Of all the iPods in the updated range, the one that's changed the least is the iPod shuffle; compared to its predecessor, it costs the same and offers the same capacity. No new features have been added or optional accessories included. The only change is that the old hot Caribbean-style colour scheme has gone and in its place is the icy, pastel shades of the Christmas 2007 line-up.
The new colour scheme is similar to that of the new nanos; instead of black, though, there's purple. This joins the silver, blue, green and the (Product) Red offering.
And everything that made the shuffle an appealing little device is still present. It's tiny, easy to use, features a built-in clip so you can attach it to your clothes and it's cheap.
But that's part of the problem. The shuffle has always looked poor in value next to the nano, and recent trends in the industry have served to make this even more apparent. For example, spend just £50 more and you could get a nano with four times the storage and video options.
Filling it up is quick and easy - the Autofill function, with its option to favour highly-rated tracks, makes it easy to transfer new music to the shuffle, and it's certainly fun to use. It's just that at £49 for 1GB of storage, the shuffle is expensive for what it is.
The Creative Zen Stone Plus may not boast the same tight integration with iTunes, but it costs up to £10 less for twice the storage, plus you get an FM tuner, microphone and screen.
The iPod shuffle is a decent enough device but it's poor value. We'd have been happier if it had been refreshed to 2GB with the other iPod lines, but, as it stands, it gets a lukewarm review this time around.
