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Thread: New iPod shuffle:who's got the button?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    240

    New iPod shuffle:who's got the button?

    Apple introduced the next generation iPod shuffle. The shuffle has always been Apple’s smallest iPod, but now it is nearly half the size of the previous model at 1.8 inches tall by 0.3 inches thin.The noteworthy features of the new iPod shuffle are lack of physical controls and a new Voice Over feature that, like the latest iPod nano, narrates where you are in the interface using your computer’s speech voices.



    That shouldn't come as a surprise to you: the Apple CEO has been on a crusade to wipe moving parts from the face of Apple's products as early as the replacement of PowerBook trackballs with trackpads or the removal of the physical scroll wheel from the original iPod.

    And now we have the buttonless iPod shuffle. With the exception of a single switch that controls the unit's power and lets you change between shuffle and ordered play, the iPod shuffle itself contains no buttons. Instead, the playback controls are integrated into the headphone cord: you can squeeze either the top, bottom, or center of the remote to execute different functions.

    The new iPod shuffle bumps storage up to 4GB and features VoiceOver, which enables the iPod to speak your song titles, artists, and playlist names. The shuffle can speak 14 languages: including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

    The shuffle has a single switch that turns the iPod on as well as lets you choose between shuffling the iPod’s contents or playing everything on it from beginning to end. Other navigation and volume control is handled with a small switch on the included earbuds.See this...




    The fact that Apple has to put up this diagram tells you how much more complicated it is: how would you figure out the controls without this chart? The only markings on the controls are the "+" and "-" that mark volume controls. There is no indication of how to play or pause music. There’s also no way to know where the previous or next track buttons are; you wouldn't be out of line thinking that it might involve the use of the volume up and down buttons—not so. In order to go to the next track, you double-click the center of the controller; to go the previous track, you triple-click the controller. You can also hold down the center button to hear the name of the currently playing track, then release it after a beep to hear the name of all your playlists.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    240

    Re: New iPod shuffle:Button,button,who's got the button?

    The iPhone and iPod touch were further steps towards a button-free world, relegating as many controls as possible on the touchscreen.If you ask me, the war on buttons has gone too far. The new iPod shuffle takes a step back in both the usability and compatibility departments. Don't get me wrong, the new VoiceOver feature is a very clever idea, especially on a device with no screen. But the rest of the changes make me wonder if Apple has placed too high a premium on the product's form over its function.

    Now look on this Ipod shuffle, even buttons have their place: having discrete controls for discrete functions is not necessarily a design failure. Sometimes it's just the best way to get the job done. There's no inherent, intuitive cognitive connection between double-clicking to go forward or triple-clicking to go back; it requires the forging of a new link in our minds. Where does it end? Will future versions require you to quadruple- or quintuple-click? Will there be a system where you can spell out the name of the song, artist, or album you want in Morse code?

    Anybody who’s going to spend some time helping a less-than-tech-savvy individual deal with their new iPod is quickly going to encounter frustration, like Click one to do that, click 2 times, to do that and on and on....

    According to Apple, the third-generation iPod shuffle holds up to 1,000 songs encoded at 128 Kbps.The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and features a sleek and design with a built-in stainless steel clip. It requires iTunes 8.1, which hadn’t been released at the time this story was publishing (although Apple’s iTunes download page says the update is coming soon). The shuffle is available immediately and costs $79 (Apple is still selling the 1GB second-generation iPod shuffle for $49).

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    152

    Re: New iPod shuffle:who's got the button?

    Double click.. triple click... Oh'' what a complicated concept. But i think it has been one of the the best ever innovation on the iPhone. Lack of buttons is good but this is hilarious.

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