The Best Holiday Gift Idea, Mac Or Windows.

We saw it during Steve Jobs’ special event announcement. We’ve seen it on TV.

When you see it in person, you’ll know why you may not be able to buy one-- Apple’s hottest gift idea ever.

Apple is now shipping the new iPod shuffle. Let me be the first to dub the shuffle as the Microsoft Zune Killer.

This is the iPod that’s the perfect gift and one reason why they’re hard to find on some retailer’s shelves.

There’s a reason why Mac360 chose the shuffle as the grand prize in Quotable Quotes and Quips Contest. Cool.

If ever there was an Apple-designed product that just oooozes and secretes cool, it’s the diminutive iPod shuffle; the new one.

I got my first chance to see the shuffle at the Apple Store in St. Louis. It looks much smaller than you may think.

Jack held it next to his watch. It was the same size as the top of his watch.  The little clip makes it the perfect iPod for wearing at work and while exercising.

It’s so small, many people may not notice it, if it were not for the need to wear ear buds.

The specifications for Apple’s $79 mini-wonder don’t do justice to the actual ”hold in your hand” reviews.

The iPod shuffle isn’t a cheapo plastic iPod wannabe. It’s sleek looking anodized alumnium, just like a MacBook Pro.

It weighs half an ounce. It comes with a USB dock for charging. It’ll play music for up to 12 hours and hold about 240 songs.

I figured that my iPod plays around 15 songs an hour, so that’s a full 12 hours without a song repeat.

Today’s electronic toys are all about thunder and lightning-- the buzz and cool factor, the gee whiz and warm and fuzzies.

That’s what the iPod shuffle is all about and absolutely everything Microsoft’s Zune is not about.

The iPod shuffle will be the sleeper hit of the holiday shopping season for Apple. Think of it as the Zune Killer.

So, you’re thinking, ”Wait a minute, Carol. That’s not comparing Apples to oranges.” Or Apples to brown bricks that look like Thanksgiving aftermath.

True, they’re not comparable products in features or size. The big difference is that millions more people will want and buy an iPod shuffle than will even understand what Zune means in some languages, let alone buy one.

I’m certain that Apple is ramping up production as rapidly as possible and they need to. This little loudbox will be the hit of the season.

Make your way to a store that has an iPod shuffle in stock, hold it in your hand, and tell me you’re not impressed.

There’s only so much room in the average shopper’s mindset for worthy gift ideas for the holidays. Goodbye, Zune. You’re done for the season.

See you next year. Maybe. Oh, and what’s with the ”brown?”

Off Topic Note: What is it about her Mac that caught Kate MacKenzie’s hair on fire? Somehow or another she fell out of love with her Mac and rushed into the arms of Windows Vista. Read the details about her American Tragedy.