[teney7]

Perhaps no one cares at all about the shuffle now that nano is out, but I was curious as to what people think the future of the shuffle is... whether it will be phased out, price reduced, or left alone.... I imagine Apple will take some action with it by Christmas because I think nano has eliminated at least half of shuffle's market..

[PurpleGiant]

1gb and 2gb shuffle at current prices. Released when 4gb and 6gb nano's are out.

[k squared]

I would think that they could get thinner and an small increase in size, probably up to 1 GB and 2GB capacities. Colors possibly too.

[dampeoples]

I think it depends on flash memory prices, unless they take advantage of the deal they had with the memory provider (I seem to recall a story on this), and lower the prices for the holiday season to a can't refuse price point.

[rozwado1]

I don't think they will make the shuffles any smaller bc they have to be able to held comfortably. Memory increases for the next 2 updates or so, then maybe a hardware or UI update.

The shuffle's not going anywhere bc it's a perfect gift for kids to shut them the hell up when they keep yelling that they want an iPod.

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by rozwado1

I don't think they will make the shuffles any smaller bc they have to be able to held comfortably. Memory increases for the next 2 updates or so, then maybe a hardware or UI update.

The shuffle's not going anywhere bc it's a perfect gift for kids to shut them the hell up when they keep yelling that they want an iPod.

Bought my daughter a 512MB model for her 7th birthday. The perfect gift. She loves it, its durable and she can trick it out with different color sleeves (which she changes every few days). And its really easy for her to use, since her reading skills aren't quite up to handing a full text system like the bigger iPods. When she wants something new on it, she'll hand it to me and I'll put it on it for her.

Except she's made off with my nice Bose headphones...

[Eriamjh]

The shuffle will die eventually... when the nano can be sold for $99.

[red rocket]

There'll always be a place for the shuffle, if only for the reason that some people don't want a screen on their iPod. Shuffle never dies.

[ajprice]

Shuffle will have a market because its a USB memory stick as well as an iPod. As was said above, capacity increase when Nano hits 4/6 gig. Not much else they can change, its a very simple product. Maybe Shuffle 2 will somehow combine the headphones into the lanyard, a la the Nano accessory headphones.

My mum bought a Shuffle because she wantd a USB stick, I shown her a Shuffle and said that its an iPod too, and works with iTunes, and she was sold. That and the fact that she paid £50 instead of £69!

[ort888]

They need to get the price down to $49 bucks. That would be a killer move.

[teney7]

Originally Posted by ort888

They need to get the price down to $49 bucks. That would be a killer move.

Yes... that's what I'm talking about... even maybe 79 or 69 for the 512 MB...

[ort888]

$69 and $99 would be good. I don't think large capacity is ever going to be a selling point for the shuffle.

The key features are price and durability. (in my opinion anyway)

[alligator]

They are perfect for kids. I'm tempted to give my kids a shuffle each (or my old one). They can't break anything, and they are very easy to use.

[Scandalous Ion Cannon]

I think they will just make it cheaper and smaller. I still see a place for it as it is very durable, cheap and light.