Handpicked Software

Apple announced new iPods today and my old iPod died on cue, like a replicant in Blade Runner.

I’ve been pining for a new iPod since I dropped mine on the sidewalk—even though it continued to work—and I almost caved when I saw the shuffle’s unvieling at Macworld (see Macworld After-Expo Report). Today, while attempting to update my iPod with the latest iPod updater, my iPod went blank (very suspicious, I think). Dead. Kaput. Finis.

But I’ll get over it. Here’s how:

I just ordered a new 512MB iPod shuffle and some Podwave iPod Portable Speakers Version 2 from MacConnection. I didn’t bother to shop around, but this seems like a pretty good deal. The speakers were $29.88, but after a $29.88 rebate, that works out to about… free, gratis, nada. They’ve got to be worth more than that (maybe not much more; here’s a review at iPodlounge). Oh, well I guess there is shipping, but they’ve got to get that iPod to me somehow.

Here’s an Apple mystery:

If you buy a 60GB iPod Photo for $449, AppleCare is $59, or about 13% of the cost of the iPod. If you buy a 512MB iPod shuffle for $99 (Apple’s price; I paid $94.88 for mine!), AppleCare will set you back… $59. That’s 60% of the cost of the iPod! ‘Splain that (actually, I have a theory: the shuffle is disposable). And if you can explain that, I’d sure like to know why, after all these years, Apple doesn’t make a two-button mouse.