I think I’m officially an old man, as I’m now totally stunned by how small and how powerful mp3 players can be.

The new iPod Shuffle was revealed today, and it’s probably the tiniest one yet, with a 4GB storage capacity (at just $80).  As you can see from the photo above, there are no buttons on the Shuffle, with nary a design to be seen on the product.  Essentially, the player has been reduced to a plastic clip.

So, how do you control it?  2 ways.  One, the integrated controls on the new Apple headphones (first seen with the most recent iPod Touch & iPhone revisions), and the other, more interesting way is…IT TALKS TO YOU.

That’s right, using what’s called VoiceOver, the shuffle reads off track titles and playlist titles, so you know what’s about to play. Honesty, based on the samples on Apple’s site, it’s just the basic MacSpeak voice, which interrupts the first few seconds of the song.  Me thinks that it’s going to divide and irriate fans.

Either way, I look forward to the next revision of the iPod Shuffle, which is just a pair of earbuds.  You know it’s coming.

Original Post: Apple - iPod shuffle - The first mp3 player that talks to you.