Review: iPod shuffle

ScottW

ScottW

Founder
Staff member
MY HISTORY & iPod Background

As a long time Mac and prior to that Apple II user, I have had a case of "late adopter blues" when it comes to Apple products. I was late migrating to the Macintosh from the Apple II, I was late adopting to the Newton, and the iPod ranks up as a late adopter.

In fact, only did I become an iPod user in the last 5 months. I enjoy music, but I am not a hard core music guy. My new job gives me the opportunity and almost demands that I listen to something in my headphones. Helps me focus when things get a little loud, especially when your easily distracted like myself.

Only having a 3GB music library, my 2G iPod (10GB) had more than enough space for all my music. Battery life was 4-6 hours, lasted for 2 days usually before I needed a new charge. Once I got the 4G iPod (20GB) I was even more in love. Much better batter life, nicer screen, plus it was new, my 2G was heavily loved - scratched to no end by the previous owner.

The thing I dislike about the iPod is the "gold" it is made of. It is like a little baby you carry around. You have to have a little basket to put it in and strap it in, a car seat for it. When you put it in your laptop bag, it has it's own compartment. When you pull it out and lay it on the desk to jam at work, you find yourself looking for something soft to put it on. When you get up to leave, you take it or hide it. When you go to swing around in your chair to answer a question or jump into a conversation, you have to pick it up and hold onto to it, cause it's heavy and who wants it to fall on the floor when your headphone cord isn't 12 ft long. I don't want to put it on while doing yard work... it's so precious.

I also find that I have what I call, My Favorite song list. It has 80 songs, about 350 mb worth of space. I listen to it all the time. I also turn my iPod on, it's already set to shuffle, I select the same playlist each time, and hit play. I never look at the screen again. On rare, and I mean rare occasions, I have listend to an old CD I hadn't listened to in a long time.

THE IPOD FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME... SHUFFLE AND GO!

When Apple released the iPod shuffle, the price grabbed my attention first. $99. WOW. $149, WOW. Secondly, it was a USB drive, 2.0 no less. Being the owner of 128mb 1.1 USB Flash drive, I have horror flashes when I pull it out to use it for something. Recently a co-worker had a 1GB flash drive USB 2 and I copied some stuff over for him and fell in love. It was fast. So, for only $30 more than a 1GB USB drive, I could have an Apple iPod that did what I do on my regular iPod, how could anything be any better?

So, I bought two. A 512 and 1GB, one for my wife, one for me.

We both love our iPod shuffles. So much I sold my other two iPods. I have yet to charge it, still shows a green light. I can wear it around my neck and spin around in my desk chair for hours in 100 different directions and I don't even notice I have it on me. I can now forge ahead on yard work or house work and jam along without fear.

No screen? Perfect for me. Hard to use? Not at all. Best of all, it plugs into my windows laptop at work and I can copy files to it, and then bring it home and copy files off on my Mac. Something I couldn't do with my Mac formatted iPod (2G & 4G).

Heck, I even might just go outside and throw my shuffle as far as I can just because I can. It probably won't even get a scratch (assuming it landed in the grass). Try that with the any other iPod.
 
ScottW said:
Heck, I even might just go outside and throw my shuffle as far as I can just because I can. It probably won't even get a scratch (assuming it landed in the grass). Try that with the any other iPod.
Click to expand...

First night of owning mine, I set it next to the bed. Had the lanyard attached to it btw.

Woke up the next morning and couldnt find it. Turned out the cats were playing with the shuffle all night, grabbing the lanyard and hauling ass around the house with it playing a feline version of catch.

Not a mark on the shuffle (hardwood floors and stairs were involved). Then again, I'm convinced they wanted to hear the Mingus and Monk and were on the shuffle... they just didnt have thumbs.

Now I'm a jaded Mac user, my job itself puts me in contact with a TON of Apple products, but the shuffle is probably the first "device" that really makes me think "this is cool".

Regards,

Dorn.
 
Dorn said:
First night of owning mine, I set it next to the bed. Had the lanyard attached to it btw.

Woke up the next morning and couldnt find it. Turned out the cats were playing with the shuffle all night, grabbing the lanyard and hauling ass around the house with it playing a feline version of catch.
Click to expand...
Funniest thing I've heard in ages. :D

This iPod shuffle is definitely the best iPod I've ever used.

What's great about it:
  • The buttons have been beautifully designed and manufactured. Very easy to press (but at the same time the buttons don't get pressed accidently in my pocket - as was the case with the 3G iPod - so I never have to worry about using "Hold" mode at all) and very intuitive.

    I can use the iPod shuffle without even having to take it out of my pocket (e.g. when I want to go back a song) - moreso than with any other iPod I've ever used.
  • It's ridiculously light. When I do want to take it out of my pocket, I can just pull it out by tugging the earphone wire.
  • The battery life is great. It hasn't it run out on me before the end of the day yet.
What I think could be added/improved:
  • Separate playlists
  • The time gap for fast forwarding/rewinding is way too short - makes scrubbing through an audiobook a bit painful
  • Ability to automatically repeat a single song
  • Add a cap that allows you to attach the iPod shuffle to your keyring (I do this now, via cutting the lanyard and threading a string, but this solution is a little clunky. I'd prefer some kind of metal ring).
  • The fit of the iPod shuffle to my USB1.1 ports is a little off - it doesn't charge unless I use a USB extension cord (that I luckily just happened to have).
Kap
 
I just bought an iPod Shuffle 512 for my fiancee. She'll be a novice user, so I think this would be a perfect device for her, especially for her visits to the gym (daily). Scott, that was a perfect review. Exactly the kind that answers the questions that I have. So thank you for posting that.
I am now considering getting one for myself to go along with my regular iPod.
 
Not thatthe Shuffle really needs much more praise, but here's my 2 cents anyway


I didn't even WANT a Shuffle. My mother in law picked hers up (along with one for my dad in law, brother in law) the other night, and they had a couple extra that hadn't been claimed that night. so she got me one too.

I was grateful, and stoked because it was Apple. Woohoo!
I am SO IMPRESSED with this thing. I like it better than my #g 30gb iPod even.

Imagine the sales Apple will get once the nay-sayers like myself get into the...Shuffle... tee hee.
 
Scottw your review is perfect. I can imagine a lot of people get impressed by that little thing once they have the chance to play with one. :)
 
the 512 MB model I ordered weeks ago is finally in at my local mac dealer!@# going to pick it up right after work today. can't wait!
 
I have it now and have been playing with for about 90 min. it interacts with itunes and osx very well. my only complaint so far is the volume is a bit low even at the max volume.
 
blue&whiteman said:
my only complaint so far is the volume is a bit low even at the max volume.
Click to expand...
In that case, I think you're shuffle might be defective. I can't listen to my shuffle on the highest volume setting because it hurts my ears.

Kap
 
might be. can anyone think of anything that coud be causing this? I had sound check on till the second time I connected the ipod to my mac. its now off. could that be it? I will take any advice.
 
I figured out a way to get the volume much higher. its a bit tedious but works none the less.

what I did was play my shuffles playlist with the volume on all the tracks increased by 100% and also with the pre-amp up all the way and captured it all with wiretap. I then use an app called audio slicer to separate all the songs as the captured file from wiretap is all one track. I had to convert the .aiff wiretap made to mp3 so that audioslicer could separate it. it only works with mp3..

I feel much more content knowing I can listen at the volume I want.
 
Uh.... you shouldn't have to do that... there might be something wrong with your shuffle.
 
SoundCheck is not supported in the shuffles, just yet.

You do have the option to change the encoding to a lower rate though.
 
Jason said:
Uh.... you shouldn't have to do that... there might be something wrong with your shuffle.
Click to expand...

I should have clarified that my hearing is not the best. its not so bad that I am considered impaired or that I need a hearing aid. not that bad at all.. I just don't hear quite as well as most do. so it seems for me that I do need to do this.
 
Though I thought the first ipod would revolutionize the way we live, the digital wallet of the future... I think it was still a bit bulky for that. I still think that if my mini could shed a couple more milimeters have the lcd wrap around the edge and allow me to store securely with fingerprint or iris recognition all my information contained in my regular wallet( drivers license info, cc#, ss#, etc.) Yeh, everyones well if you loose it you'll be in world of hurt. Heck I loose my wallet twice a year, Im and idiot. Call of the CC people and get a new drivers license and a new sscard no biggie. Just hate loosing my womens pictures.

So, onto the shuffle. I just got mine two days ago, I love it never take it off. I actually found a razor flat pen that I attached to one of the usb caps so now I can use it as my everything. I thought swiss army made an mp3 player. Within 5 years everyone will be carrying digital wallets on laynards everything will be stored in them...The world is changing. Now only if we could fit a tampon inside this thing.
 
B&W; you may use an app calles iVolume to increase the volume of each song/record/your library. this way you wont have to run it trough audio hijack(or was it wiretap) to get the levels raised.. ivolume is a bit time consuming if you have a big collection, but at least it runs automaticly, meaning you may put it to work over night or something. using your option, trough wiretap, sounded ALOT more timeconsuming, though..

you find it at versiontracker.

alex.
 
Scott, thanks for the info. I had actually bought a 40gb iPod when I bought my iBook. Was out at lunch time and picked them up then headed back to work. Returned the iPod unopened on the way home. $400 was just too much to pay for an MP3 player regardless of the uberkool factor. And when I'm not actively mobile (sitting at work, sitting at home, on the train, etc), my iBook *IS* my iPod. I'd only want a more portable unit for when I'm walking, hiking, riding my motorcycle (which would worry me with an actively spinning hard drive in a regular Pod anyway), etc.

The shuffle has been holding my eye since Steve's Keynote speech.

Thanks to your very real-world review, concerns and info, you've convinced me to go ahead and get one. And $149 sits WAY better with me than $400. But that's just me :)
 
alexandr said:
B&W; you may use an app calles iVolume to increase the volume of each song/record/your library. this way you wont have to run it trough audio hijack(or was it wiretap) to get the levels raised.. ivolume is a bit time consuming if you have a big collection, but at least it runs automaticly, meaning you may put it to work over night or something. using your option, trough wiretap, sounded ALOT more timeconsuming, though..

you find it at versiontracker.

alex.
Click to expand...

thanks a bunch man. never heard of that app before. gonna d/l it now.
 
I too have got an ipod shuffle and it's great so easy to use and so convienient when your out and about, there is just one improvement that I would like apple to implement, it would be very easy, just requiring a reflash of the rom on the shuffle like they do with the software updates. I have a 1GIG shuffle and I find that this is enough space to store several albums and so instead of using autofill I tend to chuck loads of whole albums on their in album order, now what I think would be a great idea and would totally remove the need for ever wanting a screen would be that if while on pause you pressed skip track twice, instead of jumping songs it would just to the next album, it could see where the next album was from the tags on the AAC Files. the reason I say that it should be on pause first is because some people may want to skip 2 tracks in quick succession but I don't think anyone would want to skip tracks while the shuffle is on pause, and most people know each album well enough to figit around 10-15 songs to find the right one in an album. What do you guys think, I was thinking of suggesting this to apple, how would I go about doing that?
Cheers
 
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