As if I didn’t lose my iPod shuffle 10 times a day already, Apple has released a new, smaller version with more capacity (4GB or 1000 of your favorite “The Fratellis” hits) and a higher price tag.

For $79, you too can own the smallest, silliest music player out there today. I may be biased because my other mp3 player is a backpack, but I stick by my critique.

This new iPod is half the size of the shuffle, uses a creepy robot voice over to announce songs if you choose and controls attached to the headphones, because you definitely won’t lose those in South Padre Spring Break ‘09.

I think it’s a good effort on Apple’s part to fix the blind sorting-through of all your  Ting Tings tracks, but it is called a shuffle for a reason.