Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Random design decisions from Apple
I think this is the first example of a product's usability (or lack of it) being used to make a statement about lifestyle. Apple's new iPod Shuffle is a wise move for the company - it's cheap, does exactly what it says on the box, and it hooks into the Cult of Mac coolness that sells them so many of their products. But wait a minute, let's just check out exactly what it says on that box... in a move that I'm sure was originally motivated by the need to keep down costs, the iPod shuffle comes without a screen. Hmm, so how do you choose your tracks? You don't. They're either random, or consecutive. You can skip, but only to the next track. Apple market this as a way to embrace a more liberating lifestyle.
Now I really don't know what I make of this, so I'm eager for comments. I think I like the idea, but where's the usability that Apple are so famous for? with over 100 songs on this player, I know I'd definitely want to be able to do more than skip through them one-by-one. Other players, such as the Creative Muvo, offer pretty much the same storage for about the same price, and they have a screen. Which one would you buy?
I think this is the first example of a product's usability (or lack of it) being used to make a statement about lifestyle. Apple's new iPod Shuffle is a wise move for the company - it's cheap, does exactly what it says on the box, and it hooks into the Cult of Mac coolness that sells them so many of their products. But wait a minute, let's just check out exactly what it says on that box... in a move that I'm sure was originally motivated by the need to keep down costs, the iPod shuffle comes without a screen. Hmm, so how do you choose your tracks? You don't. They're either random, or consecutive. You can skip, but only to the next track. Apple market this as a way to embrace a more liberating lifestyle.
Now I really don't know what I make of this, so I'm eager for comments. I think I like the idea, but where's the usability that Apple are so famous for? with over 100 songs on this player, I know I'd definitely want to be able to do more than skip through them one-by-one. Other players, such as the Creative Muvo, offer pretty much the same storage for about the same price, and they have a screen. Which one would you buy?
Comments:
I'd use the iPod Shuffle. On my current iPod (2G), when I'm not actually at my workstation (say, working out, washing dishes, etc.) I'm almost always listening to a random playlist of 4- and 5-star songs. On the rare occasion that this isn't the case, I'm listening to an album straight through. I only use the screen when selecting the playlist; after that, I just use the remote to change the volume or skip ahead to the next track.
The fact of the matter is that it isn't about price. Many of the products are about the look and style. Who cares if you can't see the tracks. It's 512mb-1gb of music. That would be around 10 albums for me. I'm hardly gonna have to worry about the next track.
Randomness is better anyway. I only ever stop using party shuffle if I hear something on the radio or watched a film and want to listen to a specific album.
If you want to pick and choose your tracks, get an iPod or at least an iPodmini. The motivation was a justified need to keep costs low. If you are thinking it was unjustified then you may as well have said that the price of the iPodmini should have been dropped.
The muvo is available on some websites for £74.99 before shipping. It doesn't really have the style. It looks very complex when the most you're going to do is press next.
Essentially its down to use. If you're going to be a music power user, such as a commuter or a active cyclist, then get an iPod with all the screen and power of playlists. If you're popping down to the shops, walking the dog, or walking to work then you aren't really going to be bothered with seeing what track is next; you'll likely know what is next because you've created the playlist.
Randomness is better anyway. I only ever stop using party shuffle if I hear something on the radio or watched a film and want to listen to a specific album.
If you want to pick and choose your tracks, get an iPod or at least an iPodmini. The motivation was a justified need to keep costs low. If you are thinking it was unjustified then you may as well have said that the price of the iPodmini should have been dropped.
The muvo is available on some websites for £74.99 before shipping. It doesn't really have the style. It looks very complex when the most you're going to do is press next.
Essentially its down to use. If you're going to be a music power user, such as a commuter or a active cyclist, then get an iPod with all the screen and power of playlists. If you're popping down to the shops, walking the dog, or walking to work then you aren't really going to be bothered with seeing what track is next; you'll likely know what is next because you've created the playlist.
The Beosound 2 from Bang and Olufsen, released way back in May 2002, and flattered by Apple in January 2005 by Apples boffins. Also sans screen, but Beosound doesn't capitulate usability to pop philosophy and lets you navigate between playlists (but doesn't have random play at all).
It is not the first time Apple have been inspired by the little Danish company either. Bang and Olufsen were first with the wheel interface, which was introduced way way back in 1998 on the BeoCom 6000.
It is not the first time Apple have been inspired by the little Danish company either. Bang and Olufsen were first with the wheel interface, which was introduced way way back in 1998 on the BeoCom 6000.
If you can wait until around the 25th of this month I can tell you how good the iPod Shuffle is (sounds like a dance doesn't it?).
I've bought the 1GB version that's £20 less than the Creative Muvo. (It seems wrong to pay less for something that's better?)
My aim is to use if for jogging and as a "commuter player". From what I gather you can put random music on it from iTunes and prioritise the files you rate highly. So in theory you would rarely skip as the files are ones you like.
Could be something to look at for the HCI 2 module...
I've bought the 1GB version that's £20 less than the Creative Muvo. (It seems wrong to pay less for something that's better?)
My aim is to use if for jogging and as a "commuter player". From what I gather you can put random music on it from iTunes and prioritise the files you rate highly. So in theory you would rarely skip as the files are ones you like.
Could be something to look at for the HCI 2 module...
I don't think it's a poor HCI decision to not have a screen. The iPod Shuffle fits into a previously unfilled niche in the iPod line up, specifically, an audience that don't need mass storage (the iPod is afterall a very good firewire storage device) or the ability to constantly select the song to play. An example already cited is jogging, commuting (not driving of course!) and sitting in boring lectures (only kidding) The owner has the choice of setting up playlists on their Mac or PC in iTunes before downloading to the iPod Shuffle. There is already a mini iPod for users that want a screen and more control over which songs are played.
So in terms of HCI, a very simple interface, the ability to start, pause, skip or stop music seems entirely fit for purpose. However what's probably not so cool is the series of blinking LEDs that signify charging state, pause, etc. They're likely to be not so intuitive and will take some getting used to.
My daughter (17) persuaded me to buy her one, which I'm actually quite pleased about 'cos it means I get my 1st gen firewire version back!
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So in terms of HCI, a very simple interface, the ability to start, pause, skip or stop music seems entirely fit for purpose. However what's probably not so cool is the series of blinking LEDs that signify charging state, pause, etc. They're likely to be not so intuitive and will take some getting used to.
My daughter (17) persuaded me to buy her one, which I'm actually quite pleased about 'cos it means I get my 1st gen firewire version back!
(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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