The iPod shuffle: A Great New iPod; and It Does More than Just Shuffle

Is life random? Well, for many iPod users, it is indeed. One of the features that iPod users requested most, before the 4th generation iPod (the current model) was released, was easier access to the shuffle function. Apple did this, putting it at the top level of the menus, providing a one-click (well, scroll then click) method of playing back all your music in random order. Now Apple has capitalized on this and released the latest iPod: the iPod shuffle.This tiny, light iPod holds 512 MB or 1 GB of music (120 or 240 songs), and has no display. This iPod has only play, pause, next and previous buttons, but nothing else. You’ll be able to start playing your music at random, but won’t be able to access either playlists, artists or albums. However – and this is important to note – the iPod shuffle is not limited to shuffle play. You can flip the slider on the back to change from shuffle to non-shuffle mode, allowing you to listen to a playlist in order, or even to listen to audiobooks. This makes the iPod shuffle the absolute best buy for listening to audiobooks, and a great iPod for music in general.

In my contacts with iPod users, as well as on mailing lists and forums, many users claim that they only use the shuffle song mode. Apple is clearly approaching two types of people here: first, those who only have a little bit of music and who listen to it in shuffle mode. This is great if you use your iPod when you exercise, run or bike as well, since you don’t need much music. You can create a subset of your music for when you jog, and not worry about finding the right playlist, or having the wrong songs play in shuffle mode.

But Apple is also focusing on another group of people: those who already own iPods, and who want a second (or third, or fourth…) iPod for specific uses. A tiny, light, pocket-sized iPod, with only a selection of music (240 songs is still about 16 hours of music) is great to carry around when you go for a short trip and don’t want to bring your entire collection with you. And, you can also use it to store files, like a USB flash memory drive, even dividing its space between music and files. Take your music with you, take your files too; this tiny iPod does it all.

I’ll make a prediction: this iPod will blow away the flash memory MP3 player market. This will be a huge success, and Apple will sell millions of them. With the new iPod shuffle, Apple is showing that they can think out of the box. I’m sure lots of people will criticize the device for not having a display, but consumers will snap this one up just as fast as they bought the iPod mini.

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