A decade ago, who would have thought that the generic name for an MP3 player would be "iPod?" Or that the company making this product would be called Apple? Over the years, the Fortune 500 Company has made drastic improvements to their iPods, overtaking its competition with unique features like the click wheel., or the more recent multi-touch screen. Apple took another step forward, with the recently released third generation iPod Shuffle. This time around, it is about the size of a AA battery. Can it get any smaller? The shuffle is intended for buyers who don’t want to spend too much money on an iPod.  During these tough economic times, $79 for 4GB or 1000 songs is an excellent deal.

Thi iPod shuffle doesn’t have a screen.  It’s half the size and has two times more capacity than its predecessors.  It has vastly improved from previous generations of iPod shuffles.  This new model changes with the control systems as well. The controls are located on the headphones themselves.  Apple designed this feature to make it easier on users to change the song or volume without interrupting their activity.  Sophomore Elliot Baygan said that he likes Apple’s new controls because it comes in handy when he exercises at the YMCA.  Sophomore Joseph Delgado said, "I like the idea, but I think Apple is cheating us with the headphones, because you can only use the iPod headphones that come with it."

Critics like Delgado are complaining about the incompatibility of non-Apple headphones.  There is virtually no third party headphone on the market that will work with the shuffle.  "It’s such a shame that a company with the prestige of Apple would do this to its customers," Baygan said.  While shuffle owners will have to compromise with the headphones for now, other companies are planning to come out with compatible headphones soon.

Just like eight years ago when the iPod came out with its innovative click wheel, Apple repeated history in March when it unveiled that its new iPod shuffle can talk.  Yes, this tiny device also has a voice.  The unique feature is called VoiceOver.  With the press of a button, your iPod shuffle can now say the name of the song that is playing.  The computer-generated voice can pronounce song titles in 12 foreign languages.  "I am a fan of the iPod speaking to you,"  says Delgado. But Bagyan disagrees, "When I listen to music, I want to have a smooth transition to the next song. I don’t want some computer voice interrupting the flow of my song."

Apple advertises the shuffle as "Small talk."  No matter how small the iPod gets, it seems Apple will always come up with an even smaller version.  "I am afraid that iPods are going to break in more than one way now," says sophomore Aaron Castillo.