, it was perfect for listening podcasts. Who needs a display when you can listen to the podcast and know what you're listening to? Songs, however, are a different story--but now Apple wants to think it has that problem beaten--by having the iPod Shuffle talk to you. That's all fine and good, but wouldn't it have been cheaper to just throw a display on it? And how the hell do you hit play? And what's with the posing of the hand model in the pic on Apple's main page right now (see above)?? The way the hand is holding the super-smooth Shuffle with it's rounded edges suggests the form factor of a suppository.

Seriously, Apple has taken a cute little player with personality and made it a faceless, boring slab that could easily be mistaken for a tampon (ladies, back me up on this!).

So, sad. Please get better soon, Steve Jobs!

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

UPDATE: I just read the product page again and it turns out the play and skip buttons are on the earbud cable. Wow, so now I can't use my own headphones with the flippin' thing! That is even more lame now.

iPod Shuffle Prices Drop--I Smell a New Model!

 

Just got this email from Apple saying that Apple is dropping the price of a 1 gig iPod shuffle to $49. That's down from the original price of $79. That's a HUGE price drop and it's one I don't think we'd see unless they were trying to get rid of their supply to make room for......a NEW iPOD SHUFFLE MODEL!!Wahoo!

OK, so, replacing the lowest end of the iPod line isn't that exciting, but hey, I like cheap tech! And who knows? Maybe the replacement will come with a display screen or maybe we'll see the Nano drop in price to $79, which is really how much a video player with a screen that tiny is worth.

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UPDATE: Whoopsie pants!  Turns out they've already announced  a new 2GB Shuffle for just $69.  Ah, well.  So much for the idea of an uber-cheap Nano!  Read more at TUAW.com here: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/19/shuffle-price-drop/