If there's ever been a company that could be more accurately described as a ‘Marmite' brand, we're yet to see it. Apple has been wowing and irritating audiences across the globe in equal measure since the first iPod arrived and gave the ‘philes something they could really crow about, but the rest of us often find ourselves talking about much of the range through gritted teeth.

One of the reasons for this is the company's often quizzical pricing strategy which, when compared to like-for-like rivals, appears to have a 20 percent or so mark-up simply for the privilege of touting one of its minimalist albino designs.

It appears as though this tactic is starting to affect sales, though we've probably got Creative (with its excellent Zen Stone) to thank for this as well. In short, the iPod shuffle has undergone a price drop to £32 for the 1GB version and £45 for then 2GB.

It's still not as cheap as the Stone, or the Sansa Clip for that matter, but the price difference is now negligible enough for the white-earphoned posse to justify sticking with their brand.