[July 4th]

Actually, Microsoft is just advising against crappy flash players. The Shuffle is all marketing, no product. Nothing against Apple - the iPods are great - but the Shuffle is a total technological waste.

[MAEsser]

the iPods are great - but the Shuffle is a total technological waste.

I'm with you on the shuffle, but I think the iPods are pretty much a waste of cash, too. The only thing it's got going for it is the ClickWheel. The sound is pathetic, the features are sparse. And support? Apple still has yet to determine why the November iTunes update causes a "corrupt file, run chkdsk" error on 4th generation players...

I got myself an iRiver H320. In addition to playing MP3s with sharp audio clarity, I can record my classes @ 128 kps, listen to FM radio, view text files, watch movies and look at pictures on its brilliant color screen. All for the low, low price of $260.

[Terpfen]

The Shuffle is based on marketing, yes--Apple's market research told them that most people only load a few mp3 files on their player and use the Shuffle feature exclusively. So, they responded to what their market was doing, and they've made thousands of dollars off it.

Now, if you're not a casual user of technology, you're going to hate the Shuffle. But for people who just want something to listen to--which is most of the music player market--the Shuffle is perfect.

I wish people would stop ignorantly bashing the Shuffle. You don't like it, don't buy it, simple as that.

[antiRepublicrat]

. The Shuffle is all marketing, no product.

I wouldn't buy one, but it's apparently the "nothing" that is popular among runners. At .78 ounces, you can't even feel it hanging around your neck on a lanyard. And runners aren't about to stop to fiddle with a display -- they just want music while they run with the smallest, lightest product possible.