The announcement of the new iPod shuffle was accompanied by talks of the new ear buds, as expected. Just thinking about it, not having other choice except Apple headphones is not exactly nice, but some product manufacturers have already began working on this apparently.

However, as much as we would want to see other options for the iPod shuffle, there is one tiny detail worth mentioning: they won’t be able to produce the headphones without Apple’s OK, due to some restrictions that will make unlicensed headphones impossible to work.

As it has recently been reported, third party headphones will only work with the new iPod only if they contain an Apple authentication chip, which of course will add up to their price.

The new iPod shuffle has no controls on the device itself. They are implemented on the headphone system, making it impossible for regular headphones to work. They can be used however, but users will only be able to listen to music playing automatically, without having any control over it.

There would be another way, the source mentioned also said: third-party remote control adapters, which would cost no less than $19, but might also cost more than $29.

I can’t really say this comes as a surprise to me, since this is just part of Apple’s regular way of doing business. The bad news is that no matter the backstage arrangements, the consumer will be the one to pay the most for it. Nice going Apple!