14 DAY TRIAL // Reports claim that the third-generation iPod shuffle adds $60 to the $22 paid by Apple for producing the device – an Apple “tax” that is totally unacceptable, according to researchers at iSuppli.
Apple's latest iPod is somewhat special thanks to the built-in VoiceOver Kit, which enables users to actually “hear” the names of their songs and playlists as they browse through them. The feature also “announces” when the battery is close to being completely drained.
Implemented into Apple's OS since version 10.4, VoiceOver reads aloud the contents of files including web pages, Mail messages and word-processing files, and provides a comprehensive audible description of your workspace, using a rich set of keyboard commands that allow you to navigate the Mac OS X interface and interact with application and system controls. Part of this functionality can now be found in the new, third-generation iPod shuffle.
Admittedly, the recently released third-generation shuffle not only boasts VoiceOver support, but also a sleek design that makes it even more stylish and wearable than its predecessor. However, iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler believes that $79 is too hefty a price tag for the lightweight player to bear.
“It's almost like six dollars worth of flash memory tied to some flash and a battery and not much else. It's very basic and downsized,” Rassweiler is cited as saying in a BusinessWeek piece. The report adds, “All told, the cost of the shuffle's components, the headphones, and the packaging it ships in comes to $21.77, according to iSuppli's estimates.”
The third-generation 4GB iPod shuffle has been shipping for over a month now, and comes in silver or black “for a suggested price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store [...] Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers,” Apple states in the March report confirming the availability of the new device. The third-gen shuffle ships with Apple Earphones with Remote and its very own USB cable for charging and syncing music.