I love Apple. But ... how dumb is its new 3rd generation Shuffle?
My 2nd generation Shuffle started gasping during the summer. The player became temperamental. Sometimes it would turn on, sometimes not. Tracks would stop in the middle. I gave up and ordered the 'latest and greatest' Shuffle. Not!
The new Shuffle, the one they call the 'stick of gum,' has no controls on the device. "On" and "Off" are embedded in the Apple-supplied earbuds. Skip to the next podcast or music track? You have to push the tiny 'button' on the earphone's wire.
The problem? Does anyone USE the Apple earbuds? Not if they really want to listen to something. There's a huge after-market earphone market for iPods for a good reason. The Apple-issued ear buds deliver a tinny sound and, if you;re a runner, they don't stay in your ear. They're awful. So, for runners or anyone who really wants to listen to music off their iPod, the new Shuffle is not the answer.
My solution? After trying a Sansa Clip (which fritzed out 60 seconds out of the box) and no-name MP3 player from Micro Connection, I went back to the Apple Store and bought two refurbbed 2nd generation shuffles for $39/each. Amazon has a couple new ones priced at $100.
But why no one else is calling out Apple for this terrible design is beyond me. Somebody's gotta do it.
My 2nd generation Shuffle started gasping during the summer. The player became temperamental. Sometimes it would turn on, sometimes not. Tracks would stop in the middle. I gave up and ordered the 'latest and greatest' Shuffle. Not!
The problem? Does anyone USE the Apple earbuds? Not if they really want to listen to something. There's a huge after-market earphone market for iPods for a good reason. The Apple-issued ear buds deliver a tinny sound and, if you;re a runner, they don't stay in your ear. They're awful. So, for runners or anyone who really wants to listen to music off their iPod, the new Shuffle is not the answer.
My solution? After trying a Sansa Clip (which fritzed out 60 seconds out of the box) and no-name MP3 player from Micro Connection, I went back to the Apple Store and bought two refurbbed 2nd generation shuffles for $39/each. Amazon has a couple new ones priced at $100.
But why no one else is calling out Apple for this terrible design is beyond me. Somebody's gotta do it.
I've been using the clip since it came out, and I like it a lot. However, I envy you with your ability to seamlessly download podcasts and listen while you run. So, I may get one of those used shuffles.
Posted by: Matthew | Oct 06, 2009 at 16:31