iPod shuffle replacement at Macworld?

Stephen Withers
Monday, 03 December 2007 09:52

Opinion and Analysis

The current iPod shuffle may be nearing the end of its life.

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.