The new iPod shuffle and special edition: Hands-on photos

You might think the new iPod shuffle was the same as the old one. Well, there's something you should know: you're right, it pretty much is. Well done. But there are a couple of changes, most notably the new colour options.

The shuffle now comes with five different paint jobs -- black, silver, green, blue and girly hippylocks pink -- and in both 2GB and 4GB capacities. There's also a new 4GB 'special edition' encased in stainless steel. This one feels quite a bit heavier, but make sure your hands are grease-free when you use it -- it picks up finger filth with the greatest of ease.

VoiceOver's still intact to read your song titles and playlists in 20 languages, and a bunch of manufacturers -- including Sony and Klipsch -- have agreed to manufacture headphones with the special shuffle remote built into their cables. Y'know, because the player still doesn't have any buttons.

All models of shuffle are on sale today and start at a pretty reasonable £45 for the 2GB model, or £59 for the 4GB models. The special-edition stainless-steel version costs £75 for 4GB. Some extra photos of all models and colours over the page.