New Apple iPod Shuffle: Don't Leave Work Early to Get It

— -- If you're currently calculating the quickest route to your local Apple store to snag the new iPod Shuffle, you might want to do something more productive with your time. Though Apple announced that the third-generation Shuffle would be available in its retail stores immediately, calls to Apple flagship stores around the country proved otherwise.

This morning, the San Francisco store told us that the Shuffle would be in house "sometime this week." I called again, when their last shipments for the day are arriving, and got a different answer: It could be coming as late as next week. Other stores said they weren't sure when the Shuffle would be arriving, but "hopefully" it would be in by Friday. One store even quipped that it could be coming tomorrow -- or next month.

When the new iPod Nano, iPod Touch and iPod Classic debuted last fall, Apple played a similar game. They wouldn't tell us when the product would arrive and gave us the same vague response when we asked. But last time, the products actually did come to stores when Apple promised -- just later in the day.

I am baffled as to why Apple would announce immediate in-store availability, but not actually deliver. There was no leaked information or rumors about a new Shuffle prior to Wednesday morning and honestly, it felt like it came out of nowhere. It seems as though Apple jumped the gun a bit on this announcement.