PC Pro is reporting the likelihood of Apple to phase out its current Shuffle lineup to concentrate on its Nano series of portable music players. According to the article, the move can come as soon as next week's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.

The website bases its speculation on several key factors, including: "The 1GB version of the player is no longer available through the UK version of the online Apple Store and has been out of stock in the US since mid-December. The iPod shuffle was Apple's first flash-based portable music player and immediately became the number one seller. However, it has since been largely eclipsed by the iPod nano."

Strictly speaking, the Shuffle is a product that you either love or hate. With the introduction of the Nano, which has been stealing much of the thunder as far as Apple's MP3 players go, it seems reasonable that the company would want to phase out the lower-end model. Guess we'll have to wait and see if this is true.

[Via, PC Pro UK]