MBA 734 – iPod/iPhone Discussion Question

Has the digital music market irreversibly tipped in Apple’s favor?

What’s wrong with the new iPod Shuffle…

Apple released the new 4GB iPod shuffle yesterday, touting new features like VoiceOver, its extremely compact size, and the convenience of locating the controls in the headphones.  VoiceOver sounds cool, but there are some serious design flaws in this new iPod, which is surprising coming from a company so praised for its industrial design.  First, does the shuffle really need to get smaller?  I have the previous model, which I love, and I use it primarily for running.  It fits in the mini pocket in a pair of running shorts and can also be clipped to a watch strap; it’s small enough.  The new shuffle is maybe getting too small – it’s about the size of the iPod Micro from the SNL Weekend Update parody.

Second, controls only on the headphones?  Seriously?  This is horrible.  I own an iPhone and a Shuffle and maybe my ears are deformed, but the Apple earbuds just don’t stay put in my ears.  I have to use third party headphones otherwise any iPod product is a no-go.    Now, maybe Apple sees this feature as a way to increase licensing fees from third party accessory manufacturers, and I’m sure companies like Belkin and Bose will come out with control enabled headphones and adapters, but from a consumer’s perspective this is ridiculous.  In order for me to use a new Shuffle out of the box I will have to wait for a third party manufacturer to produce non-earbud headphones with controls and pay a premium.

Headphones are the weak link and often disposable part of a portable  audio player design.  What if the headphones are lost or break?  I typically replace my headphones 2-3 times a year because I run with my iPod (sweat is not so nice to rubber and plastic over the long term) and travel a lot (which means lost headphones).  So instead of replacing the headphones for the shuffle with the cheap $10-$15 Sonys, I’ll probably need to shell out $30-$40 for special headphones with embedded controls.  Total cost of ownership for the shuffle becomes ridiculous.

Apple may see this as a strategy to lock consumers into their iPod shuffle/headphone combination and exert more control over third party manufacturers, but I think what’s more likely to happen is that this thing will be a flop.