The Underserved

I went jogging yesterday around Green Lake with my iPod Shuffle and my faithful companion Lucy (seen below reading about Paris).

While jogging I began to reflect upon the shuffle’s size and design. The Shuffle fits nicely in the palm of my hand with the controls beneath my thumb. Without breaking stride I could crank up the volume, skip a song or stop the music all together. (When jogging with a dog on a crowded path any and all of these may be required.)

Today I was over at the Apple website and wouldn’t you know it, a new iPod Shuffle. Has Apple finally exceeded customer utility? This totally reminds me of this sketch I saw last fall on SNL, in which Steve Jobs introduces several new models as each one becomes obsolete.

While I have yet to see the new shuffle in person, this Apple image indicates to me that it may in fact be TOO SMALL. I for one think that the original iPod Shuffle was just the right size and design. I won’t even get into the new versions’ lack of a USB port for use as a USB flash drive…

Apple made several other announcements today, including the ability to download movies via iTunes and new versions of the other models of Ipods.

Additionally, there was mention of an item code name iTV. Now this is an item that will either be huge or totally ‘Newton’. Anyhow, Apple is making the bold attempt to bridge the gap between the pc and the home entertainment center. Should anyone be able to successfully crack this nut, it would be huge.