Apple Introduces New 2GB Shuffle

     Apple lowered the price on its existing 1GB iPod Shuffle model from $79 to $49 and introduced a new 2GB model priced at $69. The move seems to be Apple’s response to the likes of SanDisk and Creative, which have unveiled lower end models with 1-4GB capacities recently. Also as I had indicated on a previous article, Apple iPod lineup was missing a crucial 2GB model and this was done to patch the obvious void. While I had expected totally new Shuffle replacements to be introduced within the first 3 months of ‘08, I still believe the capacity increase now at the end of the product life cycle for the existing Shuffle model ( 12 – 18 months ) indicates a stop-gap measure for the company as it tries to implement a transition from the older 1GB screen-less model to a new 2GB model with a screen. Apple may also drop the 1GB model altogether.

D.S.