The redesigned iPod shuffle features both clickable buttons and Apple’s innovative VoiceOver technology, enabling you to easily navigate your music and playlists without ever looking at your iPod shuffle. The wearable iPod shuffle has an all-aluminum enclosure with a built-in clip and comes in five brilliant colors — silver, blue, green, orange, and pink.

“Today we look at the analysts’ Q2 2010 estimates for a product line in transition: from simple MP3 players like the classic iPod to pocket-sized computers like the iPod touch,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune.

“This quarter, the range in unit sales estimates is narrower than usual, from a high of 11.3 million from Susquehanna’s Jeff Fidacaro to a low of 9.1 million from Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster and Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty,” Elmer-DeWitt reports

“We’ll get the official numbers when Apple releases its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, April 20,” Elmer-DeWitt reports.

Full article, with a chart of individual analyst’siPod unit sales predictions, here.

“Apple is reportedly removing iPhone, iPod, and MacBook screen protectors from its online and retail stores, just a couple of weeks before the iPad hits the stand,” Sarah Jacobsson reports for PCWorld.

“Apple has yet to reveal the reason it is pulling protective products from its shelves. A popular speculation is that Apple wants to promote the idea that its product’s screens are sturdy enough that they don’t need to be protected (even though anyone who’s ever dropped an iPhone knows this is far from the case),” Jacobsson reports. “That’s no explanation for why Apple is also banning antiglare, mirrored, and privacy film, unless they also hope to promote the idea that their screens are easy to read in the sun, can double as mirrors, and have magical privacy properties.”

Jacobsson reports, “Another speculation is that the products, while popular, are hard to apply and thus have a higher rate of return than other products.”

Apple’s “latest iPhone and iPod Touch screens are surprisingly resistant to, well, everything — from finger oil to water to barbecue sauce, and don’t scratch very easily. Even my iPhone 3G (without the [3GS's] ‘oleophobic’ screen) is pretty resistant to scratches… Macworld points out that it’s probably no coincidence that Apple is pulling screen protectors right before the introduction of the iPad — but why? Could Apple be thinking of debuting its very own line of (OLEOPHOBIC) screen protectors?”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews

“A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a class-action lawsuit seeking to hold Apple Inc. responsible for possible hearing loss caused by using its popular iPod music player,” Jonathan Stempel reports for Reuters.

“The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco affirmed a 2008 district court ruling that the plaintiffs failed to show that use of the iPod poses an unreasonable risk of noise-induced hearing loss,” Stempel reports. “It also found that the plaintiffs lacked standing to allege a violation of California’s unfair competition law.”

Stempel reports, “Cupertino, California-based Apple has sold more than 220 million iPods since their 2001 launch. It provides a warning with each iPod that urges users to avoid hearing damage by setting the volume at safe levels.”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews

Julio Ojeda-Zapata (twincities.com) reports that the iPod touch “has taken classrooms by storm” in several Minnesota K-12 schools, increasing student enthusiasm and engagement and offering new ways to teach children with special needs.

The latest version of the iPhone OS allows you to have 11 pages of 16 icons, plus the four permanent icons at the bottom of the screen, for a total of 180 apps. You can actually have more than 180, though only 180 icons will be visible.

To get to the invisible apps, just do a search (press Home from the home screen), and type part of the non-visible app’s name. I don’t know how many of these invisible apps you can have, as I have not tried more than three so far.

Source: MacOSXHints

Technology Editor Peter Ha (time.com) includes both the MacBook and iPod touch among Time Magazine’s Best Travel Gadgets of 2009. Ha lauds new MacBook features like the stylish, durable unibody enclosure, efficient LED-backlit screen, built-in 7-hour battery, and consumer friendly glass trackpad. And reviewing the 32GB iPod touch, he concludes that its larger memory capacity, speedier processor, longer battery life, and useful Voice Control feature make it “perfect for long-haul flights or everyday commutes.”