Well I am doing something a bit different this week by adding a review of new hardware. I was given an iPod Shuffle Mark 2 to aid in my reviewing tasks each week (and learning my own bloody songs), and what follows is my take on the thing. I have included three CDs you might wish to fill it with.
Hardware
It's actually a rather nice looking little thing that is far different from what came before (in the form of the previous version, of which I have two). It's now brushed grey metal and forms itself into a clip. The clip, in turn, is based 'round the place where the headphones go. No longer is there a danger of sliding the device from ordered play to shuffle either, as the button is far smaller. There is an off and on switch on the other side of the device. The buttons on the front have not changed much and allow volume control, track selection, and play. It's a triumph of Apple design.
Or is it? Well, not really, quite frankly. The shape does not lend itself as well to sliding down one's out trouser pocket so it does not move around. The clip is, frankly, useless if you wish to make any attempt to hide the device from thieves. It does not fit nicely in one's pockets nor in the pen pocket of a blazer. It's rather thicker than the older version as well. And there is the blasted dock it now requires to charge the device or update it. Instead of being able to charge it in any USB outlet on any machine one comes across, you need to have this silly little dock with you. It also means you cannot transfer small files between computers as if the device were a normal USB mini-drive with volume controls.
I believe, as do several other men I have encountered, this new iPod shuffle is aimed squarely at the female market rather than the male. It's cute and cuddly, with a bit of style for good measure. It does not serve the same purpose as the previous version, which was absolutely perfect. I think it's a case of someone clever at Apple over-engineering it because he or she can. I have to admit to being rather disappointed, my screen name engraved in tiny lettering on it notwithstanding.
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