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Technology Lifestyle iPod shuffle replacement at Macworld?
Technology Lifestyle iPod shuffle replacement at Macworld? | iPod shuffle replacement at Macworld? |
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| by Stephen Withers | |
| Monday, 03 December 2007 | |
      
Last week I noted that a supermarket was selling iPod shuffles for $A10 below the RRP. Over the weekend, I saw a privately owned consumer electrical store offering them for less than $A70. Both businesses were offering a small colour choice at those prices The sub-$70 shuffle might have been a serious loss leader aimed at getting people into the shop with the hope of doing some upselling. But I suspect there is an element of stock clearance and that this Christmas will be the last gasp for the current range. Apart from any other considerations, that near-$A100 RRP is looking rather expensive for a 1G music player, especially one that doesn't have a screen. This is no more than an educated guess, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Steve Jobs' Macworld Expo keynote in January includes the announcement of a new generation of iPod shuffles with double the memory and new colours: if you've got it, flaunt it - right? It's possible that the refresh may go even further and include a small display that's just big enough to provide traditional iPod navigation. With 2G of storage, relying on predetermined playlists or the random play feature doesn't seem as attractive. If a mini-display was included, any new colours planned could be held off for later in the year when the device next needs a boost. But Apple could probably get away with a price of $A119 (the original price of the clip-style shuffle when it was introduced around 15 months ago) for a 2G-plus-screen variant and still remain competitive with similar devices from other well-regarded brands. |
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