New iPod Shuffle!

As you probably know already, I consider the iPod Shuffle as "the thing that should not be" in Apple's inventory. There are plenty of reasons, but the features vs price ratio is the most important one. The rest of them are more personal reasons, and I'll leave those aside for now, because we'll get back to them pretty soon. Why? Well, there's a new iPod Shuffle in town!

"Its size will leave you speechless. Good thing it also talks." That's the headline of the official iPod Shuffle page on Apple.com, but I don't know why I'm not really impressed. Just look at this - "The world’s smallest music player also happens to be the world’s first talking one. Two things that make the iPod shuffle one amazing device." Wow!

You know what? I am not an idiot, so if I have some tracks in my player, then I know what I am listening to, so this "amazing feature" is nothing more but a useless addon to a portable player that can only hang on in there for "up to 10 hours when fully charged," and I am sure that a higher volume will reduce the battery life even more.

While some may say that a 10.7 grams player is an impressive achievement, let me tell you this - how easy can you lose it? Anyway, here's something for Greenpeace activists to cheer on:

- Brominated flame retardant free
- PVC free
- Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure
- Smaller, more compact packaging (40% smaller, 33% lighter)

Currently available in white and black finish, the new iPod Shuffle has a 4GB capacity, and its price is $79. Should I make a list with best MP3 players below $90 that can wipe the floor with this new thing that should not be from Apple? I guess not, but if you think this new player is awesome, great, outstanding, and you're eager to throw away your money on one, just answer one question: WHY?