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Apple hates buttons. We know that. Perhaps that’s why Steve wears so many turtlenecks? And perhaps that’s why the newly announced iPod shuffle contains no buttons on the device itself. The new VoiceOver feature allows you to hear what song is playing, but it doesn’t allow you to navigate between songs. That functionality has been moved to the earbud cord, and that’s an epic fail.

Apple’s earbuds, after all, are not good headphones. They’re passable, nothing more than okay. I’ve tried using them, but can’t, for two reasons. First, the sound quality is subpar. Second, they don’t stay in my ears. I don’t know why, but no placement trick will prevent them from falling to my shoulders each time I turn my head. So, I buy better headphones. I’m fine with this, it’s just part of the process to me, like buying a better mouse when I get a Mac.

Now, however, you have to use the Earbuds. If you don’t, you can’t control your music. To use an iPod shuffle, I’d have to plug in the Earbuds, start the music, then unplug them and plug in real headphones. Or, would that not even work? Does unplugging the headphones stop the music on the shuffle? If so, does plugging them back in start the music back up? What if you want to plug the shuffle into a portable speaker system or auxiliary input in your car? You can’t. Simple as that.

This makes the new shuffle unusable to everyone who appreciates sound quality…for now. You can bet that multiple headphone manufacturers are licking their chops right now as they sit before the drawing board, planning to develop new models with iPod shuffle controls (or looking to add them to their current lineup). I imagine they’ll start showing up soon, and we’ll be sure to let you know what that happens. When that happens, I’ll suggest you stick with the 2G iPod shuffle if you have to go for a low end model.