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Hi, author here! Interesting question! Martin Fiedler briefly addresses this topic in a comment on his blog post about shuffling algorithms (https://keyj.emphy
by pncnmnp 3y ago
Hi, author here! Interesting question!
Martin Fiedler briefly addresses this topic in a comment on his blog post about shuffling algorithms (https://keyj.emphy.de/balanced-shuffle/ https://keyj.emphy.de/balanced-shuffle/)
> Apple has a so-called “smart shuffle” algorithm, but this merely puts higher-rated tracks in front of lower-rated ones. So basically, it’s just random shuffle, followed by a sort-by-rating operation. I don’t know of any product (software or hardware) that uses some kind of smart, balanced or whatever-you-like-to-call-it shuffle based on the principles I described in the text.
I'm not sure what they are using today.
- batch12 3y agoWhat kind of categorization did they use to keep it from just becoming a sort? By artist?
- pncnmnp 3y agoI just found this 2009 research paper written by a group of statisticians titled 'Does Your iPod Really Play Favorites?' (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jessica-Culhane/publication/227368948_Does_Your_iPod_Really_Play_Favorites/links/5766fb8b08aedbc345f5f4db/Does-Your-iPod-Really-Play-Favorites.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jessica-Culhane/publica...). In this paper, they test different probability models to detect bias in iPod's shuffling algorithm and eventually conclude that: > Our statistical tests show the long-term occurrences of these events are within expectations under the assumption of a random shuffle." Regarding sorting by artists or groups, they found that: > We failed to find any evidence to support the claim of users like Steven Levy of favoritism of certain groups in the shuffle.
- batch12 3y agoNo, I mean if you order from most to least popular it's always the same. Did they pick a random artist then sort the artist's tracks by popularity?