First Shuffle still the most fab?

There are 4GB worth of reasons to love Apple’s new and very small iPod Shuffle. But there is one reason why I don’t – lack of controls on the player.

In making the new Shuffle so small, Apple’s designers decided to ship some of the heft to the earphones – smart, really. The new Shuffle relegates crucial controls like volume, song selection and play functions to a captive control strip attached to Apple’s earphones.

So you are pretty much stuck, unless other earphone makers start making earphones with Shuffle controls (Monster has already said it will roll out a series).

I don’t know about you, but having owned at least half a dozen iPods since shelling out for the original 5GB mechanical scroll wheel grandfather back in 2001, I’ve never found Apple’s bundled headphones to be as good as what’s out there, and have always promptly replaced them as soon as I got the iPod.

I’ve not yet try the new headphones on this Shuffle, so they could well surprise me, but Apple’s track record doesn’t give me confidence.

I’ve owned two Shuffles so far and the first generation model is still my favourite.

I love the way it plugs into the USB port sans cable, and its garage cool look. The lack of polished bling is just dandy with me. The song navigation controls, because they sit at the end of a long stick, makes activating them very easy, as your fingers have a hand-hold to grip firmly, much like using a remote control.

To me, this model is still the most ergonomic iPod that’s ever made by Apple for exercise nuts, especially if you, like me, am an inveterate track changer. It is simply a great runner’s iPod.

So Apple, how about refreshing the form factor of the first-generation iPod – with an 8GB capacity, perhaps? After all, it is only twice as big as the new Shuffle.