Paul Thurrot on the iPod Shuffle –

This is a rare misstep for Apple, and, I hope, the end of the miniaturization silliness that currently grips the company. Smaller isn’t always better. Nowhere is that more true than with the iPod shuffle 3G.

I think this is another case in which Apple has sacrificed form over function.

Apple made no apologies for the lack of a screen in the Shuffle when it was first released. Now, it’s as if they’re trying to shoehorn the capabilities of an iPod with a screen into the Shuffle. This had led to an overcomplicated and frustrating method for controlling the music on the Shuffle.

Along with the newly redesigned iPod Shuffle, Apple have released a ‘Guided Tour‘ for the product. It’s very informative but I couldn’t help notice the edge Apple took when they compared the speech synthesizing on Windows to Leopard – which of course was superior.