Review: Apple's even-tinier Shuffle does iPod proud

— -- With apologies to Dr. Seuss, "An iPod's an iPod no matter how small."

The original $99 iPod Shuffle, released in January 2005, was smaller than a pack of gum and held about 120 songs. Its successor 20 months later dwarfed that to a money clip, and doubled song capacity. It cost $79.

Now we have the talking $79 iPod Shuffle that Apple announced Wednesday. It is closer to a tie clasp and holds roughly 1,000 songs.

Play, pause and volume controls are located in a small remote on the right earbud cord.

I've been testing the diminutive new model for just shy of a week. I like it despite a few downsides such as the lack of a display and the fact that for now you can't use your own headphones. And the first test unit Apple supplied inexplicably stopped working. To be fair, it was preproduction hardware.

Frankly my bias is toward larger players with greater song capacity and a screen that displays song titles, album art and photos. But the step-up to a 2,000-song (and video) iPod Nano is $149. And the Nano is practically a behemoth by comparison.

The lack of a screen is a shortcoming of all Shuffles. It's amazing how often I have no idea what I'm listening to even from my own collection. But a ballyhooed new VoiceOver feature that reads aloud the names of tracks, artists and playlists helps compensate, even if it's in a cadence-challenged robotic voice. The voice feature is available in 14 languages. It also tells you when battery levels are low.

Here's a closer look:

•Design.

It's hard not to be seduced by a player so tantalizingly tiny. Apple's claim for this latest Shuffle is the same as the last — that it's the smallest music player in the world. This time around, it is nearly half the size of its predecessor. It's made of anodized aluminum, weighs well under a half-ounce and measures a mere 0.70 x 1.8 x 0.3 inches.

Though Apple's previous Shuffles were relative dwarfs, too, the units practically screamed "notice me." They came in a variety of bold colors. The new 4-gigabyte flash memory Shuffle — it comes in black or silver — is almost muted by comparison. On the back is a shiny stainless steel clip with the Apple logo that lets you wear it on a lapel, shirt pocket or belt buckle. Or you can bury it in your pocket. Previous Shuffles were also wearable.

Apple is keeping the prior generation 1-GB Shuffle, now $49, in the lineup; a 2-GB $69 version goes away.

•Speak to me.

A player this small exacts compromises. The only physical control on the unit is an on-off switch, which you slide to play songs in order, or in shuffle or random mode.

The controls built into the right earbud cord are easily accessible, though I suspect some folks would prefer traditional buttons on the player itself. You can adjust volume, play or pause, skip to the next track or go to the previous one, and rapidly skim through tracks. If you hold down the center button the current song name will be read aloud. If you hold the center button and release it after hearing a tone, the various playlists will be read aloud. Click to select the one you want.

This is the first time you can take advantage of the multiple playlists you may have created in iTunes on a Shuffle, which helps you match music to your mood. Audiobooks are treated as separate playlists; podcasts are grouped together in a podcasts playlist.

The voice you hear may be male or female. Apple says iTunes automatically selects the language and best voice for song titles by examining song data and applying intelligent algorithms. If it finds a French song, for example, it will automatically speak the title and artist in French. But you can dictate which of 14 languages to use.

I've never gotten comfortable with the earphones Apple supplies with its iPods, which I have trouble keeping in my ears. Alas, for now you cannot use your own headphones with the new Shuffle, at least if you also want to adjust the volume, skip tracks and so on. Apple says third-party headphones that will work with the new player are coming. Also in the works are adapters that will let you use your current headphones.

Apple says the battery on the new Shuffle will last 10 hours, down from 12 hours in earlier models. I exceeded 11 hours in my tests. If you quickly flip the on-off switch back and forth, the voice will let you know your battery status. There's also a status light. You charge the unit by connecting a USB cable to a PC or Mac. Optional wall chargers are also available.

I can only imagine what the Apple folks in Cupertino, Calif., might dream up next: The iPod Shuffle Button? Shuffle Pinhead? Shuffle Implant?

As Apple is proving, thinking small is a really big idea.

E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com