New iPod Shuffle Means New Trouble For Buyers

Apple has just made their first product announcement in the Steve Jobs isn't sick, we don't do trade shows era. Apple has announced a new 4GB iPod shuffle to replace the 2 GB model. The new shuffle won't look like shuffles as they've been since their initial introduction. The control buttons are not on the iPod itself, but on the cable for the iconic white earbuds.

This of course means that the only replacement earphones that will work with the new shuffle that Apple makes for the new shuffle. This sends a bad signal to all those companies that make accessories for iPods.

Then there is the decision to dump the 2GB shuffle instead of the 1GB model. Although I can personally testify that most iPod Shuffle purchases are the 1 GB model, I'm sure that Apple wouldn't want to tick off anybody who purchased a 1GB iPod shuffle by discontinuing it and making the 2GB the new entry level. 1 GB music players are pretty long in the tooth even the cheapest MP3 players are starting at 2 GB. If this is what Apple product launches are going to be like in the post Steve Jobs era, don't expect anything insanely great to come in the near future.