Apple's 2GB iPod shuffle now shipping

Break out the champagne, that Apple spec bump you've been waiting for is finally here: the 2GB iPod shuffle is shipping as of today. It'll set you back a cool $69, but if you've decided to hold off on this round of lackluster MacBook updates, we're guessing you've got the cash. Go ahead, you've earned it.

[RonV @ Feb 26th 2008 10:12AM]

When is Apple going to really do something innovative?

[Don @ Feb 26th 2008 10:18AM]

Now, I hate Apple as much as the next guy... but your comment is ignorant. In my opinion there isn't anything special about this new iPod, but that's not to say that Apple isn't innovative.

[technophobe @ Feb 26th 2008 10:21AM]

Apple isn't innovatative, they take existing technology put it in a pretty box and market it better than anyone else.

[Dyranios @ Feb 26th 2008 10:23AM]

idk man the iPhone was pretty innovative as was the software on it, multi touch etc also other companies are to mimic it's "touch" screen without stylus etc

[technophobe @ Feb 26th 2008 10:27AM]

I admit multitouch was fairly innovative, but hardly revolutionary.

[Ignacio @ Feb 26th 2008 11:27AM]

"Apple isn't innovatative, they take existing technology put it in a pretty box and market it better than anyone else."

Design isn't about making it look pretty ;)

[Ted @ Feb 26th 2008 11:53AM]

they are innovative when they need to be such as iphone , multitouch touch pad on notebooks.

A screen less ipod is quite limited in the possiblity to innovate. What can you do to a ipod shuffle. If it is not going to improve the overall function of the ipod(be able to listen to digital audio) why add extras that are not needed.

[Aprime @ Feb 26th 2008 10:14AM]

When Zunes fly.

[Zeus.:God @ Feb 26th 2008 10:20AM]

Why waste your money on something like this? You could get another player in the same price range that at least lets you know what you're playing.

Maybe if you just like random songs, thats cool too...

[gibber9583 @ Feb 26th 2008 10:40AM]

This is easily the BEST gym player you can buy. easy to navigate controls without have to look at the device. Its virtually weightless when clipped onto clothing.

Zen stone is good gym player, but i'll take the shuffle any day.


Yes, the shuffle is a shitty primary mp3 player

[Zeus.:God @ Feb 26th 2008 10:48AM]

I don't see how... A Nano, Zune 4/8, and many other players are only slightly larger but provide much more functionality. I mean, you say weightless, but have you held a Nano? Not really that much weight at all. I honestly don't see the point to getting a Shuffle at all.

[duffiecochran @ Feb 26th 2008 10:58AM]

@glibber: no support for nike+ is a killer for a runner like me :/

[gibber9583 @ Feb 26th 2008 11:16AM]

spell my name right, fuckface. How hard is it to copy something that is right in front of you


Zeus, a nano or zune 4/8 are still 'big' and 'heavy' in comparison. Also, you need to buy a clip or armband for these devices(adding to weight). They arent as comfortable. Plus with a nano zune 4/8 you are getting into primary mp3 player territory.

All i am saying, if u are looking at this as strictly a gym/workout device, it fits the bill nicely.

[monkfishbandana @ Feb 26th 2008 11:43AM]

@ gilbert7342

There's no need to be rude.

[Zeus.:God @ Feb 26th 2008 5:17PM]

Gibber, I understand that, but whatever happened to things called "pockets"? I'm pretty sure they still exist.

[Mike @ Feb 26th 2008 11:49PM]

i use my shuffle purely for the gym. its perfect when on the threadmill, i chose this over a nano because even though its light, its still not that light for jogging - you'd feel it bouncing around in your pocket.
its probably useless for you since you don't excercise

[Zeus.:God @ Feb 27th 2008 11:07AM]

No, I excercise, I just don't listen to music while doing so.

Even then, why not just carry it. Spending nearly a 100 bucks for a next to worthless MP3 player is not worth it. At least you can get a decent player that will still be unobtrusive during excercise for those who aren't too lazy to actually hold onto their stuff.

Its not like you're doing anything else while you're running.

[zendriver @ Feb 26th 2008 10:24AM]

So they are shipping a "new product" that was announced a week ago. But they have yet to ship a new product (Time Capsule) that was announced over a month ago. Um... well played, Mr. Jobs?

[Warren @ Feb 26th 2008 12:12PM]

Yeah Steve...what gives? No Time Capsule...no SDK for iPhone...

WTF!?

[Matt B @ Feb 26th 2008 10:32AM]

Do they call it the shuffle since you can't see what the next song is?

[telepheedian @ Feb 26th 2008 10:34AM]

Ummm.... yes

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 26th 2008 10:35AM]

The lack of a screen is a feature, not a fault!

I mean...

It's a very stylish and aesthetically pleasing feature, not a fault!

:I

[Sirius @ Feb 26th 2008 10:46AM]

This is starting to sound like Microsoft... document a bug and it becomes a feature..

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 26th 2008 10:49AM]

Well, I would argue there's a difference between a bug and a feature :]

It's like peeing your pants because you're too drunk vs. peeing your pants because you want to spite that evil she-demon of a mother-in-law at Thanksgiving and...

Enough said.

[Tony @ Feb 26th 2008 11:10AM]

You guys are pretty harsh on the shuffle--the whole purpose of it is to satisfy the needs of people who don't particularly care about knowing what specific song is playing, and who want a relatively inexpensive and extremely portable music player. As noted above, this is great for the gym, but not meant to be a full fledged media player.

For what it is intended to accomplish, the shuffle is a great product. Good luck finding a player as durable and functional (made with the same purposes in mind) as this one for the same price.

And to try to knock Apple for just releasing a new ipod w/the same form factor but double the capacity as not being "innovative" or "revolutionary" is pretty unfair--you can't hit the ball out of the park every time. Those comments remind me of an SNL skit playing on Jobs and Apple, where every 30 seconds Jobs was announcing a new ipod at a smaller size, until eventually it disappeared.

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 26th 2008 11:17AM]

If it were truly geared for the gym and portability, then it would have A2DP. But it seems Apple is allergic to that particular Bluetooth protocol :P

And I'm not knocking Apple for your stated reason (which I completely agree is unfair), I'm knocking for actively marketing the lack of something basic and essential (a screen) as an actual feature for that mysterious demographic of people who somehow don't care enough about their music to select it actively, but care enough to be ignorant of that so they'll go out of their way to purchase a mediocre, screen-less MP3 player (for more the price of comparably mediocre and screened MP3 players).

It doesn't add up.

[T-Bone @ Feb 26th 2008 11:45AM]

If they did put a screen on it, you would probably complain about the screen being to small and wonder aloud why they didn't just leave the useless screen off.

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 26th 2008 12:28PM]

That's certainly a reasonable and understandable prediction, especially if you consider me to be a flagrant anti-Apple person simply because I make a single criticism about a product they produce.

But considering it's meant to be tiny and portable, screen size wouldn't be a critical factor in such a device.

I applaud the effort to paint me a fanboy though :]

[fanman @ Feb 26th 2008 12:53PM]

Tony: "...want a relatively inexpensive..."

I loled.

[duffiecochran @ Feb 26th 2008 10:59AM]

Will we ever see new Cinema Displays?

[Ron @ Feb 26th 2008 11:45AM]

Indeed also waiting on new cinema display's

[Blaktornado @ Feb 26th 2008 11:35AM]

You will if you click the enclosed URL...


URL: http://www.apple.com/displays/

[Blaktornado @ Feb 26th 2008 11:36AM]

My bad, those aren't new... *sigh*

DARN APPLE.

[Backlin @ Feb 26th 2008 11:06AM]

So if we chose to hold off on the new round of Macbook updates, we can still reward ourselves with a new 2Gb iPod Shuffle? That's what's known as inferior logic.

[Matt @ Feb 26th 2008 11:23AM]

I was in an Apple store on Saturday and bought one of these for my girlfriend (she was using mine and I wanted it back). Were they NOT supposed to sell me a 2GB until today?

These are perfect for the gym and metro rides where you just need some music to help pass the time.

[hotdogson @ Feb 26th 2008 11:26AM]

yes! I've been waiting for this day... now i can sell my ipod touch

[josh @ Feb 26th 2008 11:37AM]

blah, blah, blah..

Nothing new to see here, move along, move along...

[Blaktornado @ Feb 26th 2008 11:38AM]

My iPod Shuffle should be here by the weekend. It's only a 1GB but it's cheap. Good move on Apples part. I would never have bought a shuffle otherwise.

2GB is good news but I think the 1GB will still be more popular with people like me; want an iPod touch, can't afford it yet, but want an iPod still.

[fuzi @ Feb 26th 2008 11:39AM]

this was updated last tuesday :/

[runnermatt @ Feb 26th 2008 11:46AM]

It does add up if you are runner. The shuffle is the best mp3 player for serious runner. If you are some secretary that wogs at lunch, a screen is nice. But if you are running fast, you don't have time to stop and look at a screen.

Plus as with all iPods, the iTunes integration is awesome and podcast support is unequaled.

[Justin @ Feb 26th 2008 12:10PM]

500 songs and no way to find the one you want to hear.

[Connor @ Feb 26th 2008 1:10PM]

Have you ever heard of listening? I have an old 1GB model and it works, even though it's been through more than most other ipods and still works. I don't need a screen as I don't see the point in having one, you can tell what your listening to by what it sounds like, it's only got a few hundred songs on it.

[Droz Andrews @ Feb 26th 2008 1:28PM]

Hmm, create a play list and you'll be just fine. I create smart play lists on iTunes and my Shuffle works great for the gym. I'll stick with my 1gb Shuffle though because having 200 songs is more than enough to make it through a gym workout.

[Justin @ Feb 26th 2008 2:29PM]

Did you read my comment? Obviously you can tell what you're listenining to, but there's no easy or remotely quick way of finding a specific song. Think of a song you really like and would love to hear right now. OK, now find it...

[saintchuck @ Feb 26th 2008 5:51PM]

If that is what you need then the Shuffle isn't what you want.

[Randy Piscione @ Feb 26th 2008 1:49PM]

Apple is now officially off my list of potential suppliers. We have several iPods, a pair of Macbooks and an Airport Extreme at home, and I just purchased a pair of refurb shuffles for $45.00, only to find out minutes later there's a new, larger shuffle for very little extra money and new smaller capacity iPods are $49.00. They did the same thing with the iPhone just after it was released. This is a company run by scam artists, what happened to the real Apple?

Randy

[rshorr @ Feb 26th 2008 6:33PM]

I have a 160gb Classic that I will continue to use, and I love the screen, the cover flow, the ability to find any song in my nearly 9,000 song library. It is a wonderful device. But I can't wait for my new 2gb shuffle to arrive for the gym and for running. When I'm working out, I don't typically fuss with my ipod to select songs, other than to hit "skip" if I don't want to hear the song that's playing, which I will certainly be able to do just that with the shuffle (and not be carting around a bulky ipod strapped to my arm)!

[Jay @ Apr 2nd 2008 9:47PM]

The shuffle is perfect for me. I LIKE that it ahs no screen i could damage when i might accidentally drop it. I LIKE that i dont have to treat it as if it was fragile.