
This year is the 20th anniversary of the iPod Shuffle's launch, and the eighth anniversary of its discontinuation. The iPhone especially made it seem pretty redundant, and I hadn't really thought about it in years – but talking to people in the tech world recently about a few trends not only put it back in my mind, it actually got me excited for what a new version of it could be.
First up: dedicated music players are having a real moment. The stalwarts of Sony and Astell & Kern, among the best MP3 players, have been joined by Chinese brands such as Fiio, HiBy, and Shanling to shake things up, bringing audiophile specs for affordable prices.