iLounge

Apple today announced that its second-generation iPod shuffle is now available in four new colors—blue, pink, green, and for the first time in iPod history, orange—in addition to the original silver. Like the iPod shuffle introduced last year, the new models feature 1GB of flash memory storage, an aluminum design with a built-in clip, and weigh just half an ounce. However, they are now packaged with Apple’s most recently updated iPod Earphones, rather than the predecessor model that shipped with prior shuffles. The new iPod shuffle is available immediately worldwide for $79.

Update: iLounge this morning posed several new iPod shuffle questions to Apple Vice President of Hardware Product Marketing Greg Joswiak; the answers can be found below.

Update 2: iLounge’s editors are weighing in on the new shuffle lineup in this Editorial. What do you think?

iLounge: Why release the new iPod shuffles now, as opposed to at the time of the silver model’s launch last year?

Joswiak: “It seemed to make the most sense. We felt very solid about our holiday lineup, and the results spoke for themselves. ... Now I think this is a way to make the iPod shuffle even more appealing, really play on the fact that there’s a fashion aspect to the product.”

iLounge: Why this lineup of colors, rather than going with the black or red colors that have proved so popular?

Joswiak: “What we do is we do our products in a lot of colors, and we try to pick out the best ones for our customers.”

iLounge: Why orange - the first time in iPod history for this color?

Joswiak: “It’s just gorgeous. It’s just something that’s going to look nice in fashion scenarios.” (Click on “Choose a color.” to see the orange iPod shuffle against a blue jacket and gray shirt here.)

Mr. Joswiak also confirmed that today’s shuffles include the company’s newest earbuds, and said that there were no other surprises inside the shuffles’ boxes. He also noted that this multi-colored $79 iPod presents consumers with a realistic opportunity to buy more than one color of shuffle, should they want to accessorize iPods to their clothes - a somewhat humorous but legitimate suggestion given that the only prior “low-cost” iPods available in multiple colors were the $199 iPod nano and now-discontinued $199 iPod mini.