iPod Shuffle review: Cool but compromised

The new iPod Shuffle succeeds in its leading innovation: It recites song and playlist information to you clearly and intelligibly. But the new pint-sized Apple music player is compromised in some other ways.

Having now used the new $79 device, which launched this week, here's my take on its strengths and weaknesses:

Pluses:

The voice feature works fine. This is key, since the new VoiceOver technology aims to compensate for the Shuffle's lack of a screen—its leading drawback.

A gentle squeeze on the remote—mounted on the cord for the right earbud—prompts the music to fade and a voice to announce the name of the song and artist; the song then returns to normal volume. I found the voice to be pleasant and intelligible. That's in spite of the fact I was using the device synced to a PC, in which the voice is a bit more mechanical-sounding than when the Shuffle is synced to a Mac—as this Apple demo demonstrates.

Accessing playlists is a bit less convenient, I found. To do so, you continue squeezing the remote as it begins to recite voice information. The Shuffle then begins naming the playlists you've loaded onto the device. I found the pause between each announcement a bit trying, and changing lists to be slower than on players with a screen.

Its tiny size and relatively large capacity. The Shuffle is now among the smallest 4GB players around. Less than half the size of the old Shuffle, and less squarish in shape, the device is very unobtrusive—and, perhaps, easy to lose. And its capacity, double that of the 2-GB Shuffle it replaces, allows up to 1,000 songs to be stored.

Minuses:

The lack of controls on the device itself. Despite the new Shuffle's shrunken size, there appears to be room on its top to duplicate the small (about an eight-of-an-inch wide by an inch long) controls found on the earbud cord. Had Apple added those, you wouldn't be forced to always locate and press the controls on the cord—which I found to be sometimes tricky when jogging or walking. I found it was all too easy when on the go to accidentally yank out the earbud when adjusting the controls.

The proprietary headphones. These sounded fine to me, and most other Apple headphones we've tested in the past have also been decent or better performers (see our headphone Ratings, available to subscribers).

But the fact that the 'phones hold the sole controls for the Shuffle compels you—at least until any third-party alternatives hit the market—to exclusively use them, or upgraded $79 Apple phones, which have longer earbuds. If neither is comfortable for you, or up to your sonic standards, you're out of luck. And if you lose the 'phones or leave them behind when you leave the house, you'll be unable to use the device until you get another set; the supplied 'phones cost $29 to replace.

It's pricey given its skimpy features. A $79 price tag is low for an iPod, and it isn't atypical for a 4-GB MP3 player, as our Ratings (available to subscribers) illustrate. But competing players generally offer more bells and whistles for the same price—including controls on the player and a screen.

With its bigger capacity and voice capability, this new Shuffle is more versatile than the old $49, 1-GB model, which remains available. And it's undeniably small. But its screenlessness means that, despite its voice feature, navigating music is compromised and you obviously can't use it for photos, videos, or other applications.

Given that and other factors, we recommend at least considering non-Apple players before shuffling to buy this newest iPod.

—Mike Gikas