Apple’s latest iPod Shuffle design is really, truly, wearable. It’s like a pair of eye glasses in that, once you find a little spot to clip it in place, you can safely wear it all day, never having to futz with it or manage it, just listen to it as if it’s not even there. It has no weight that you can feel and a strong metal clip that keeps it in place. The remote controls are very practical, enough that you can thread your earbud cables under your clothes, yes under, safe in knowing it’ll be a long time before you have to pull your iPod out of place, giving you the freedom to pull on and off sweaters and jackets without having to do the usual cable dance. The little remote hangs next to your neck, just under your chin and with a quick squeeze between your thumb and forefinger you can change tracks and pause the audio, all on the sly.

Do I really need an iPod this small? Do I really need my iPod to talk to me in a computerized voice? I didn’t think so when the new Shuffle was first announced, I thought it was gimmicky, but having used it now I can say yes. Yes, apparently I do, it actually serves a purpose.

It really is small. It’s priced at $99 and holds 4GB (1,000 songs), but is smaller than a AA battery or a household key. Smaller than a broken off section of a Kit Kat bar, and small enough to need extra care to keep from losing it. If you have a difficult time holding on to earrings, tie clips, or cufflinks, then it’s not for you I’m afraid. Speaking of tie clips, the metal clip on the back is similar to the ones they use for tie clips, very rigid with a strong hinge that requires a lot of pressure to open. Once it grips, it doesn’t want to let go.

There are no buttons, just the headphone jack and a single On/Off switch that can also be used to turn on the Shuffle mode. The rest of the device is blank, a tall, slim, keychain-sized mini monolith that Apple is offering in both silver and black. Well, the black is more of a charcoal which leads to this little disclaimer I found printed on the back of the Shuffle’s packaging:

“Like a fine pair of jeans, iPod Shuffle colors may vary and change over time”

Faded jeans can look cool. A faded iPod Shuffle might not. We’ll have to wait and see.

Since there are no buttons on the player itself, the only way to control the music playback is with the included earbuds and the tiny hands-free controls molded into their cabling. Yes, you can use other headphones with the shuffle, but only to listen to the music. Since they do not include Apple’s proprietary controls, you won’t be able to change the volume or skip tracks. Other manufacturers will be releasing their own headphone styles with Shuffle controls molded into their cables, but for now Apple’s own signature white earbuds, and only the ones sold for this new Shuffle, are the only option.

A hands-free iPod, one without any controls, is by design only capable of working with a hands-free headset. It’s unavoidable. There is a case to be made that the trade-off is worth the limitation as the hands-free controls are very simple and work really well.

One squeeze of the little white rectangle pauses or plays your music. Two squeezes advances to the next track and three squeezes skips back to the previous track. Hold down to hear the computer voice read off the song title, and hold even longer to have it list the available playlists with a single squeeze to select which one to play. Squeeze the very top end of the control, the one pointing to your face, to raise the volume, and then again on the very bottom of the controls to lower the volume. You’ll pick it up very quickly and it will soon become second nature to use.

According to my conversation with Apple, they were inspired to try this system from the positive feedback they received about the hands-free earbuds that were included with the iPhone. In addition to accepting in-coming calls, the headset can also be used to control music playback and, according to Apple, most iPhone users took to it well enough that they felt they could make an iPod out of it. Honestly, I never used it much with my iPhone, but with the new Shuffle it makes sense.

To help users identify the songs that are playing, Apple has added a new feature called VoiceOver, a computerized voice that will announce the name of the song for you. It’s actually quite subtle, only speaking when you call upon it, and politely lowering the volume briefly while it makes its announcement, which can also include the status of the battery and the names of your playlists.

There’s only one default voice available, but interestingly it’s different depending on what kind of user you are. English users on a Mac get “Alex” a male voice that comes pretty close to natural in tone. I know Alex, it’s the same voice used by Delicious Library to read off my book titles and it’s a voice that, in tone, actually seems interested in what it’s trying to say. English users on a PC will get “Microsoft Anna”, a modulated, often broken female voice that, while understandable, isn’t as useful as the Mac one. Other computerized voices, both male and female, are included to take on the same tasks for thirteen other languages including French, German, Polish, Mandarin, Japanese, Dutch, and Italian. When English users play songs that have words from other languages in their titles, these alternate voices will automatically step in to take over VoiceOver duties for just those words, an effect that’s quite startling at first.

It’s a feature I actually use, and no, not just to show off as a novelty, but actually in the middle of a hour’s worth of listening as one of the few songs in my collection that I don’t know off by heart comes on and yes, having that voice quickly tell me what I’m listening to, well, it is useful.

The shocker is the battery life. Apple’s specifications list “up to 10 hours”, and their products typically fall short of that, but in my tests this time with the new Shuffle I measured thirteen hours, far more than I expected.

The new Shuffle uses a special 3.5 mm to USB cable for charging and syncing. 

They’ve added a new feature to the battery which I also like, if you quickly flick the switch off and then on, the battery status light emits a different colour to let you know how much life is left. Green for 50% or more, orange for 25%, and red for when the battery is nearly drained completely.

The 3rd Generation iPod Shuffle is designed to be worn and used hands-free. Think of it as an iPod for Secret Service Agents. It stays hidden amongst your clothes and you need only bring your hand up to your neck briefly to squeeze the controls. That’s the idea and it performs that task really well. In the short term, yes, it needs a wider selection of headphones and voices for PC users, and those will come, but the more important consideration is that Apple has effectively eliminated most of the management needed to wear and use a digital music player.