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Apple Press Photo
By now you may have heard about the new Apple iPod Shuffle that was recently announced. You know, the tiny little iPod that has no control buttons on it. The one that talks to you in one of 14 different languages. The one that requires Apple earphones to utilize the voice and to control the volume. And therein lies the rub.
There has been some talk on the Internet very recently about third party headphones being used on the new Shuffle. It seems that Apple will require an authentication chip for third party headphones or headphone adapters. Supposedly said adapters will cost around $19 and up. The compatible headphones that have been announced so far all seem to be starting at $49 and going up from there.
Any headphones or earbuds will work for just listening to music but if you want to take advantage of the new Shuffle's VoiceOver feature that tells you what song is playing, who the artist is as well as the names of your playlists, you will need the Apple earphones. Or the Apple licensed adapter or Apple licensed headphones.
The controversy comes from the fact that only Apple approved accessories will fully work with the new iPod Shuffle. Many pundits are very agitated by the fact that Apple has a significant revenue stream from iPod accessory licensing. Some critics are even going so far as to say that requiring this authentication chip is an Apple "tax". Some people think Apple has gone too far with this.
For a moment, let me play devil's advocate: Could it be that Apple just wants to ensure that any headphones used with the new iPod Shuffle will be compatible? Is it possible that Apple is trying to guarantee that their customers will be happy with the performance of their new iPod when using the revolutionary new VoiceOver feature with a third party accessory? Or are they just being greedy?
What's your opinion? Please feel free to leave your comments below. You can also email me by using the link in my bio at the top of the page.
Comments
I'll concede that poorly working controls would likely result in dissatisfaction with the device.
Still, why not put the controls on the device case? Wouldn't that make more sense? My earbuds of choice are Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5's. I paid a little over $100. I definitely don't want to downgrade my earbuds to use the shuffle. So, I'd have to buy an adapter, adding bulk and complexity to what should be a small, simple device.
And I was all set to buy it, too. We use shuffles for activities that might be too active or otherwise present screen danger to our iPods. My husband has two shuffles (keeps one in his gym locker) I have one, too. I got the email announcement and was very excited by the VoiceOver feature. But I know that I can't use Apple's standard earbuds - they won't stay in my ears. That's why I pay for good quality in-ear monitors.
I hope the next generation of Shuffle has voice over and integrated on-device controls. I'll buy that.
It's the same tradeoff that has made Macs, iPods, iPhones, and iTunes so popular - you give up some flexibility for a great user experience. Note that Microsoft uses more devious methods to try to lock you into their second-rate products.
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