I just got wonderful news from Apple: that the iPod Shuffle (2nd gen) is now $49. I’ve owned a Shuffle for just over a year and love it!

Several students have asked why I don’t want a “better” iPod. The Shuffle is perfect for me, for several reasons:

  • The clip is handy for wearing the Shuffle while I listen.
  • I love listening to my songs on shuffle. For podcasts, I usually load them on as the first several tracks then use the triple-play-press to go to the first track.
  • Huge song capacity is meaningless to me because I’m never far from my laptop.
  • I want to listen to music, not play movies.
  • The battery lasts more than 10 hours, the time it takes me to drive from Atlanta to my hometown, Melbourne, Florida.

My original Shuffle was stolen off my desk at school about a week ago, a frustrating happening, to be sure. This price drop, therefore, came as welcome news.

To avoid being that person, I’m going to shut up now about how much I love this gadget. Go buy a Shuffle, if you want.