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A few random thoughts about the shuffleA few random thoughts about the shuffleA few random thoughts about the shuffle 03/14/2005 04:23 PM Like most Mac aficionados, Apple's free, bi-weekly eNews doesn't usually reveal much in the way of new information. While presenting a nice round-up of new products, promotions and events, for most of us, the e-mail newsletter mostly presents items we’ve already read and discussed (and perhaps even bought). But this week's edition taught me something. So I thought I'd share it with you. "If you're after the highest quality tunes and regularly import songs at bit rates higher than 128 Kbps, iTunes offers you the best of both worlds, letting you keep your high-quality songs in iTunes while exporting leaner versions of the songs, sized just right for iPod shuffle." Basically, iTunes will re-encode songs specifically for the shuffle, making the allotted 240 songs fit. According to Playlist magazine, however, this takes about a minute per track, or 4 hours for a full shuffle. But it got me thinking. If Apple can make iTunes communicate with one of its iPods in such a way, why not expand that on-the-fly concept? Why not hook up with CNN or BBC to offer new a compressed download of news and sports clips, akin to reading the morning paper on the subway? Or partner with MTV to provide slideshows of the latest music videos? Or, for the umteenth time, subscriptions? With the release of the shuffle, the idea of the iPod has been taken in a new direction, and the focus lies solely on the enjoyment of music — at any time, in any order, and without any distracting menus or games. So if it’s simply about random listening with an emphasis on variation, does it matter if the songs are bought? (If you're thinking to yourself, "Haven’t I read this before?" you’re absolutely correct. But in a week where the biggest Apple news came from Sony, filling a pair of vacancies in the "Features" section is no easy task.) So let's talk Sony. This week, the once-dominant music giant announced a line of flash players aimed squarely at Apple's shuffle, which watched its own portable player monopoly slip through its hands. For one, they support MP3, rather than Sony's own difficult Atrac. It has a LED which appears to float text over the an iPod mini-like blueish body. It boasts a whopping 50 hours of playback on a single charge. And while the model in question is priced a bit higher than the shuffle, an extra $50 will buy an FM tuner, one of the iPod's more sought-after features. Apple's stock dropped this week on the news, and it certainly seems that at least one company has caught up to Apple's technology — and that’s the fear. And it's a valid one. Price aside, Sony’s flash memory player is a better shuffle. And it's hard to argue 50 hours of playback. So what's Apple to do? Will it stick to its stubborn ways and shirk what people are clamoring for — subscriptions, better battery life, an FM tuner, a small display — and let Sony and Creative and Dell and Napster chip away at its market dominance until all that's left is a small, loyal group of users with a vague recollection that somewhere along the line, everyone else lost their way...? Or will Apple learn from its competition, for a change? This is a GrokNews Entry: (what is grok?)A few random thoughts about the shuffleGrok Headline matches for A few random thoughts about the shuffleThe Joy of Random ShuffleThe Joy of Random Shuffle 04/16/2004 02:22 PM Some Random ThoughtsSome Random Thoughts 12/02/2003 03:11 AM Naturally, I love that Cingular is using Tommy Tutone's song "867-5309" to promote number portability! (Isn't it weird that G ooglism is a Google search result?) With the holidays fast approaching, it's important to note that there is an RSS feed for What's New at ThinkGeek! I can tell that PC sales are up because I am busy dispensing computer advice in my neighborhood. One neighbor bought a new computer tonight, while another needs lessons to burn CDs. Neither has broadband access, so we're still a pretty typical neighborhood. There's a new link on the right over there for pointers to my past Presentations and Articles. And yes, I'm truly loving my Treo 600, thanks for asking. I promise to write up my experiences with it to date later this week! A few more random thoughtsA few more random thoughts 03/27/2005 01:39 PM There are a few things that continue to grate on my nerves as we near the start of the second half of Apple’s fiscal year, so I though I’d throw them all out there at once. Have fun. Why can’t Apple allow first- or second-generation iPod users enjoy its Lossless Encoder? If a simple firmware update can bring it to the mini or the later-model players, why not all of us early adopters, too? If you’re like me, there are at last 10 CDs that haven’t made their way to your iPod, because you’re too last to re-encode them. Do the actors in their commercials reflect what Dell really thinks of its customer base? From the “Dude, you’re getting a Dell” guy, to the trio of geeks fighting over control of their gadgets — one watching cartoons, one singing hopelessly out of key and the other looking playing a video game that involves the obligatory silver key — how does this help expand its marketshare? If I was in the market for a computer, those three fools certainly wouldn’t sway me. Why is Apple the only company that gives any thought to naming its music players. Dell and Creative both names theirs Jukebox (Creative came first) and most of the others merely use a series of letters and numbers to distinguish between models. On Dell’s commercials, they shirk the name entirely. The guy says, “Just listen to your Dell.” Who says that!?! If, like me, you thought the $16.99 price was too high, but PodBrix’s black Lego figurine holding a miniature iPod is currently selling for more than $150 on eBay. And you guys wonder why Mac people are so misunderstood. Since I downloaded the $35 coupon from Amazon.com before it was pulled, will I be able to use it? And will I once again get three utterly useless software update coupons? And why has Apple not built a store in Rhode Island? The Providence Place Mall is a four-story behemoth in the heart of the capital city, and with Brown University within walking distance, it only seems logical. Oh, and Spymac’s weekend columnist lives right around the corner. Seventeen of the top 20 items selling at the Apple Store are iPods or iPod-related. And to think, when it was released less than four years ago, it was riled as an overpriced niche product. These days, signing a contract with Apple is a bad luck charm. Teaming with Hewlett Packard and Pepsi were disappointing, IBM has struggled with supplying G5 chips, and now Motorola, who has struggled with Apple in the past, has sputtered twice with the unveiling of its iTunes phone. Maybe Apple should start partnering with its competitors, On the subject of IBM, what happened!?!? Back in July 2003, Steve promised 3GHz inside of a year and now, nearly two years later, we’re still 500MHz away. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with missing a goal, but Apple and IBM seems to have all but forgotten it existed. And it’s been nearly a year since the Power Mac has seen a speed bump. And finally, someone should start an iPod recycling company, With four million sold in three months, there are going to be an awful lot of discarded iPods in a year or so. Perhaps a modern art exhibit can be opened. Or maybe they can be donated to starving rap artists in need of bling. Michael Simon is a freelance writer and editor, and paginator for The Times in Pawtucket, R.I. He is the author of Failed Attempt, written under the moniker of Morlium, which may be purchased for $9.99, either through the iTunes Music Store or as a full-color paperback. He can be reached for comment or inquiry by e-mail at morlium@mac.com. Random Thoughts Part OneRandom Thoughts Part One 03/21/2003 11:24 AM When I was getting ready to go to work (school work, not Unsanity work) this morning I had a crazy... Random thoughts Version 34.5Random thoughts Version 34.5 12/03/2003 02:37 PM There are rare moments in my life where for a second everything becomes completely clear to me and I understand... How random is the iPod shuffle function,
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