14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's media event saw the introduction of a radically different iPod lineup with new models and drastic changes to the existing ones, but between news of the new iPod touch and the iPhone price change, it is easy to lose sight of Apple's diminutive music player.
Despite being the first announced, the iPod Shuffle failed to make the news. Apple has indeed updated the iPod Shuffle, but it is an update that truly fails to impress. Rumors of the new iPod models stated that all models would receive an update, and the Shuffle was said to receive a storage update, doubling its capacity to 2GB, while keeping its current price point. Amazingly enough, while each and every other iPod rumor turned out to be true, the Shuffle one missed the mark. The iPod Shuffle remains the same as it was, with the same storage capacity and the same price and the same shape; the only thing that has changed is the colors.
Apple has dropped the former iPod colors for the shuffle in favor of a more subdued palette, with the colors being a tad more refined. Amongst the four new colors is a Product (RED) version, sales of which will see contributions sent to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. While the Shuffle is still a relatively new model with plenty of life left in it, the meager color update fails to impress. The 1GB storage capacity seems really small by today's standards and many would have gladly paid more for a 2GB version. The facelift seems especially disappointing in light of the rumored storage capacity and even more so considering that all the other iPod rumors turned out to be true.
People waiting until the announcement to buy a Shuffle can now choose one of the new colors, but if the previous colors were more to their liking they had better hurry to gram one while they are still in stock.