News: iPod Shuffle Updated

We generally don’t give more than a thought to the iPod touch. It’s sad, really, but it’s almost as boring as a flash drive to us. Most people load it up, use it as a second iPod, and don’t bother with accessories or cases, just because it’s already small as it is. That hasn’t changed.

Today, Apple released a new iPod shuffle, selling at $79 for 4GB. That’s not bad—double the capacity for only $10 more. However, a glaring omission that has us calling foul is the lack of buttons on the device. This new model features buttons on the right earbud cord, eliminating the use of third-party cheapie earbuds. The Apple-is-making-them-standard-but-I-still-want-them-on-my-first-generation-iPod-touch earbuds feature three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a multi-function button that skips tracks back or forward, plays and pauses, or lets you change playlists, depending on how many times and how long you hold the button.

The iPod shuffle also gives feedback now, thanks to VoiceOver — it can read the titles and artists of songs to you over the headphones. Also, you can now have multiple playlists, as VoiceOver will read them and you can select which one.