 | Higher capacity Tiny size Incredible looks |  | Horrible controls You'll have to buy new accessories |
The third generation iPod shuffle (4 GB, Rs. 4,900) has arrived in our labs after a strangely quiet global launch that involved absolutely none of the usual hype and hoopla that Apple usually generates around its products. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most outrageously designed products we’ve come across in a long time.
We’re surprised that there’s a new shuffle, partly because the previous generation wasn’t that old, and partly because we didn’t expect there’d be much to change or improve. So what’s the new one got to offer? The answer is still minimalism, with not much capacity and no screen or menu-based navigation for those who just want a cheap, simple music player. But while that core identity is the same with this new model, a lot of the rules have been rewritten!
Looks and Features
If you thought the shuffle was already small, think again! The new one is a bit longer but a lot slimmer, making it about the size of a pencil eraser or a small Bluetooth headset. Its weight is nearly unnoticeable when clipped onto your clothes or bag strap. It looks absolutely clean and smooth, without a single bump, ridge or mark on the front and only the stainless steel clip on the back. The upper surface is where you find the earphones/USB socket and a tiny power/mode switch.
More minimalism is seen in the lack of color options: while the previous generation could be had in bright, peppy pinks and greens, this one is available only in sober silver or grey. The earphones’ cord is about 28 cm shorter than usual which totally eliminates bunched up wire if you clip the device to your jeans pocket or shirt hem, but is uncomfortably short if you prefer holding it in your hand while walking.
The new shuffle’s biggest talking point and the boldest move so far in its history of culling common features is the complete lack of controls on the device itself. The ring of buttons is gone, and you have to use the inline controls on the earphones’ cord for all track navigation and volume changes. It takes a while to get used to the idea, but considering how small the shuffle is in the first place, it makes sense to tuck it away while keeping the controls within reach.
On the storage front, the shuffle has grown to 4 GB, which Apple estimates will hold 1,000 songs. Strangely, no smaller capacity is yet available, but the older generation shuffle lives on alongside, in its 1 and 2 GB avatars. Since navigating through 4 GB of music without any screen or menu could get aggravating quickly, the shuffle now supports playlists.
 | VoiceOver is one way only, i.e. it doesn’t allow the shuffle to recognize voice commands (as per a popular misconception floating about). |  |
Controls and Usability
VoiceOver is one way only, i.e. it doesn’t allow the shuffle to recognize voice commands (as per a popular misconception floating about). You really only have the three buttons on the remote to get anything done. The main problem with the shuffle is that there’s now a lot more to manage: the reduced controls might be acceptable if you’re only moving forwards and backwards through a playlist, but they make serious navigation a pain.
First of all, you have only three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a single multipurpose button between them. This multipurpose button can be pressed once to play or pause, twice to skip a track and thrice to go to the previous track. If you want to rewind or fast forward, you have to double-click or triple-click and then hold it down. To hear what’s currently playing, press and hold it down. If you want to change playlists, you have to hold it down, wait for the name to be read out, wait for a VoiceOver cue, and then click at precisely the moment when your target’s name has been read out (or use the volume buttons to skip quickly).
As you soon find, the oversimplification of controls and addition of playlist support has lead to complete chaos. Remembering so many click-combination movies is painful in itself, but you have to constantly keep moving your hand to the remote dangling a few inches under your right ear, which makes it uncomfortable as well. Try this while running or jogging, the type of activity Apple designed the original shuffle for, and you’ll quickly wish you had a player you could simply hold in your hand and control with your thumb.
There’s another fatal flaw with this system: you are utterly and completely dependent on Apple’s own earbuds, which aren’t very well regarded for their sound quality or their ability to stay put in people’s ears. Aftermarket earphones will hit stores soon enough, but you’ll have to pay for them instead of being able to use any nice pair you might already have. There’s a proprietary chip involved, which has to be licensed from Apple, so you’ll also be limited to only a few brands and models. Although the shuffle doesn’t need a button press to start playing as soon as anything is plugged into it, you won’t be able to control anything when you use it with a pair of speakers or a car audio deck unless you remember to carry a middle-man dongle with the controls on it (which you’ll also have to pay more for, and which also isn’t available yet).
VoiceOver is available in 14 languages, none of which are Indian. You have to download a language pack, which is just a few MB in size, but setting it up requires just one sync. It’s as accurate as any text-to-speech application, which means good with ordinary words, but rubbish when it comes to proper nouns like the names of bands. It can detect foreign languages and read out titles in the appropriate voice, but gets quite mixed up with odd names. Hindi words are a complete disaster, so we can safely assume that most Indian singers and song names will be poorly read out until a language pack becomes available.
Navigating using VoiceOver also isn’t the easiest to deal with. It’s nice to have, and the ability to have a name read out to you is great when you just can’t remember the name of a song or need a reference point to skip forward, but it interrupts the flow of music and you have to really pay attention to its cues to know when to click to select anything—again, not good while running or doing anything where you just want music in the background. It can be turned off entirely if it gets on your nerves, but we eventually decided to keep it around for occasional reference.
The playlist functionality can be used to approximate separating your music into “folders” that you can move between, which is much appreciated. Switch playlists from time to time, but forget about any real management of tracks and genres.
| Remembering so many click-combination movies is painful in itself, but you have to constantly keep moving your hand to the remote dangling a few inches under your right ear, which makes it uncomfortable as well | |
Conclusion
The battery is rated to last for 10 hours, the package includes only earphones and a USB adapter, and the sound quality leaves nothing to complain about—but these are not things anyone is going to be bothered about when evaluating the new shuffle, considering its unique conception. It seems that the quest for minimalism has hit somewhat of a rough patch. There’s much to like about the new shuffle, but a lot of people will find that the line between usability and aesthetics has been crossed here.
The shuffle has always been good for sports, and its current iteration will still be a great companion for those who also have better music players, but most people who buy shuffles do so because of their low price and the odd control scheme and limitations on usable accessories might alienate a lot of buyers or irritate users after they’ve bought one.
The new shuffle should have been a separate product, instead of replacing the current shuffle we all know and love—but perhaps that’s the reason the older models are still officially around and it doesn’t compete with them at the same 1 GB and 2 GB levels. We’re all for new gadgets, but this time we’re just not convinced the changes have been for the better.
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