Speaking of Apple products being sold in vaguely inappropriate places, the iPod shuffle has found its way onto a strange set of store shelves, too-- and we're not talking about Wal-Mart stocking 250,000 units (as reported by AppleInsider), although, yes, that is a little loopy, seeing as Wal-Mart's own music download store isn't compatible with the lil' gizmo. No, we're talking about a far loopier retail pairing: faithful viewer Thomas Ferraro pointed us toward a Straits Times article which claims that, starting next week, the iPod shuffle will be sold in "50 7-Eleven outlets located in major residential and commercial areas." iPod shuffles right alongside frozen burritos and the Slurpee machine? What more could you possible ask for in this life?

There is, however, a slight catch: those fifty 7-Elevens selling iPod shuffles are all in Singapore. So unless you happen to live in that particular country, the convenience of buying Apple's latest member of the iPod family while you pick up your customary early-morning cherry Slurpee (the breakfast of champions, ya know) is offset slightly by the necessity of having to visit Singapore to accomplish said task. Still, it's nice to know the option's there.

And think about it: iPods in 7-Eleven! What better indication that the iPod shuffle is priced for impulse purchasing and destined for utter consumer ubiquity? (Okay, fine, the article just happens to mention that 7-Elevens in Singapore sell full-size iPods, too, but just let us riff, okay?) If the 7-Eleven deal is just the start, then pretty soon we'll be seeing iPod shuffles sold everywhere-- at gas stations, in movie theaters, even in men's room vending machines next to that "unbreakable rubber comb." Our only concern is that if they're displayed next to the gum and candy, someone's going to buy one by accident thinking that it's a pack of Juicy Fruit, crack a tooth trying to chew the USB plug, and then sue Apple for the cost of reconstructive dental work (plus, say, an extra $100 mil for pain and suffering).

Incidentally, the article notes that sales of iPods and iPod minis at 7-Elevens in Singapore "during the festive season"-- and, you know, there's no better season around-- were 50 percent higher than originally expected. That warms the parts of our hearts commonly known as the "cockles," because we've always heard that parts of Asia have been pretty harsh to the iPod so far, with flash-based players dominating the market by a staggeringly wide margin. So to hear that the iPod was catching on in Singapore even before the iPod shuffle's release, and then to see the shuffle referred to in the Singapore press as "the most desirable digital gizmo today," well, let's just say that those cockles are getting toasty and golden-brown.

Now. Can we get shuffles into 7-Elevens in Korea? Because that whole "the iPod has 2 percent market share" thing over there still gives us the flying heebie-jeebies...