RUMOR: Shuffle to become more colorful come January: LEDs?
Posted by Lab Rat
The iPod Shuffle is due for an update, and our source says Apple plans to release the Shuffle in an array of “fruity� flavors come January. Look for a return to the beloved iPod mini colors of old. Pink, blue, and green pastel shades will all make their triumphant returns at next year’s Macworld Expo. LoopRumors is reporting black Shuffles are likely, however we have not heard this. The introduction of a yellow or orange Shuffle is also a very real possibility, according to our source.
Recently, sales of the Shuffle have been declining. Apple is stuck in a tight spot in regard to how to update the Shuffle, says our insider. It can’t really increase the storage too much without competing with the nano, and it can’t add a screen and maintain its price point. Adding these colors may seem like a quick fix to stop the bleeding of poor Shuffle sales, however, the company has apparently been planning this for some time. When Apple killed off the hot selling (and multi-colored) iPod mini line and replaced it with the black and white iPod nanos, their goal was to create a pent up demand for all things colorful. Judging from the inflated prices of the colorful iPod minis on eBay, their plan is working.
A less reliable (but more exciting) rumor came to us via an anonymous e-mail stating the Shuffle was not going to be undergoing any color change at all, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, the source claimed the Shuffle will be getting “multi colored LED lights added under its white plastic surface, that would change while the music played, providing a mini light show.� While that sounds cool, and would no doubt increase Shuffle sales, we aren’t so sure the Shuffle would be the iPod to do that with. After all, the Shuffle is really designed for use while exercising, and you hardly have time to stare at a light show with it strapped to your arm. However, the source DOES make the point “…this light show is seen as a safety selling point by Apple, as it can be seen in the dark by drivers while joggers are out running�. I guess we’ll see in about 2 months.
For now, we say be on the lookout for a colorful assortment of 1GB and 2 GB Shuffle models at Macworld SF, and look for 6 GB and 8 GB iPod nanos. You heard it here first.
I think lights could be cool, I know I like them on my cell phone.
but they better not eat up the battery. Adding a lights “on” and “off” button would be tough on a Shuffle.
hmmm… the lights don’t seem very “Apple” to me… I could see black and white shuffles, and even bringing back the mini’s pastels. I do agree with the idea that shuffles will get upgraded to 1 and 2 GB and nanos to 4 and 6 GB.
err, 6 and 8 GB for nanos