[Greg Gant]

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

It has a new feature called voice over, it reads the track name and artist as if you can't tell your 4 GBs of music apart. The only real notable feature other than bigger size is multiple playlists accessed through an annoying control scheme. Notably Voice Over appears that is does not actually READ anything as the voice changes if you're on a Mac or PC, which implies during syncing the computer makes a bunch of mini audio files of the track names being read using the synthetic voice then if you hit the voiceover button, it'll play that audio file over the music. Oh joy.

The other thing really negative is the new control scheme is 100% reliant on the new headphones, so you can forget ever using this with anything with a line out or with a better set of headphones.

The shuffle is complete fail now...

[Janichsan]

Greg Gant, on March 11th 2009, 06:05 PM, said:

The other thing really negative is the new control scheme is 100% reliant on the new headphones, so you can forget ever using this with anything with a line out or with a better set of headphones.

I think it's only a matter of time until compatible headphones by third-party manufacturers are available. Especially since I got the impression that the voice over feature will also come to the other iPods sooner or later.

[teflon]

yup, I was pretty excited by just how small it is (about half the size of the old one) and how many Id be able to lose in a month...
But unless they come up with a very cheap dongle (in two lengths) with the controls on them which you would be able to 3rd party headphones, its a 100% no buy from me.

oh, and I get the feeling that battery life is down too.

shame. Im sure they could have managed to make the controls smaller for the face of it too.

[Malt-Pipefishes]

Judging by current trends, I estimate that by 2012 iPods won't even be visible to the human eye.

[The Liberator]

I think it will be more of a parabolic curve going on, so you know…



Liberator.

[AussieMacGamer]

Mindpod.

[Greg Gant]

Thelongue really put the smack down on Apple, apparently the Shuffle now has a DRM chip for its headphones meaning similar headphones using the same clip mechanism (like the Nano) headphones are compatible and to make a pair of headphones with the control, means you have to pay the Apple tax, or buy a dongle cable.

So while Apple blasts DRM on software, its currently loving DRMing slowly its iPods, eliminating cheap video output on cables like the video out to the new $50 cable for the iPhone/Touch/6G iPods that I bought for $15 for my 5.5G iPod. Now that Apple has the market, I suppose they can start doing Microsofty business tactics and price gouging consumers. I like my iPhone 3G, my 5.5G iPod and my 2nd Gen Nano thus I'm iPodded out to the point of obsession but I'd jump the iPod ship if they ever started prohibiting my headphone use. My headphones cost more than any of my iPods save the iPhone. Rebuying headphones or dongle cables to extend the length just ain't cool.

At least it was the shuffle as I couldn't give a damn about it but its a product that does seem scary in a larger sense.

[PeopleLikeFrank]

Greg Gant, on March 14th 2009, 11:12 PM, said:

Thelongue really put the smack down on Apple, apparently the Shuffle now has a DRM chip for its headphones meaning similar headphones using the same clip mechanism (like the Nano) headphones are compatible and to make a pair of headphones with the control, means you have to pay the Apple tax, or buy a dongle cable.

So while Apple blasts DRM on software, its currently loving DRMing slowly its iPods, eliminating cheap video output on cables like the video out to the new $50 cable for the iPhone/Touch/6G iPods that I bought for $15 for my 5.5G iPod. Now that Apple has the market, I suppose they can start doing Microsofty business tactics and price gouging consumers. I like my iPhone 3G, my 5.5G iPod and my 2nd Gen Nano thus I'm iPodded out to the point of obsession but I'd jump the iPod ship if they ever started prohibiting my headphone use. My headphones cost more than any of my iPods save the iPhone. Rebuying headphones or dongle cables to extend the length just ain't cool.

At least it was the shuffle as I couldn't give a damn about it but its a product that does seem scary in a larger sense.

The keyboard with my G4 came with a USB extension cable. Said extension cable has a tab in the female connector such that it will only work with the notched USB connector on the Apple keyboard. Hardly as malicious as the headphone business, but just to say that they've been doing it for some time in one way or other with their hardware.

(Also far more incomprehensible. Why would they ever care that I might use their extension cable with something other than the keyboard it came with? The groove on the keyboard connector doesn't stop me from using any standard cable, so it's not forcing me to buy anything from them. Bizarre. I'm also using both the keyboard and extension cable on my PC to this day.)

[Greg Gant]

I always figured the notch fastened the keyboard extension together better as I do have have a few generics and they unfasten much easier than the Apple ones, however I've used the Apple extensions with non-apple devices, brute force works nicely or just a little free time and an exacto knife, the Apple extension cable isn't DRMed. DRMing is a whole different level evil as it requires a lot of deliberate engineering.

Apple has the previous gen headphone controllers, with the same clip mechanism but those are incompatible which means Apple simply wants to make money off the headphone dongle. This isn't like a failed Apple standard like ADC which was plain silly, but tried to allow a single cable from Graphics card to monitor. THe only goal here is to charge you more.

Companies like Apple do proprietary stuff all the time, but really if Apple wanted to play nice, they'd shipped the Shuffle with the dongle and just had a version of the headphones with a short cable, my Jay's d-Jay actually has this method which makes it perfect for my iPhone as I was able to buy a $100+ pair of earbuds and also buy an iPhone mic for the headphones I preferred without having a bunch of extra cabling. http://www.jays.se/p....aspx?sub=djays

Apple with the iPod has sought have a strong armed control over all accessories, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they figured a way to cut into the headphone accessory market.

[Dark_Archon]

Greg Gant, on March 14th 2009, 11:12 PM, said:

Thelongue really put the smack down on Apple, apparently the Shuffle now has a DRM chip for its headphones meaning similar headphones using the same clip mechanism (like the Nano) headphones are compatible and to make a pair of headphones with the control, means you have to pay the Apple tax, or buy a dongle cable.

So while Apple blasts DRM on software, its currently loving DRMing slowly its iPods, eliminating cheap video output on cables like the video out to the new $50 cable for the iPhone/Touch/6G iPods that I bought for $15 for my 5.5G iPod. Now that Apple has the market, I suppose they can start doing Microsofty business tactics and price gouging consumers. I like my iPhone 3G, my 5.5G iPod and my 2nd Gen Nano thus I'm iPodded out to the point of obsession but I'd jump the iPod ship if they ever started prohibiting my headphone use. My headphones cost more than any of my iPods save the iPhone. Rebuying headphones or dongle cables to extend the length just ain't cool.

At least it was the shuffle as I couldn't give a damn about it but its a product that does seem scary in a larger sense.

They don't actually know what the chip does. Apple has been using cables with buttons on them since the original iPhone, and every 3rd party headset with a button works with the iPhone. Wait and see before jumping to conclusions. The iPod touch 2G headset was the first to add volume controls and those probably work fine with the new shuffle. I bet the 3rd party headsets such as the pair of Etymotic HF2s I have will work with the shuffle to play and pause music. It is only a matter of time before 3rd party headsets for the iPod Touch 2g and iPod shuffle are intruduced

Edit: And also, that is a complete misuse of the term DRM. I thought I should point that out.

[Greg Gant]

I suppose it is, as more or less proprietarization with hardware authorization, a lock and key methodology as DRMing would infer software for media management. I'm just quoting off other sites, although when I checked to see what Wikipedia said, and "Digital rights management (DRM) refers to access control technologies used by publishers, copyright holders, and hardware manufacturers to limit usage of digital media or devices." so the fact the devices could be limited is vague.

The difference between the previous headphones and the new ones is that the controls supposedly now need a confirmation chipset, previous headphone controls didn't need this as it used the third ring for the controls. This is why the new iPods need the Dock video cables, as now the video is exported via the dock instead of the 3rd ring in the headphone jacks as its now used for the remote instead of video. It also means Apple can force the dock authorization scheme on the video cables.

Plus, It wouldn't be the first time Apple has prohibited previously working devices. I plugged in my iPod 3G to charge to my car charger to see "charger not supported". Riiiiiiiiight, I totally believe you Apple. So I bought a new dual port Belkin car charger (As I had no choice, after a generous 5 year run with my previous car charger that outlasted a few iPods). Apple already can force you to repurchase what you already own, that day has gone and past. The same has happened with some docking stations with the iPhone, occasionally I'll come across an unsupported dock. I've never owned such a unit but I could imagine the annoyance it'd bring to find my speaker docking station not only refused to charge but also play audio.

What frustrates me is the move towards the Sonyization of the Products forcing consumers into crap standards. Sony has had a long long history of making up its own proprietary formats like Memory Stick, Altrac, 8mm, Digital 8mm, that one failed optical media format, MiniDisk and so on.

Its a dark path. Apple has always flirted with various proprietary pieces but often felt more or less forced to adhere to standards (generally for the better). These days with its music players, Apple has attained a level of success that it hasn't ever had in the computing sector and can start to bleed consumers with licensed hardware. I have no interest in owning a Shuffle having already two iPods and now an iPhone but I remain unconvinced that this isn't anything other way to make an already well overpriced product earn another $20 as either the cable's cost would be insignificant or the cable would come prebundled and the white ear buds would sport an extra short cable much like my Jay's d-Jays do. Seeing as I came up with a solution on the fly in about 10 seconds on 5 hours of sleep when I wrote the previous, I really doubt Apple couldn't have done the same if not better...

[The Liberator]

So, you are saying that same of the earphones will not be supported yes? I would hate it, that one day I plug my Sennheisers' in, and find the iPod does not let you hear the song. That would be a dark day.

Liberator.

[teflon]

no, not at all.

this is all about the little controls. The shuffle will still output audio quite happily to any headphones you plug in there, except that you cant because then you wont have the controls. So you need to either have headphones with the controls built in or a dongle which has these controls built in.

But Apple are controlling that market through having a custom chip in the controls which is required for the Shuffle to acknowledge it and actually do what it says. So that the 3rd parties have to pay licensing fees...

its not DRM so much as custom hardware licensing taken to the extreme.

[The Liberator]

Damn, that would suck. I guess I should feel pretty good with my 5th Gen iPod.

Liberator.

[Greg Gant]

Using DRM on the actual audio would require making a DAC in the headphone unit so yeah as Telfon points out, you'll need a controller dongle.

Other iPod models will stop playing music if the headphones because unplugged so you may not even be able to hit play on the default headphones and swap to a line out or another pair of headphones which in itself is a bit of hardware protection when combined with the headphone controls. So essentially, you're stuck with this white earbuds unless you buy a dongle cable for $20 bringing the screenless Shuffle to $99.

I don't think I need to explain why that's a bad deal...

[Dark_Archon]

It has been confirmed that turning it on starts music playing no matter what headphones are connected. It kinda sucks that you can't change volume, but it isn't nearly as bad as you are trying to make it sound. I'm pretty sure the chip is only required for the volume controls. The older iPhone headsets (and any 3rd party headset that works with the iPhones) should still work for the new shuffle for playing, pausing and going forward or back.

It isn't some nefarious plot from Apple, it is just a new control scheme. Please, wait until there is actual information before screaming "DRM" and getting your panties in a bunch.

[Pegasus]

...and it's on! DA just called your girly men!

[teflon]

but when walking down a busy street and the default volume isnt high enough to handle this, then you cant hear a bleeding thing.
Specially if the music is recorded at a lower volume (read as before the 90s, every decade has gotten louder and louder), or is spoken word or has actual dynamics.

and on the flip side if youre on a train, where its not really all that loud, and the iPod turns on and its too loud (or youve just come from the station itself where its very loud) youre going to want to turn that volume down.

so the volume control is vital.

as is skipping to the next track at a minimum. just in case you actually cannot stand the song which iTunes has autoloaded onto your ipod.

that youre forced to have an adaptor to use non-apple headphones or buy some headphones which will now come at a premium because Apple is taking a slice of the pie makes the situation more frustrating. Apple saw an opportunity to milk the cash cow a little bit more and took it, when they could very well have come out with their own adapter for $4, or as an exchange for unwanted iPod headphones, and not had a chip which 3rd parties have to pay Apple to get....

still not a nefarious plot?