Hugo, I hope you've been keeping Apple advised on which bits of this they can't patent 'cos of prior art...

Peter

Cool device!

Although it would seem that you can only access the Voice features when using Apple headphones? Strange.

Cheers

Cris.

What happens if you don't want to use the Apple headphones though? The pics make it look like you can't use any other.

It would appear that you need the Apple headphones even to just skip a track. It also looks like the least inspiring bit of industrial design from Apple for years.

Hey, more headphone sales for Apple. What's not to love?

I got this type of thing going on the empeg several years back. emphatic was already reading the ID3 info, so I just had it send text to ttsd/flite. There was really no good reason to do it on the empeg, given that there's a display and all, but it was fun to play around with.

I will, of course, be suing Apple for stealing my idea. </Palm_Inc>

Only if they start counting sales for items they give away as accessories in the box. The headphones come with the unit. An extra sale would be generated only when you need to replace the originals.

Apple have had two headphone models with remote up on their site for a few months. A set that looks similar to the included ones, but with a microphone, for $29. And the in-ear style for $79.

I think the failing point of this design is that you can't control the music on the shuffle at all without one of these three headphone sets. At least not currently. I'm sure if the demand is there that we'll see an adapter come out featuring the controls with a pass-through to connect your own headphones.

Which is exactly the extra sales I was referring to... I'm well aware they include headphones with iPods!

Interesting bit of kit, don't think I'll be binning my touch any time soon though. I'd really like to know if 'Hannah' really works at an Apple store, that performance was a little too polished for my liking.

I think by the time a significant number of people need to replace their included headphones due to breakage outside of warranty, you'll see third-party control adapters like this one and/or headphones incorporating a remote of their own.

I generally see moves like this as an opportunity for third-party vendors to make additional money, rather than a new revenue stream for Apple.

I've never used the ones that came with iPods.

I didn't want to walk around with a sign that says MUG ME I'VE GOT AN IPOD/IPHONE and I wanted noise cancelling ones anyway.

The newer ones just don't fit my ears. I ended up with a pair of Sony earbuds, where the rubber bits keep coming off, and I have to replace them every 6 months or so. But at least they don't fall out when I'm on the treadmill.

Apple has stated (to Gizmodo and others) that they'll have a remote-only adapter available for use with third party cans and will also be working with third-parties to integrate remote functionality into their own products.

A quote from Mac Rumours...

Based on new screenshots scattered throughout the iTunes pages, the iTunes "Party Shuffle" feature has apparently been renamed "iTunes DJ"

Sounds like another Rio feature has made it to the iPod, I wonder if it works the same as the Rio DJ feature on my Karma

Cheers

Cris.

What I don't get is why they overloaded the middle button so much and ignored the volume buttons.

perhaps something like a double click on the middle buttons puts it into control mode and then the up and down buttons skip on click and ff/rew on hold.

I dunno...it just seems like this one would be even harder to use than the previous generation.

Form over function IMO.

Macbook Wheel

Apple seem to be very unwilling to overload volume keys in general; for example, one of the volume keys would make a way better shutter release for the iPhone camera but that hasn't happened.

Given that I'm used to using the single/double/triple clicks on my iPhone to control music when I'm cycling* (one=play-pause, two=next track, three=previous track) I don't find the shuffle hard to deal with at all. I'd kinda like the long press to read me track title and artist on the phone, actually...

Hugo

* I only have one earbud in so I can hear the traffic

Not just Apple: Karma, Vibez, and even S35/Forge/Cali etc have completely dedicated volume buttons (though Carbon didn't). I think the thinking was, you never know when a new track's going to start that's hopelessly louder than the previous one, so, whatever part of the UI you're in, you need the "volume down" button to be "volume down".

Peter