Of course, the downside is that the controls happen to be on the iPod earbuds - so you're stuck with their uber-shit sound.

OK - Now they're just showing off.

I don't approve of segregating the controls from the device. I love my shuffle. Now I have to hope it never dies because I can't replace it.

Someday, they'll invent some device where you keep your songs in your brain and all you'll have to do is think of one and POOF, you'll hear it inside your head, no headphones required.

I dunno, the VoiceOver sounds cool and it looks sexy, but having a screen would be nice.

LT, I'm sure that there will be a secondary market of 3rd-Gen-Shuffle compatible headphones within a month or tow.

Looks like they finally came up with the Ipod Suppository.

New iPod Suppository Playlist:

1. Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On
2. Kenny G - Songbird
3. The Best of Taylor Hicks
4. Puffy Ami Yumi Live in New York Double CD
5. ICP

I do not think I could give up a screen. I don't know how else you'd control what is played, other than just going to next song. If you have close to 1000 songs, that would be a non-starter.

How do you handle this, Crushie?

danf, I just don't control what's played on my shuffle. I just listen to the songs as they go by. If I don't want to hear one, I advance to the next one.

Danf: I don't control what song is played. As I see it, that's the point of the shuffle. It's incredibly compact, no fuss of any kind, you control what goes on it and it plays it back for you. It's genius. Like a radio station that never ever plays a song you hate or never want to hear again.

If I want to hear something, really listen to it, I'm not going to be listening on my shuffle. The shuffle is in my bag for commuting or sitting around the airport.

Divorcing the controls from the clip itself strikes me as a bad move. Putting them on the headphones seems incredibly stupid. Right now, I know exactly where the clip is and where to push to skip a song or play a song again. It never moves because it's clipped to me. The cord on my headphones (which has a volume control that I hate using) is always moving around, getting tangled, accidentally getting adjusted when it catches on my coat. And earbuds are awful.

Oh OK. . .got it. I was being small-minded.

Yeah, I'm also no fan of the controls-on-headphone-cable thing. Then again, I carry around full-size over-the-ear headphones, so I'm probably not the target market anyway.

box: i use over-the-ears phones (not posh, full-size one, but low-rent collapsible ones) with my shuffle. I just can stand in-the-ear! but the volume is on the cord. And I hate it!

I can't stand in-the-ear either. And I totally wish I could, because I don't really like carrying giant cans everywhere, and, besides, in the ear is where the cheapskate audiophile excitement can be found these days (IEMs like Shure, Etymotic and Ultimate Ears).

I'm not feeling it at all.

I actually use and like earbuds (with my cheapo/non-Apple MP3 player). But the idea of paying Apple probably as much as the cost of the Shuffle to replace them when they inevitably break, as earbuds regularly do, totally sucks.

I am a loyal Mac user (or at least I was until my 5-year-old iBook crapped the bed recently), but I just can't bring myself to get into iPods. Sure, it would be nice, but in a day and age when you can get a 2GB non-Apple MP3 player for $10-20, *with* a screen, I can't fathom paying for a Shuffle. My player is somewhat annoying with its lack of playlist support, but the Shuffle doesn't have playlists either, right?

(I do have to admit to a weakness for the form factor of the gen. 3 Nanos, though -- the ones that were almost square. I hate the tall, skinny shape they had before and have since returned to.)

I can't stand in-the-ear either. And I totally wish I could, because I don't really like carrying giant cans everywhere

I got a pair of those Bose TriPort IE earbuds a couple of years ago, and they're insanely awesome. Also, worth more than the MP3 player they're connected to, but hey, that's where the bulk of your sound quality comes from so it makes sense.

I lost my 3g nano a while back. Yesterday a friend emailed to say that she found it at her Christmas party and never got around to figuring out who it belonged to (she finally plugged it in). yay!

I am so excited to have it back. Running with my ipod touch for the past two months has been very awkward (even with the armband). If I get another ipod, it will probably be something like a 200gb touch that will come out in a couple of years.

My nano (now that I have it back), is perfect for running and I can see all my songs. This shuffle doesn't appeal to me at all.

I daydream sometimes about the custom-fitted Ultimate Ears IEMs, but, damn, that's a lot of money.

loiseau, the shuffle does indeed support playlists.

Wow, I love the form factor but hate hate hate the controls-on-cord thing. I use my Shuffle when I'm walking around campus, going for a run, or working in lab, and those Apple earbuds absolutely do not stay in my ears. I use these instead which are cheap, lightweight, and easily replaceable. They wouldn't work with the new Shuffle, though, which makes me sad.

you guys are all thinking of the old, cheap Apple earbuds.

The new ones (the ones they built especially for the Touch and the newer gen iPods) that have the controls on the cord are all kinds of awesome. I've *never* liked Apple earbuds, but the new ones are super comfy, don't leak noise, and don't fall out of my ears. Plus they have several different sizes tips to customise them to your own ears.

That said, I do agree - I think moving the controls to the earbuds was not a wise move. They could easily enough have retained the shuffle standard controls on the smaller form factor.

Honestly, I'm far more excited about the frenzy of new rumours surrounding the potential release of a 10" touchscreen new form factor apple product in the August-December timeframe. It's the long-anticipated Mac tablet at last!!!