Redesigned iPod shuffle

Apple on Wednesday released a surprise redesign of the iPod shuffle. The player now comes only in black and silver colors, and has switched to a tall and even smaller design, completely omitting any surface buttons except for a three-way switch that toggles song shuffling as well as power. Volume and track control are now handled exclusively through an in-line remote on the earbuds, in a manner similar to other earbuds for the iPhone, Nano and Touch.

The most significant new feature is said to be VoiceOver, which reads out artist and track information at the press of a button. The feature can also be used to read out playlist names, enabling people to switch between playlists for the first time on a Shuffle. Apple has lastly narrowed capacity choices down to 4GB, which is nevertheless an upgrade from previous 1 and 2GB options. The new Shuffle is priced at $79.

by MacNN Staff