512MB embedded flash memory holds approximately 16 hours of music at 64 Kbps (or 8 hours at 128 Kbps) * plays MP3, WAV, AAC, and Audible (2, 3, and 4) formats * Shuffle and Order modes * USB 2.0 interface (USB cap included) * earbud headphones * warranty: 1 year *
1 cool gadget, ear pieces not reliable
Got an ipod a few weeks ago.
Software worked fine with WXP (SP2)
Device really easy to use.
Took it on a trip to Argentina. Great on the airplanes.
The right side of the earphones shipped with the unit
developed a buzzing sound after a week. Don't think it
was caused by misuse. I'll try returning it to Compusa
for a new unit. Problem is the earpieces.
The neckstrap and ear piece cords tend to tangle easily.
The on switch picks up dirt. But these are minor
concerns. Recommend the device highly.
My laptop is dual boot (WXP, Linux) Under linux
you can mount the device and see all the files.
2 Why buy?
I am a human being.
Human can eat, see, touch, whenever they want to.
It is natural.But I can't hear music agreeable to the occasion.
Because of buying "iPod shuffle".At first I didn't mind these problem.
But I had tired of the inconvenience,in a period of two or three days.
Why "shuffle"!?
Why "wanted to buy"?!
Some days I feel good about my decision, other days I'm sick about it.
3 Great Device...Worth the Price
Do you remember when walkmans came out? They were a must have for anyone. Same thing for portable CD players. Well MP3 players are the new Walkman, and I can't figure out how I lived without one. The IPod Shuffle is a darn good product. It is designed to be a portable source of music that doesnt require a PhD to figure out, and doesn't cost half your paycheck. Having resisted the IPOD craze for 2 years, I finally found something that fits my needs exactly.
Good Things:
1. Low cost: I don't know about you, but $100 for this and the software is well worth the money. Instead of dozens of CDs everywhere, everything is neatly organized on my computer, and my Shuffle lets me download what I want, when I want, in the space of two minutes, and take it anywhere I want to go.
2. Portability: This thing is unbelievably small and light. It fits in a pocket and you forget its there. Perfect for the gym or jogging, perfect for just sitting in the book store.
3. Ease of Use: This thing is incredibly simple to use. Play, Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down, Track Forward Track Back. Shuffle Play, Playlist Order Play. That's it. No scrolling through endless menus, no struggling to learn the functions.
4. Compatibility: USB port to upload and download music, acts as a charger, simple as that. Software is incredibly easy to use, and very well organized.
Negatives: Some feel that 512MB is not enough for a player and don't like not having a display, and while a FM tuner would be nice if I wanted a radio I would get a radio. It really depends on your personal tastes.
512MB is about 100 songs, or roughly 9 hours of music at a shot. Battery lasts 12. For those who want their entire catalog at their fingertips, then the memory and the the lack of display is a negative, but I don't miss it. I like being surprised by what the next song is.
All in all, for what it is meant to be, it is great. It's great as a primary player and great as a way to dip into the world of IPOD without shelling out a fortune.
4 iPod Shuffle-- Not bad
I like the iPod shuffle a lot. It meets all my needs. Some of my friends wish it had a screen which I don't care about as much. It would be nice though. I sort of wish that it had more space to hold songs.
5 if you DO NOT own a mac STAY AWAY from ipods
the only reason i gave this item one star is because i cant give it zero . trying to use this device on a pc has proven most frustrating for me . the software installed fine but i could not get the device to hold anything . the local apple store told me that windows opperation was dodgy at best , and if you dont have usb 2 forget clean opperation period . so shop around and look beyond the hype THER ARE MUCH BETTER OPPTIONS
6 Compatibility issues
I know that the majority of users haven't experienced any problems with the iPod Shuffle, but I have been unable to get mine to work correctly on my PC. The software won't install properly and the computer doesn't even recognize the iPod at all. I have an iPod mini that works on my PC with no problem, and I know that everything on my computer is configured properly for use with the Shuffle, but I still can't get it to work. I was on the phone with an Apple customer service rep for almost an hour the other day, and he couldn't figure out what the problem was, either.
Apple is going to send me a new unit, so hopefully the new Shuffle will actually work. However, I have heard rumblings Shuffle users have encountered a variety of bizarre configuration problems that haven't been present in the other iPod models.
I think the Shuffle is a great device in theory...very compact and affordable. (It does look like a tampon or a pregnancy test, but I'm willing to look past that if I'm ever able to get the darn thing to work correctly!) My advice is to hold off on buying one for a few months...hopefully Apple will figure out what's causing these problems and will correct the error in future models.
7 ITS ALL YOU NEED
most of these reviews are to petty and particular...
If your busy and hate to fumble around with all sorts of sound equalizers, controls, wires, settings, etc. this is totally for you. This sort of thing that will entertain you for hours with its small convenient size you'll never skip a beat. Who needs a huge ipod that holds a billion songs when you only have about 100 songs that you just cant live without and are always listening to. Seriouly i have the 512mb one and for someone who really doesnt want to fork over a whole paycheck on a music player its a pretty good investment. And if your a student like me you would really like the feature that lets you use the ipod as a flash drive. Say your working on your pc at home, typing a massive paper on Eisten's theory of relativity and your printer suddenly explodes, you run out of floppy disks and CD-R's but ahhh you bought the ipod shuffle! You plug it into you usb port save the 30 page paper onto it, print it at your friends house and soon get and A+ your paper winning the nobel peace prize and getting all the hot girls!
ITS GREAT BUY IT
8 A great inexpensive iPod
I have had my iPod shuffle for a week now and I love it! It connects right into the a usb socket so you can charge it whenever you use the computer. One thing people say is that no screen is a bad thing. THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE SHUFFLE IS EXACTLY THAT - SHUFFLE!!! It's also great that you can play your music in order. I do admit that when you first get up in the morning, it's difficult to slide the on/off buttons to playlist/shuffle. The buttons are also easy to navigate through in the dark due to it's simplicity. Apple also offers good accessories but they are quite expensive. Overall, I think Apple's first shot at a flash player is an instant classic and is dominant over others as the "big" iPods are dominant over hard drive players.
9 Much more good than bad
Overview: I have the mother of all iPOD's, the 60GB iPod Photo, but due to the size of it, I found that it was a bit heavy for dog walking and trips to the gym. It was at this point I thought of purchasing a 2nd iPod, the Shuffle. I have owned it for three weeks now and I love it!
Pros:
-Inexpensive-Just $99.00 and you can shuffle 120 of your favorite songs.
-Size-The size of this little guy is infectious. It is amazingly small and light and almost like not even having a player with you at all.
-Simplicity-If you are familiar with iTunes, the Shuffle is a breeze to operate. There is no wasted space and no wasted buttons.
-Durability-The Shuffle seems to be very durable because it does not have an LCD screen.
-Sound Quality-Item sounds great. Just as good as my iPod Photo.
-Versatility-Ability to play songs in order of playlist or shuffle. You can also download playlists, or have the player randomly choose songs from your playlist.
-More Versatility-This item can also be used as a 512MB Jump Drive! One of those will cost you $50, so you might as well buy the shuffle!
-Minimalist-the fact that the item charges directly from your USB Port saves clutter and cords.
Cons-
-Lack of Accessories-This is Apple's new catch: We will make it inexpensive to lure you, then we will try to sell you expensive accessories. iPod and Apple accessories are horribly overpriced, but are very imaginitive. This item does come with a tie for around your neck, but no arm band. There is also no protective cover.
-More Lack of Accessories-The Shuffle charges off of the USB interface, but the way the item is designed, it does not fit into my USB drive (because of the casing around my USB ports on the PC). I'm not sure how common this is, because it fits easily into my laptop, but it's another way for them to sell you an accessory such as the dock ($30) or a USB extension cable ($20), which I purchased.
-No digital readout-I don't think this is a big deal at all, but some people do. If you take this for what it is, that should not be a problem.
-The switch on the back is difficult to move from OFF to Shuffle to Direct Play. I'm not sure why they did not put any grooves on this switch to make it easier to move.
Overall: I love this unit due to the size, weight and sound quality. I use it in the gym, walking the dog and on short trips. If you want a simple solution that interfaces with iTunes and don't need more than 120 songs to shuffle at a time (or 240 with the 1GB), this is your ticket! Be aware that if you want an armband and need to get the dock, your $99 Shuffle just went up to $160, or darn close to the $199 it costs for the 4GB iPod Mini which holds 1000 songs.
10 Don't believe the hype - the iPod is awful
My iPod stopped working after two weeks, but I hated it before that. Obviously, it has no screen, but what is worse is that it communicates the information that should be on a screen with combinations of green and orange lights you are expected to memorize (it comes with an INconvienient pocket reference card). Next, the on/continuous play/shuffle play switch - it's supposed to slide, but it takes some effort to start it, and once it's moving it tends to go right past the middle setting. How about some texture on a switch like this?! It's perfectly smooth, I'm glad I'm not arthritic. Then there is the Apple software that you have to use instead of transfering songs directly to the player. The type of thinking evidenced by this and in the iTunes software itself gives you security that things will work a certain way (I suppose), but takes your freedom: Extremely frustrating. Finally, there is a built in battery that at some point will need replacing by Apple. Apple will charge 99$ for this last I checked - and that's as much as you spent on the player!
11 Love it
i bought my iPod shuffle for a very specific use, listening at the gym or on a bike. for for me size and the interface were the reasons i bought it over a Mini (dont even get me started on other brands, none of them have a usable interface) At first, i missed that there was no screen, in that some times a song comes up i dont recognize and it would be handy to see what it is. But I can live with that. I can always check on iTunes what it was.
But what i really love is the deceptively simple interface is even better than i thought it would be. I knew having large well placed buttons would make it easy to navigate with out looking while i was working out, but they are much more tactile than i thought. I wore my ipod under my shirt, and even thru clothing, it was very easy to feel the buttons and navigate. there was no fuss at all to control it.
which exactly what i want when i working out. All other mp3 players have tiny little buttons all over the place with no rhyme or reason. As designer, i find it funny how they miss boat with trying to be "cool" but unusable. where as apple makes it usable first, then look good.
the lack of screen is a minor issue for me, the interface that much better than any of other players on market that do have a screen.
another good thing is it is FLAT. i hand tthought about that untill i had it for few weeks. Beig n flat means it is more compofrtable whether it it is worn hanging around my chest, on my arm band or even in my pocket. one other brand of mp3 which looks cool, made me envious untill i realized it was a triangle extruded. those corners would be poking me why i work out.
the ear buds are probably weakest part. volume is outstanding and quite surprising given how small it is.
12 Why do you think it is called ipod SHUFFLE.......
So many people have been bashing this mp3 player for not having an LCD or other form of viewing device to see what songs you have. Honestly, I do not think any of these people have actually looked at the name of the device. There is a reason they called it the ipod SHUFFLE. The whole idea is to throw some songs in there, and just let them play, in the SHUFFLE mode. If you want to see your songs, then dont get a SHUFFLE because the songs will be SHUFFLED. Seriously, I cannot believe people actually call that a con for the player. Its purpose was always to only allow people to play songs randomly. Why critics keep comparing it to other devices is beyond me. Use your heads people, its the ipod SHUFFLE, it shuffles songs. Shouldnt be a surprise unless you're as thick as a piece of lead.
13 Easy to use - great sound
We bought two of these for our daughters (11 and 14 years old). Very easy to use - plug in the software, load some music into iTunes, and transfer to the Shuffle. That's it. The kids love it. It holds more than enough tunes for their needs - they change the songs all the time anyway.
The sound on these things is wonderful - I frequently use one when I go on a run, because it's so light. After years of running with a Walkman (or Diskman) that skipped everytime I took a step, the Shuffle is a delight.
Before the Shuffle, we used Diskmans and had to contend with scratched CD's and a mountain of dead AA batteries. The Shuffle is a welcome change.
My only problem is finding them - they're so small. I wish Apple would come up with some way to page these things when they get misplaced.
14 No One To Bother You-Your Own Music Whenever You Want It
I recently returned from an airline trip from Hell. The movie was one I had seen several times, the music selections were for my teenage nephew who adores rap and my seatmate would not shut up about her African violets. Never again, I promised myself and thus the Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle became mine!
I love music, all kinds of music even some rap, but I have a great stereo at home and in my car. All I needed was something fairly simple, something I could download music onto easily. The iPod Shuffle fits the bill. The ease of use advertised is as it is- the CD is very clear and most everything is uploaded for you-you provide name, address and credit card and you choose the music.
The iPod Shuffle comes with everything you need in a teeny. tiny little box. Earbud headphones, lanyard, and USB cap included. The Earbud headphones provide superb sound quality. The lanyard hands freely around your neck, but I am thinking seriously of buying the arm clip. The 512 MB model holds up to 120 songs; supports MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC, and WAV Up to 12 hours of battery life, with approximately 4 hour charge time. USB 1.1 and 2.0 compatibility through integrated USB connector Compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later (Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later recommended for use with low-power USB ports) and Windows 2000 with SP 4 or Windows XP Home or Professional with SP 2. Compatibility is necessary, and most everyone, even neophytes will be able to comprehend this message.
The iPod music store, iTunes is one of the easiest downloads- the CD takes you completely through the steps and provides an i-Tune desktop icon. Just click on the icon, and you have a complete music world at your footsteps. So much to choose from, and I found that I quickly filled up my 120 song limit. However, it is just as easy to delete songs and add new ones. If you are taking the iPod on a trip, you can charge the battery by plugging the i-Pod into the USB port. iTunes also gives you a list of celebrities and what they have sorted on their iPod. Tom Brady, the New England Patriot Super hero is also a kindred soul in his music likes, U2, Kenya West, and Bob Dylan. As I type this review I am recording a new favorite Amos Lee onto the iPod Shuffle. Really, if it is this easy, anyone can have fun with this iPod. Buy it, Highly recommended. prisrob
15 I'm impressed...
I decided to buy an iPod shuffle because I was getting tired of listening to the same music over and over again on my current
MP3 player. I was shocked at it's sheer lightness. Heres a few things to compare it's 'weight' to everyday objects (about .90 oz)
2 nickles, 1 penny and 1 quarter; 3 quarters and 1 penny; 1 cd + 1 dime / penny; 10 pocket tissue pack (15 pack, 5 used); 1 - 1/2
full lip balm; 1 car key or 1 remote for my car; 1 AA battery or 1/3 the weight of my empty leather wallet (3oz)!
The size is a little smaller then these keys going up: CTRL (command key on a Mac), SHIFT, Caps Lock, Tab and also the key
above that. Unpacking was pretty easy. What I got was: 1 shuffle with USB cap (protects the USB plug, has two balls inside to
attach to the iPod shuffle unit, 1 cool necklace lanyard, a pair of the famous iPod earbuds, 2 packs of black pads for the buds,
2 white Apple logo window stickers for advertisment I guess, iPod and iTunes for Mac/Windows Installer CD, Users Guide
(recommend you read!), and other papers.
Once you install iTunes and iPod installers it asks to register your iPod with it's serial number. Tip: instead of squinting on the
iPod, it's also on the retail package. I'm not going to go into loading music or anything to the iPod. It took about 10-15
minutes to copy 130 songs on my USB 1.1 port. USB 2.0 is faster but I don't have it on my PC. As for battery life: It came pretty
well charged, the battery light was green when I pressed the indicator. I charged it some more for about an hour before I
used it. It hasn't gone below green for me yet. I only charge it maybe less then 2 hours a week - no lie. And I use it about 2-3
hours a day.
iTunes is cool. Just plug in your iPod, iTunes will open, and click Autofill. Autofill automatically selects random songs for a
playlist of your choice, and adds them to your iPod so you never get bored of listening to the same music. I listen to songs I
haven't heard in years, and some I have never heard at all.
As for the quality of the music it plays - it's just great! I don't HEAR the difference between a CD player and my shuffle! The
default ear buds really stink though. They are really huge and painful. It does come with pads for the ear buds, but I lost one
after a few days because they don't like to stay in place. Please don't wear them to promote your iPod... there are better
headphones out there!
Speaking of promoting your iPod, the included lanyard is pretty cool and handy. I used it to take a long stroll around town
and it worked great until a huge thrust of wind started to whip it so I had to hold it until the wind slowed down. But my friends
demostrated how easy it is for someone to just rip it off your neck. To attach the shuffle on the lanyard, just take the USB cap
off and replace it with the cap on the lanyard string. It's really that easy.
I love having a flash drive where ever I go. Inside iTunes you can specify how much space should be reserved for file storage. I
usually keep about 10 megs free.
If the earplug cord accidently comes out, the shuffle is smart and pauses itself. To lock the buttons, hold down the pause button until the orange light blinks off. Tip: in shuffle mode press play three times to rerandomize the randomized songs, in play in order mode, the same goes back to the begining of the playlist..
CONS: The slider on the back and the USB cap likes to scrape the dirt from your fingers, and makes the buttons really look ugly
so I usually clean it with a toothpick every now and then. In windows, the iPod folder is hidden from view unless you enable
windows to show hidden files/folders. So if you want to play your music on a machine without iTunes, you have to enable the
hidden files. Interestingly enough, on a Mac, these files and folders are not hidden. Also no EQ settings, but I never found a
need for them yet. I never really used them before and the sound I hear is near perfect anyways. Windows 2000/XP or MAC OS X only needed for iTunes. That's a serious draw back...
16 OK, but terribly PAINFUL earphones
Apple's lawyers ought to review the design of these HARD earbuds. Really bad! If you wear these for an extended time, your ear canals will be quite sore...and any slight movement of your head will remind you.
Get earbuds you like (try some first), too bad they'll likely be BLACK while the iPod default is WHITE. Also, some earphone draw more power...my nice Sony Noise Reduction over-the-earphones (A must for flying) couldn't give me the volume I wanted....
The machine is fine, although it does not put out much volume. It would be nice if the ITunes software could equalize all the songs to the same loudness level. I found I had to frequently adjust the volume - perhaps no fault of Apple.
It's ok...it's cool (now anyway - everyone gawked at it on a recent international trip), and it fits in your pocket when not being used.
Battery life is not bad. I charged it up in an electronics store when it died... 5 minutes in a handy laptop USB port gave me about another hour of playing time. Wahoo!
It's good for me, an adult. I like it.
17 Awesome 'shuffle'!
I decided to get an ipod in early January. Being 12 years old, I didn't wan't to spend too much money. That's why I decided to get a shuffle. I ordered a 512 MB shuffle from the apple website after figuring out that it wasn't in stores yet. Three long weeks later, it came!
I bought some songs on iTunes (all of my CDs suck and online music is cheaper that CDs) and plugged the ipod-stick into the keyboard. It appeared instantly in iTunes, and I autofilled it with the twenty-odd songs I had purchased. Later, I changed my songs to a certain order that I could memorize.
I currently have 74 songs on my shuffle and I love it! It is so easy to hang it around my neck and take it anywhere. The headphones are a bit uncomfortable but the sound quality is great. The headphones fit me well, so they don't fall out very often.
The battery life is okay. It would be better if it was, say, 18 hours like the new mini, but I can live with it at 12. Actually, the battery seems to last more that twelve hours. I went to Cancun, Mexico recently and I took it. I listened to it almost nonstop on the planes and buses and the battery indicater still was green when I got home five days later. It is annoying to have to plug it into the USB port on the back of a computer to charge. It would be so much easier to have a dock thingy that plugs into the computer or the wall, but I'm not going to spend $30 on that!
The lack of a screen is only a minor setback, if you memorize the order of your songs and know all of the songs on your ipod (you should, because you can only have 120!). It is a bit tricky to slide the off-on-shuffle switch. It is much too easy to slide right past normal order mode to shuffle mode (I almost never use shuffle mode).
I love to show off my shuffle. Some jerks think it is stupid (but I think they're jealous) but most of my friends think it's so cool.
I highly recommend the ipod shuffle to anyone who wants an inexpensive MP3 player to play a smaller collection of songs. It is great for someone who excersises a lot because of the flash drive (no skipping!), and a screen isn't really required for excersising. I also recommend you get one from macmall.com, because they're only $94 and come with free speakers and an FM transmitter.
18 Using a Shuffle with Audible audio books (and for a runner)
I bought two 512mb iPod Shuffles, one for my wife and one for me. She wanted one for running, and I wanted one for listening to Audible books and some music.
For a runner:
My wife runs about an hour every day, with our dog, so the small size was perfect for her. 512mb gives more than enough memory space for a runner, unles you're into ultra marathons. The salesman in our local Apple Store even talked me OUT of the 1mb version -- runners like to manage their music and the 1mb capacity means shuffling through too many songs. The lack of a display is no problem, since you don't normally scroll through songs while running. 5 STARS
For Audible books
I have a bunch of Audible books on my computer and decided that an iPod would give me the chance to catch up on my listening. I agonized about getting a Shuffle vs a Mini, and finally decided on the lower cost and smaller size of the Shuffle. Here are my thoughts:
1. A 512mb Shuffle has plenty of space for both books and music. I loaded the unabridged version of Tom Clancy's Red Rabbit (20+ hours) and another 40 or so songs, and still have space left over.
2. Load your Audible books onto the Shuffle first so they are at the beginning of the play list. Then when you play in sequential mode it will start right at the last bookmark in the book. This works fine. Play your music on the shuffle mode (it skips over Audible files).
3. Not having a display is a minor inconvenience, but the size and functionality of the Shuffle make up for it. So does the price!
3 1/2 stars for playing Audible books.
19 Overall great product...but a few complaints
I agree with (almost) all of the positive statements you will read from other reviewers; it's a great product for $99. But I have two complaints - warnings - for future purchasers:
1. The earbuds provided simply do not stay in my ear -especially during exercise (my primary reason for buying the product). I have used and recommend 'The Plug' earbuds by Koss. You can buy at Amazon for about $13. Also check out the 'Sparkplug' earbuds by Koss. Looks like it comes with a white cord and costs about $13 too.
2. Could not get the Shuffle to work with the front USB ports on my Dell computer. Works fine with a rear USB port - but not as convenient. Ideal solution would be to buy the Apple Dock Connector - but feel it is overpriced at $30.
20 Try It. You'll Like It.
I haven't been good about keeping up with the latest trends in portable electronics over the years, but my Sony Discman (manufactured 1993) is finally starting to die on me so I decided to see what this iPod craze is all about and get my feet wet with Apple's most introductory model: the iPod Shuffle 512mb. I must say, I am an instant convert.
Every aspect of the design of this player displays the seamlessness and perfection that can only result from thousands of hours of product research. It is a small, unassuming piece of plastic that essentially has controls for play, skip, volume and manages to play 10 times as many songs as my old 2-pound Sony, which will be sorely missed by the way. My earbud headphones come in a plastic case that takes up twice as much space as the actual player. And, of course, the most important part: the sound quality is incredible. I am just floored by how great the music sounds. The true test of time will be if this thing is with me as long as the Sony (probably not since it uses an irreplaceable rechargeable battery).
Don't waste your time with any other brand of MP3 player. Apple has cornered the market by staying ahead of the pack in terms of storage capacity, innovative design and reasonable pricing. You just can't mess with perfection.
21 iPod shuffle
Anyone looking for a cheap mp3 player should at least give this a look. It's very cheap for its price, much cheaper than most others, and is very, very, very small, not to mention lightweight. I can barely even tell there's anything in my hand when I hold it. Thanks to its low price, I managed to be the first kid at my middle school with an iPod. Of course, other kids had other mp3 players, like those nice little SanDisk ones, but they still got jealous over my iPod, even though it has no screen. And that's no big deal to me. I know my albums well enough that I can just switch to the in order mode and find my desired song, no problem. It shouldn't be too hard to remember the basic order of the 10 or so albums you can fit on this. Overall, if you have a hundred buck and want a nice, inexpensive mp3 player, here's two words of advice: buy this!
22 SuperStar Suffle!!
I recently recieved an iPod shuffle from the Easter Bunny and think it is GREAT!!The iPod shuffle is small and compact. Great for athlete's to use while working out or just to lounge around the house with. The Ipod Shuffle also includes a neck strap to use to keep your hands free while doing things around the house like cooking or cleaning. One of the let downs of this iPod is not being able to pick and choose the song you want to listen too. It is also very easy to loose around the house so I suggest you to keep it in a secure place. The last down fall is the shuffle can hold a max of 120 songs which is why the cost is much less then a reglar iPod or a iPod mini. The Ipod Shuffle is hands down a 5 star product.
23 more pros and cons
Buy a Shuffle if you want to listen to music at work, at the gym, at the park, etc. It's great for everyday uses like these, mainly because it's so small and light. I keep mine in my pocket all day at work and it's never a hinderance.
It works seemlessly with iTunes. You can create a playlist for your Shuffle or you can have iTunes upload songs at random from your library. The playlist function is great for people who like making mix tapes. In this sense Shuffle can be a lot more fun to use than a bigger ipod with a large data capacity.
The shuffle function works pretty well. Out of the roughly 120 songs it'll hold at a time (I'm talking about the half-gig version) the Shuffle is ok about not repeating itself over the first few hours. That's not to say it never happens. Once in a while, it seems to have tunnel vision -- going back to a few songs before others have been played at all. But when it happens, you just skip to the next song.
A few other minor details. I wish Shuffle was able to transition between songs the way iTunes does. Instead, there's a noticable pause in between tracks, which is moderately annoying when you're listening to an album straight through and the songs run together. But I'll live.
Shuffle also has a Hold function although the simple interface might lead you to believe otherwise. Press the Play/Pause button for 3 seconds and the Shuffle will go into Hold mode, meaning all the buttons are on lock.
Another thing: the Stop mode is tricky. Basically, turning Shuffle off is the stop mode. When you turn it back on, sometimes it picks up where you left off, but sometimes it starts at the beginning again (if you're using a playlist. obviously you couldn't tell if you were shuffling). I haven't figured out how to control that yet.
Overall, the Shuffle has been a great purchase. Having so much music at your disposal without any size or weight burdens is a beautiful thing. You will pity others who are carrying portable cd players. Consider buying a bigger digital music player, though, if you travel a lot and don't have your computer nearby to recharge and reload your Shuffle.
24 Jerk it Out!!
The iPod shuffle rocks! I know the title sounds negative but I just put it there cause of the commercial song... I bought the shuffle at my local (sort of...) Apple Store. I brought it home...didn't work...brought it back and got a non-defective one and it worked. I put 53 songs on the thing and I loved it! But one night I was charging it in a portable charger and it...broke. Took it back, found out the charger was messed up, so I got a new IPOD and it has worked ever since. It plays my now 65 songs flawlessly *without skipping* and is simple to use.
I know everyone hates the idea of *BAM BAM BAM* no LCD screen but who cares? I mean you can navigate songs on here quickly and if you a put a song on your ipod you must have to like it, so it doesn't really matter what order the songs play. Seriously, this rocks...maybe just charge it in your computer instead of the regular charger...:)
25 Great for what it is . . . .
The shuffle does exactly what it is supposed to do. It plays 120 songs and is more affordable than the regular Ipods w/out all the bells and whistles. If you want something that has everything, spend more and get the regular Ipod. If you want something that is easy to use and not expensive, buy the Ipod Shuffle.
I have both and I love each for different reasons. I use my regular Ipod for traveling or around work/home because of the high capacity and the variety it gives. I use my shuffle for when I'm going to the gym or other places where I'm worried my $300 Ipod would get lost, stolen or ruined.
I did want to mention that for anyone looking to buy the Ipod Shuffle and already has a regular Ipod - the transition is smooth. I was trying to find an article online on how the two worked together with Itunes but wasn't able to find anything. I already had Itunes loaded and set up to use my regular Ipod. I got the Shuffle, plugged it into the computer - loaded on the updated version of Itunes (I got this off of Apple's website, the one included with the Shuffle was old) and now they both work with my current Itunes account. I just plug in whichever I want to add or delete songs from and I'm set.
I'm glad I got a Shuffle. I'm sure there is something out there that is better for the same price - but heck, I already have an Ipod and an Itunes account loaded with songs so it made for a smooth transition.
26 The perfect second MP3 player
Since the iPod shuffle lacks a display, I wouldn't want this to be the only MP3 player that I own but I think it's the perfect compliment to any existing iPod. I love the fact that I can drop it in my pocket and I can't even tell that it's in there. Now I have access to my music all the time no matter where I go. I was worried about being able to go back and relisten to a section of an audible book if I couldn't hear what was being said but you can just press and hold the back button and it rewinds a few seconds at a time so no worries there. If you really want to listen to something in order you do have that option but even on my larger iPod I nearly alwasy listen to my playlist on shuffle mode. I also use disk function to shuttle documents that are too large to email between work and home. I absolutely love this thing.
27 it sucks
It doesn't have a LCD screen. Although you can customize the playlist, I just can't remember the order of the songs. Waste of money.
28 The Best Thing
My husband bought this for me as a surprize. I love it SO MUCH. I use it in the gym and in the subway, it's easy to use and truly a great, tiny, little, adorable thing.
29 Just got mine. This is what I think of the 'Shuffle'
First of all, the name iPod "Shuffle" is misleading. You can choose whether or not to have the songs shuffle or play in the listed order you've chosen. You can do this from the playlist in iTunes or on the iPod Shuffle itself by clicking on icon that has two arrows going in a circle.
Finally got my iPod Shuffle after one week and a day delay in delivery but so far I'm very happy with it. Here's a breakdown of pros and cons.
Cons
-It cannot hold tens and thousands of music like its sister counterparts iPod mini and iPod.
-No external charger. You have to leave Shuffle plugged into your computer or laptop to charge. But actually, this is a blessing in disguise. I usually leave my computer on for hours and this is a convenient way to charge your shuffle and even better when you are traveling and you can charge with your laptop on the go. My iPod Shuffle is charging this moment while I am editing my playlist. ;)
Charge out of the box for me took about 3 hours or less to fully charge.
-No screen but I really didn't care since I knew the list of the songs and the order because I put it together. In addition, I KNEW this didn't have a screen when I bought it.
Pros
+Lightweight, lanyard is excellent for traveling and you won't believe how small it is until you see and feel it.
+Absolutely no skipping from the Shuffle. You don't heard those grinding noises you hear from hard drives on the shuffle between song changes.
+Looks very durable compared to iPod mini which can be very fragile.
+Sound quality is very good from the Shuffle. I like the earpiece. The sound does not vibrate outside of the earpiece whic h is good.
+Charge time was rather fast especially on a USB 2.0 port.
+iTunes software is awesome. It was so simple to use. The quick start in the manual is not long and to the point and can be all be read in 10 minutes or less. Easy to understand and you'll have songs transferred quickly and using your Shuffle in no time.
+USB 2.0 transfer speed wasn't too bad. Not as fast as firewire but its no slouch in transfer speed. There is only 512MB of space in my Shuffle so USB is fine (transferred and filled up the entire 512MB of space very quickly) since I won't be transferring 20GB or 40GB of songs which would be better suited for firewire.
One more thing. I don't know why people complain about the slide button on the Shuffle. It is not slippery (unless you are eating potato chips or grease food while using the Shuffle) and I had no problem switching it off/shuffle/continuous play. I actually like carrying this thing around in my pocket since it's so small and you can put it away easily without worrying about being too fragile. The cap is solid and won't fall out easily like those Sandisk flash drives.
I really regret not getting the 1GB. I love this thing.
Here's a brief overview of the quick setup step.
1. The first thing you do is install the software that comes with the iPod shuffle which installs the iPod software and iTunes.
2. After installing the software, plug in the iPod shuffle into your USB port and let it charge for 3-4 hours. The yellow light indicates charging and green light indicates full charge.
3. Make a playlist by pressing the "+" button on the iTunes and drag or add your songs to the playlist.
4. Choose your playlist from the drag/drop down list and then click "Autofill" to transfer the songs into your shuffle (plugged to the USB port).
5.iTunes will let you know once the transfer is complete, unplug and play your music.
If you really need a screen to look at the song that is playing or hate skipping through songs to find the one you want to listen to, get the iPod mini. If you need something that is much smaller but extremely portable, easy to use, great battery life, durable, excellent sound quality (without skipping), and in budget, get the Shuffle.
30 not bad overall
The sound quality is good and I appreciate the small size, however if I want to use it while walking or running (which is why I bought it) I need to use something other than the ear buds provided which fall out with the slightest movement. I'm also having some issues with iTunes and moving music files around.
31 simple, elegant
The player is incredibly easy to load and use, it's light yet solid, and the sound is pure. I use my mp3 player for running, so I never looked at the screen of the old one anyway. What matters to me is that I can slide this sleek little player into the key pocket of my running shorts; it's so thin and light I don't even feel it. The round control pad is unfussy. I'd forgotten how superior Apple technology is; this player is a good reminder.
32 Excellent MP3 player that does it's job
I have always been a huge fan of Apples design first approach, and this player doesn't disappoint. While the lack of a display may be a turnoff for some, I rarely notice that it's not there as I use the shuffle while running/working out.
While this player will not cause a revolution in the industry, the convience, simplicity and size of this device makes it a perfect MP3 player to use when at the gym or flying on short trips.
Pros:
Distinctive Apple Styling
convient storage
Light weight/ small size
Simplicity of use
iTunes
Cons:
Internal battery
No display
Must charge from USB port.
33 lookout for ipod spammers!
Let's face it, you can't get something for nothing!
The San Francisco Chronicle recently exposed the real story behind the so-called "offers" that are continually being posted here.
Do a search on Google or on sfgate.com for "iPod not really free David Lazarus" and you will see what the con artists running these programs are really up to.
In a nutshell, it's just another way for spammers and other sleazy people to steal your personal information.
34 Shuffle is OK, ear buds & iTunes are awful
I like the iPod Shuffle, in spite of the lack of a display. I bought it to have something to wear for running, and for workouts at the gym. I have major problems with the ear buds and with the iTunes program that came with the iPod Shuffle.
The first huge problem was that iTunes for Windows simply didn't work on my Win XP Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop. It barely works on my Win2K Pro CAD workstation at work, but when ripping a CD, I can't do anything else at all on my workstation. It's not a slow machine, Apple just can't seem to figure out how to communicate with the driver software. Is there tech support? No, there are just some "discussion forums" that are staffed by Apple fans who want to help others out. From all the complaints I'm seeing at those fora, iTunes for Windows (4.7.1.30) really is quite bad.
My workaround on my home laptop is to rip the songs from the CD's into MP3 format using Windows Media Player, and then tell iTunes where the folder is that Windows Media Player created.
So that allows me to have some songs to play on the Shuffle, right? Sure, but the ear buds absolutely STINK. I've bought cheap ear buds that are far better than these oversized solid plastic things that Apple provides. I'm not a small guy, but these ear buds simply don't fit in my ears. If I smile, or grimace during a workout, the ear buds just fall out. It is virtually impossible to wear them while running.
Apple should do better than this. For $99, I should bloody well get good high-quality ear buds with the iPod Shuffle. The only reason I gave the Shuffle 2 stars at all is that the player itself seems to work well. The controls of the little lightweight thing are very intuitive and obvious. The only control that wasn't obvious was the "HOLD" function, which allows you to disable the volume and fast forward controls. This is a great feature, since I did accidentally fast forward to the next song when leaning on a curl bench at the gym. Nice touch, the "HOLD" function.
Apple, make some real ear buds for this product and get iTunes working correctly with Windows machines, and you'll have a market-killer.
35 Too good to be true
How can somebody give away cool, expensive gadgets just for signing up for some "no-cost" offers? Guess what, it's impossible!
Search Google or sfgate.com for "Free iPod not really David Lazarus" and you will see how the San Francisco Chronicle exposed what these hucksters are really up to.
Bottom line: spammers and scammers have found a new way to collect email addresses.
36 SUCKS
I already have an ipod mini but i thought it would be cool to have an ipod shuffle so i bought one and it sucks. It holds barley any songs and it doesn't have a screen. It's so stupid. I didn't want it anymore so i gave to my friend. and she loves it i don't know why
37 I love it!!!
I've never owned an mp3 player and decided to purchase the Ipod Shuffle because it was less expensive than the other competing brands. I love it, the lack of an lcd screen does not bother me at all, it's compact, it's great for the gym, walks, hiking, cycling and most of all the sound quality is great. It's so light and not intrusive when you work out. I just love it!!! My only problem is finding the right headphones/earphones. I did find an earphone that fits around my ear- those little earbuds always fall out of my ear, so I cannot use the earphones that came with the shuffle.
38 Ipod Shuffle is da Bomb!
I had been saving up for a while to get an Ipod mini, I was $50 short, but went to the apple store anyway. I saw the new Ipod shuffles for only $100, and I decided to buy one, it was probably the best purchase I ever made. Only 2 minor things that could have made this better. First of all, a small LCD screen, I like to know what is coming next, and second of all, I would have liked the USB 2.0 port a tad mor pronounced, I had a small amount of difficulty plugging it into my computer due to the size, I had to unplug the printer and the modem in order to charge it.
39 Be Careful
I just recently received my Shuffle and have been totally frustrated since. For whatever I have been unable to install the shuffle onto my PC. After several hours of trying, I went to the Apple support site and learned that there are countless other people out there with the same problem and no one seems to be able to find the solution. Before buying this product I would suggest spending some time looking at the Discussion Board on the Apple Support website. I think mine is heading back on the next UPS truck.
40 Pleasantly surprised
I didn't set out to buy an iPod shuffle, and fankly, I didn't think I'd have any use for it. I already had an old 64meg MP3 player I never used, and besides, I had a portable CD player that played MP3 CDs. I don't buy music on-line; it's more expensive than CDs and is of lower quality. I prefer to rip my own MP3s afrom my CD library. And the shuffle feature- who needs that?
Well, I was wrong on just about all counts. Somehow a friend talked me into buying one when we were at a local computer store, and since then my iPod Shuffle and I have been inseperarable. It's so tiny I carry it everywhere, and the USB recharging function means I'm never far from a recharger at work or at home.
What really struck me was the sound quality and volume form this little stick of gum. I have no idea how they cram enough battery capacity in there to do it- but they do. I can listen for days without recharging it. And the shuffle feature? I keep it on all the time. The surprise of not knowing what's next- or even what songs iTunes put in it the last time I reloaded it from my library- makes it more interesting.
I still don't buy music on-line. But I do love my little iPod Shuffle.
One caveat: The supplied phones are dreadful. They have poor coupling, and if your ears aren't precisely the righth size they'll either fall out or hurt. I'm replacing mine with some high-quality in-the-ear phones.
41 Small, inexpensive, durable, high quality
I used to wear AM/FM radio headphones when I ran in the morning but they were too heavy and awkward and limited me to radio. I started using a CD player walkman but it was too heavy and clumbsy and I broke several when they fell during my workout. I then tried wireless headphones and the sound quality was awful. I finally broke down and bought an MP3 player, I chose IPod because it was cheap and was likely a quality product since its made by apple.
I couldn't be more happy with it. It fits the bill perfectly. It's so light, I don't even know I have it, so no worries about it falling and breaking or interupting my workout. The sound quality is incredible. The absence of LCD is not important to me, I can't fumble with an LCD screen while I'm running, besides, I only load my IPod with songs I want to hear. If I do want to skip a song, it's super easy because the folks at apple have made the controls very simple. For my needs it's perfect.
42 The little stick of fun
The most amazing thing about the Shuffle, bar none, is its weight. Actually, it's weightlessness. You don't know that you are wearing it. If you pick it up, it feels like a piece of plastic holding air. At .78 ounces, that's the equivalent of 20 small paper clips.
The first time I held one in my hand, I knew I had to have one. Never thought I could convince my wife to spend three H's on a big iPod, and with a cell phone and a PDA already, didn't need another weighty device hanging off of me.
Enter Shuffle.
I've had it for the past few weeks. The lack of a screen is a small minus. Sometimes it would be nice to know what's coming next, or find a particular track. But it's easy enough to skip if you hit one you don't want to hear -- which is rare, because after all, it's your music.
Sound quality is fine. Battery life is OK, too, about 10-15 hours.
Now, for the quibbles. Charging the Shuffle is a pain. You have to have it plugged into a USB port. I don't know about your desktop, but mine is on the floor, and it's a pain to plug and unplug. It's no problem on the laptop. Also, it takes 4 hours to fully charge. That's weak compared to the competish. (It's like, who cares that you have USB 2.0? You could USB 0.000001 and still transfer the songs in 4 hours.) There should be a quick charge option, an adapter, or something similar. You can get a docking station, but that defeats the $99 price point. Sony's offering a similar enough player with 70 hours (!), although it's a bit heavier and doesn't work with iTunes.
Transferring songs is also a pain. There are hacks using the Shuffle in disk mode -- others here or on iPod web sites can tell you how to do it -- but directly uploading songs from Shuffle to computer is made difficult as a bar (albeit a low one) to piracy. I'm sure Apple is trying to keep the record labels happy, but it should be easier.
Anyway, the last few weeks I've rediscovered my music collection -- another plus of the Shuffle. Although you can set up playlists, I prefer random. I've listened to great tunes I forgot I had. Old Santana, Marley, Zeppelin and U2 mixed with a little Green Day turns my grocery shopping into a groovy concert. And I've had probably 20 people ask me what's hanging around my neck. (19 positive, 1 jerk who joked that it looked like an alarm for elderly people for when they fall and can't get up).
Final thought -- get the 512, not the 1 Gig. There is no point having more music (16 hours) than battery life (12 hours) without a screen. 120 songs is just fine 99 percent of the time.
43 Cannot share MP3 library with friends thru Shuffle
Bought a Shuffle and then realized that I cannot transfer music from my friends into my Shuffle or vice versa.
When I plugged the Shuffle into someone's else machine/iTunes, it said the Shuffle had been initialized from a different machine/library, and asked if it's ok to delete all the files in the Shuffle.
Fine. So I went ahead and delete the original files and copied some MP3s from my friend's PC. The catch was that I got to keep those songs only if I don't plug the Shuffle back into my own machine. Once I plugged back into my own laptop, iTunes deleted everything I had copied from my friend.
To me that's a ridiculous constraint from Apple, that a "mobile" device cannot be used to transfer files?! I mean, why shouldn't I be able to get music from my friends and copy them into my own library (especially music ripped from CDs we paid for)??
So the hack I'm using now is to format 30% of my Shuffle for DATA and 70% for music, copy as much of my friends' files as possible in the DATA partition, copy the files from the device into my iTunes library, AND THEN copy the music into my Shuffle. Hell of a work for something I shldn't have to be doing in the first place...
On top of that, I can't use both my work and home PCs to load the Shuffle, since they'll just cancel each other out, and it's too much hassle for sync'ing up my libraries in my different PCs just for this...
Other than that, the thing looks nice and is featherweight and all.
44 3.5 Stars actually - Good for what it is
my dad got so syked over this thing. pretty low price, great company. what more would you want. i thought the shuffle was ok, but it was the mini i had my heart set on. well i had my birthday recently (2/28) and guess what? got an ipod shuffle. don't get me wrong, i liked it but again i wanted a mini. so i tried it out. overall, it is good for what it is. Definately better than a Rio or RCA Lyra or something similar to those. i have a lot of music on my itunes (just short of 1000), but half of it i don't listen to (about 480). I get all my songs unto it of course, but i can actually get 135 songs on it instead of 120 like it says on the box which is pretty cool. Like everyone else, i wish it had screen so i can get to certain songs. If i want to listen to something Jimmy Eat World but i over listening to Blindside, it will obviously take me a while to get there, so i switch to shuffle which speeds up the process of getting to JEW... sometimes. A lot of times i go through at least 20 songs just to get to Jimmy which can really be a drag, if you know what i mean. Overall, it is a good mp3 player. if your on a budget, but don't want to get a piece of crap Rio, go ahead and get yourself an iPod Shuffle for yourself or your kid. but later on when your music collection builds up your going to want to have at least a mini. Honestly, i already want a mini! i'll probably just save some money for a mini and end up giving my shuffle to my little brother or a friend or something. Again, good for what it is, but i would recommend a iPod mini
45 Nice size, slow transfer, bad bookmarks
Three stars may be a smidge low for this player, but since it's touted as Audible-ready, and many (non-apple) sources claimed bookmark - or at least resume - features, I got one. I intended to use it primarily to listed to audiobooks in MP3 format, and as a replacement for my dying usb key drive.
Let's start with the bookmark/resume function. It works...sort of. Press pause, the power off. Power on, press play. It starts right where I left off. Unfortunately, if I plug it into a computer (to charge it), it starts back over at track 1. Not a problem, except that without a display, you can't check to see where you were in the book, which means listening to little snippets along the way until you find your place again. It's a bit frustrating - I imagine it might drive someone to dastardly acts if they accidentally did this in a very long track.
Next - transfer speed. Yes, it's technically USB2.0, but it may as well be USB1.1 for the speed of most transfers. Audio is painfully slow - less than 1.5MB/sec (USB1.1 speed) - with iTunes. Direct explorer transfers are little better, with several tests maxing out my transfer speed at just under 2.4MB/sec. So this is a USB2.0(480Mb/s) drive with a max speed of 19.2Mb/sec. Dissappointing in an era of 120Mb/s usb flash drives and 160Mb/s cardflash units.
Size and function. Nice. Very Nice. It could have been a tad shorter, and maybe a bit narower at the connector end (it doesn't quite seat flush on my Dell M70 laptop due to the case), but it certainly is portable and light. Navigation is super simple. I have big fingers, but haven't had a problem with the nav or slider switch. Though I agree with outher that a ridge or recess might have been nice on the slider, it doesn't feel like I need "too much" pressure to move the switch.
Finally, audio quality. Good. Not great, but good. There is a noticable background hiss which is directly proportional to the volume - nearly silent at zero, and audible in most soft passages in program material. I listen with Shure ec3's, though, so I hear hiss on almost every player I've tried. The variable aspect of it is a bit troubling, but not a killer.
This is a fun toy, and decently priced for the capacity. If you're going to drop in some tunes for a workout, or the commute, it's probably a great choice for under $100. Depending on your patience, I'd recommend looking at another option for audiobooks, though - when it works, it's smooth, but when it doesn't, the lack of display can be frustrating.
46 Good for What It Is Supposed Be
I'll admit, as a guy, I'm not really interested in this product. I want the bigger, better iPod that can fit thousands of songs on it. I also want all the extra features. The iPod Shuffle has none of those things. However, I purchased one for my wife, and I must say that sometimes I'm actually jealous of it. That sleak, simple, little Shuffle just begs to be held and listened to. For what it is supposed to be, the Shuffle succeeds marvelously. And people might complain about the lack of a screen, but I believe that most who actually get a Shuffle find that they don't miss it much at all (mostly since we're only talking about a hundred or so songs here anyway). Highly recommended, even as a second MP3 player for those currently with hard-drive-based models.
47 Simple and useful
It is really great. Simple to use, and so small, yet holds more than enough songs for my needs. I use it at the gym, where the small size really is a benefit. With 120 songs, I can go two weeks before I have to reload or listen to the same song twice. Also, the 12 hours of batter life means I only have to recharge it at home on the weekends. Beats fooling around with CD's or a larger bulkier MP3 player.
48 astonishing quality and performance
There's a lot of things to love about this product - the size, the impeccable style, the price, the cool factor. It's cheaper than most 512K players, and far lighter and easier to use. The controls are so intuitive that I can operate it with gloves on in the dark! My previous player, a Virgin model, was so clumsily engineered that even after a year of use I still had to look at it to operate it.
The simplicity of the case equals classic style. All those colorful, knobby, nintendo-looking MP3 players out there feel like props from a bad sci fi movie; outdated and silly looking a month after you buy them. The shuffle is classic, simple, elegant, timeless design that will ALWAYS look smart and sleek.
But you're not buying it solely for looks (maybe to be looked at though) - this is the one you want for portability and durability. For walking, biking, exercising, this is the one. Almost weightless, easily transported, no lcd screen to scratch or hard drive to fry.
If you want to carry your whole music library around, no, this isn't for you. But if you want 8 hours of tunes that weighs less than a slice of cheese, and delivers striking quality, this is the one.
The biggest hurdle is the price - even though it's cheaper than most 512k players, it's only half the price of a new Mini that will store 8 times as much and come with firewire and ac adapter and allow you to build playlists. If you want bang for buck, go for the new Minis. But if you want the smallest, lightest and most felxible, go random!
Actually - go ahead and buy both!
49 Long Live the Apple!
First off- APPLE PRODUCTS RULE! And there is no denying it, either!
Our Computers have been APPLE all the way and after using PC's at school- PC's SUCK! PC's freeze and get viruses ALL the time! And the software belongs at NASA it's so confusing!
iPod Rule!
No Screen-No Problem
If you need a screen to tell you who the artist is or what it's called than you shouldn't have an iPod-in any form!!
50 Don't be a chump!
Beware of the fake reviews posted here promising "free iPods". These are spammers trying to harvest email addresses for their ridiculous offers.
Think about it for a moment: how can somebody afford to give away $100+ gadgets just for signing up for bogus trial offers? Answer: they can't!
51 Excellent for what you need it for A+
From an Ipod user who is very experienced, I love this little guy. I didn't want a screen or repl. Battery, I wanted a great USB player for travel and the gym. For those detractors that don't like the lanyard, buy the rubberized ones and replace it. I got color coded ones for the gym with a bayonette clasp and it's perfect. Shuffle is a great feature for a USB player and it's apple cool. You want a screen get a mini, you want a great player for the gym or light travel this is the one.
Non IPOD users will like it more than experienced ones.
52 Who needs a screen?
Other reviewers have covered the Shuffle extensively, so I'm focusing on the most controversial feature: the lack of a screen.
As a Shuffle owner, it's become clear a screen is not necessary. The 512Mb Shuffle holds around 125 songs and users have complete control over which songs are loaded. If you have trouble keeping 5-10 albums' worth of music straight in your head, I don't know how you can handle the unintuitive and clunky interfaces of non-Apple MP3 players.
Not having a screen is the Shuffle's greatest strength. It allows an incredibly small and light player at a great price.
53 Shuffle - A fabulous fad or a flattening flop?
I think that the shuffle can be seen in many ways. It just depends how. For example you COULD look at it and say, tsk, what a waste. I mean, it doesn't have a screen or a replaceable battery, and you can't tell what song is next. OR, you could say, wow! this is light, holds 120 or 240 songs,(512 mb or 1 gb) and looks awesome. and by the way, for the those people who say that you can't tell what is next, you can also go out of shuffle mode... anyway, I tried it, and i liked it!
Pros: light, small, cool color (though I wish there were more), holds a lot of songs for a flash player that light, and doesn't skip.
Cons: no replaceable battery, no screen
so, if you are looking to buy this, give it a try... :)
54 Remove all doubt- the Shuffle kicks boo-tay.
I was worried when I bought the Shuffle- my friends complained about it with numerous insults. Among the complaints were: "There's not even a screen!" and "You can't even pick which song you want- it just shuffles them!"
Boulle.
You can pick the songs you want. There is two ways to listen: randomly or in order. There as easy to access with the flick of your thumb. Yes, you have to cycle through, but that's alright. Normally, the fact you can't pick the songs with a screen would make my rating go down to four stars- but realistically, most $100 MP3 players only hold thirty songs; and while they DO have screens, you still have to cycle through.
Once I got it, people were amazed, but still skeptical. They thought I wasted my money. I got 90 songs more than the average MP3 player, at the expense of having a screen. Mny people told me: "It sucks- how do you know what song you're on?" How? I listen to the song. I'm gonna hear it anyway, so what do I care if I can't see the name of the song on the screen. If I downloaded the song onto my Shuffle, I probably know what the song is called. I don't need reassurance from a screen.
Pros:
120 songs- 90 songs more than most MP3 players this price.
Cheap- only $100
iTunes is the easiest program ever.
Cons:
No screen.
55 Good bang for your buck!
I had been in the market for an MP3 Player for a while until my mind was made up for me when I got the iPod Shuffle for my birthday. I had read about it before but hadn't been considering it because, quite frankly, I wanted to be able to pick what songs I want to hear. (that and the fact that I didn't want to be "forced" to download iTunes to manage my music.) After getting the iPod Shuffle I was pleasantly surprised on all fronts...
iTunes...
I downloaded the program and it was much better than I thought. The biggest factor was that it didn't force me to change the format and location of my music collection. My music still resides in a folder on my desktop in MP3 format. Basically, you can load the music into iTunes and it just references them from their original location. (you can just change the preferences to make Winamp or whatever your default player for MP3s.)
Installing and loading the iPod...
Installing the iPod software on my Dell Laptop was easy enough and loading my MP3s onto the iPod from iTunes was also fast and easy. (The iPod just shows up on the left and you drag your songs into it.)
On the road...
Listening to my music on the iPod Shuffle has been a pleasure so far! The sound quality is very good considering you can't control anything (bass, treble, etc) except the volume. Navigating through songs is a snap since all you can do is skip forwards or backwards through them. Basically, you CAN control what order the songs play in; you load them onto the device in whatever order you want in iTunes and set the iPod to the "play in order" mode. Or, you can set it to play the songs in a random order, or "shuffle" mode. So I just set it playing and sit back and enjoy the music! (Unless I hit a song I really don't want to hear, in which case I hit the skip button.) And perhaps the best feature - it doesn't skip, which is invaluable when your exercising, or running to catch that train!
Battery life...
All I can say is that I've been listening for two days now (and I commute for 3 hours a day!) and the battery still has a green light. (that means the battery still has a good charge.) And I didn't even charge it fully when I got it out of the box.
Appearance...
This is the only downer for me - I hate white! I wear a black coat, a black hat, black gloves and a black scarf, and here I am wearing a white iPod, with its white lanyard and white headphones. (They could have used me in their commercial!) As Mick Jagger once eloquently put it, "PAINT IT BLACK!" A few color choices would be a definite plus.
Size and weight...
What can I say; I've seen Cockroaches bigger than this thing! It also weighs NOTHING. These things could almost be seen as a problem because it is probably really easy to lose! Luckily, they include the white neck lanyard, which I always use.
Storage space...
I got the 512 meg version and I fit 86 songs onto it in MP3 format. (You can fit more with the AAC format.) When I get tired of these songs, I'll just hook it up to iTunes and replace them with more! To me, that is a lot of music. I don't really understand these people who feel the need for 20 or 30 gigabytes of space on a music player! Are they planning on going to a desert island for a while???
Conclusion...
The bottom line is that for $100, how can you go wrong with an MP3 Player the size of a pack of gum, which can hang from your neck and hold almost 100 songs??? You can't! True, you don't have much control over what you hear and how you hear it, but once again, what do you want for $100? The only thing I can suggest to those Apple people is - give us more colors!
UPDATE (after 2 months of use)
Problems! When I load my songs onto the iPod from iTunes, according to the playlist they're on there, but when I play the iPod some of them are not on there! A friend who has the iPod mini also has this problem. He has to drag some of the songs on there 2 or 3 times before they actually play! I know it's not the files either because the second time I tried, different songs didn't show up. It must be a problem with the way iTunes communicates with the iPod. This is why I don't like being forced to use proprietory software. BOTTOM LINE - Next time I'll buy the Zen Micro...
56 Such a cool device.... never missed the screen
I have a 3rd generation iPod, and like most iPod users, I've found it to be simply amazing. Really changed how I listened to music. The iPod Shuffle looked cool, and the price was right. I hesitated on the lack of display/screen, but decided to indulge and get one. Wow, I'm glad I did.
My first reaction... "it's so tiny and light!" Sure some other flash players have a screen and some other features, but there's some things with the iPod Shuffle they can't touch. Apple's design continues to be unbeatable. The iPod Shuffle just feels great in the hand. The buttons are simple and easy to use. Then there's the itunes software which is full of great features and ease-of-use.
I gave the shuffle feature a try, even though I was planning to use the iPod Shuffle more to listen to playlists in order. What a surprise... it's fun! Kind of feels like a radio station that plays just your favorite music.
The whole thing just works great -- iPod Shuffle + iTunes. Love it.
57 Even better with a little preparation
As the owner of two previous "real" ipods, I purchased the 512MB shuffle more out of curiosity than actual need. I was interested in an inexpensive ipod that wouldn't cause me to be paranoid about breaking it or losing it at the gym and I was curious as to how I would respond to the lack of an LCD screen.
I saw one of the best descriptions of the shuffle on another review site. They called it "like having your own personal radio station playing only music you like". I think that's about right, because of course you aren't able to predict what will play next on the shuffle. It's hard to do that even if you have it on regular (non-shuffle) mode, unless you have an excellent memory. But you are guaranteed music you like, because you programmed it. And you can always "veto" a song by just clicking the fast-forward button and the shuffle will move onto the next song.
To my pleasant surprise, I've enjoyed the shuffle more than I thought I would. The (lack of) screen doesn't bother me for what I use the shuffle for -- namely, at the gym. And I was stunned at just how small and light it was (many of the pictures on the web make the shuffle look bigger than it is -- you really need to see one of these things in person). But I do think that for maximum enjoyment, the shuffle rewards a little preparation. While I waited (the four weeks!) for my shuffle to arrive, I took that time to set up a new playlist in iTunes that would have the songs I would want the shuffle to draw from. I knew that since I was mainly going to use this at the gym, I only wanted fast-paced/high-energy music, so those were the songs I selected from my library to go into the special "ipod shuffle bank" playlist I created. Then, when I finally got the shuffle, I set it up to only pull music from that playlist. Apple makes it very easy to do that with a special (and shuffle-exclusive) feature called Autofill. I think this works better than what happens by default, which would have the shuffle randomly fill from your entire library, because you are less likely to get music that isn't quite right for where you will use the shuffle.
Given that Amazon is now selling the iPod mini -- a much more powerful ipod than the shuffle -- for only $179, I'm not sure how much sense it makes to spend $150 for the 1GB shuffle, but the 512MB strikes me as good value.
58 GREAT BUY
THE IPOD SHUFFLE IS GREAT. IVE BEEN WANTING AN IPOD FOR THE LONGEST TIME, SINCE THEY ARE SO PRICEY I WENT WITH THE 512 MB SHUFFLE FOR 99 BUCKS. IT IS SO EASY TO USE. JUST HOOK INSTALL ITUNES AND OFF YOU GO. ITS EASY TO PUT ALL OF YOUR CDS ONTO THE IPOD AND DOWNLOADING FROM ITUNES IS A BREEZE. IT DOESNT HAVE A SCREEN BUT I HAVE NOT NEEDED ONE. I PUT ALL THE MUSIC ON IT SO I KNOW WHAT EVERYTHING IS. I GOT 120 SONGS ON MY SHUFFLE AND THAT IS MORE THEN ENOUGH. IT AMOUNTS TO LIKE 5 HRS OF MUSIC. THE THING IS SO LIGHT, PERFECT FOR THE GYM. THATS WHAT I USE IT FOR. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SHUFFLE.
59 Beware Windows users!!!
I bought this little gizmo at Target because I just couldn't wait to get one. After monkeying around with it for two weeks, and countless hours of reading all the recommendations on the apple support website, I threw in the towel and returned it. If you have a Mac, it seems to work great, but if you are running Windows, look out. My computer never would recognize it. After reading all the discussion threads on the support site, it was clear that there was a design flaw, as nearly every post was a frustrated user with the same problem. Apple support was great, but in the end, I wasn't willing to invest any more time.
If you're still intent on buying this, I'd check out the support site on apple.com to see if they've come up with an update that solves the windows compatibility problem.
60 Perfect and Simple
The 512 MB iPod Shuffle has been perfect, and has met all of my expectations. With 512 MB I can store about 120 songs (ACC files, from iTunes, based on 4 minutes per song). It is the perfect companion for working out, running errands around town, killing time before meetings and on my commute, and even while falling asleep at night.
It is lightweight (almost so that you forget it's even there), compact (fits anywhere), the sound is fantastic, the included headphones are fine, the battery life is(in my case) lasting longer than 12 hours on a full charge, and the price is absolutely perfect.
You get what you pay for, and in this case, you get more.
61 Great buy
I needed a replacement for my sony sports cd player-that thing was just not gym friendly. I did some shopping around for other players and happened upon the shuffle. I have to say that the minimalist design scored with me. The only gripe I have is the on button-would it kill Apple to put a little bit of a grip on that thing? The shuffle is insanely easy to use and portable as all heck. It weighs next to nothing and takes up less space than my pack of trident gum. While others complain about the lack of a screen, i don't really see the use for that when you're getting your workout on. this is a great purchase for someone new to the ipod scene and not willing to shell out a couple hundred just yet.
62 Great Little Thingy
I love it. The sound is great for such a little device. My only grip would be that the earplugs seem a little to big for my ears. Downloading the music is easy. I downloaded my favorite songs from my CD collections and I jam through the day with my Shuffle.
63 Well pleased
This little iPod is very small, sounds great and holds enough songs for me (over 100). I am sure that "bigger is better", but for the price and my usage this is just fine.
64 Amazing for use at the gym
I don't need to hold 20 gig of music.... this iPod shuffle holds about 8 hours of music, which is perfect for a week of workouts. The best comparison I can think of is that this is like a personal radio station that plays only music you love. The shuffle is so light, you'll forget you're even wearing it. Consider it for what it is -- it's not an iPod replacement, but it sure does the job I need it for.
65 It's all about Usability
On the merits of hardware alone, the Shuffle would be a mediocre MP3 player at best. What makes it stand apart from it's competition is:
1) The usability of the device. No training necessary, no manual required. Press a button and go.
2) Seamless integration with iTunes. Creating Smart Playlists is a snap, synching the Shuffle using a Playlist or manually is effortless.
One can argue endlessly about Apples marketing and manufacturing brulliance / stupidity, but one thing is certain; Apple knows how to create simple, usable products. They have a User-Centered Design group that was in place before anyone knew what UCD was, and it shows in the products that they make (disclaimer here: I'm no Apple fanboy; I'm a veteran of the Apple / Commodore wars).
If you already have a HD-based iPod, the Shuffle is a natural extension for you, either as a hardened device for workouts, or, like I did, as a gift for your spouse, kids.
If you're new to the world of MP3's, I'd recommend the Shuffle as a cheap introduction that you'll surely find simple to use and easy to update with songs from iTunes.
Side note: If you do buy one and have lots (and I mean lots) of Hard Drive space, then encode your current CD's using Apple Lossless. The Shuffle will automatically down-convert to 128bit AAC files when transferring. The Lossless format is truely Lossless, and you'll save having to re-encode the disks later when we're all carrying around Terrabyte players (Moore's Law will probably put us there around 2010.)
Side note 2: Shuffle doesn't HAVE TO shuffle songs; you can play them back sequentially. This makes it a brilliant device for playing back books. Great for adults or for keeping kids quiet on those long car rides.
66 iPod Shuffle
I am 12 years old, and just got my first (of many) iPods- the iPod Shuffle.
I got it here from Amazon as a gift, and was fast and easy, considering all the hype about them- other places, there are long waiting lists. But anyway, it comes in a smart, small green package, and has these things inside:
iPod Shuffle (of course)
Lanyard
Earphones
Guide to using
Waivers, etc.
Apple stickers (2)
Earphone cover-thingies
iTunes cd (do not need to install if you already have a recent version)
It is very easy to install, and was listening in 10 minutes (took me longer because I had to create an Apple ID, but you don't have to if you have one already). It is very light! That's obvious, but it's amazing how light it actually is. It is simpe and elegant, and the controls are easy to figure out. No unnecessary fluff added. It sounds amazing- I have Enya, celtic harp, and classical piano on mine (so far), and it sounds so beautiful- like it fills the rom. My 10 yr. old broither got one (iPod Shuffle) first, and h sung along so loudly it wasn't funny. Of course, he had Linkin' Park and the like on his, so it wasn't as nice. But I digress. It is the perfect choice for children and teenagers, and adults who either a) can't or don't want to spend the $ on a larger iPod; or b) who don't have that much music, or who want a workout iPod or a classical music iPod.
i adore the iPod, and every person should have one!
~sedona~
67 Handy and helpful
I'll admit...it was a risky decision going with such a bare bones player. But as im getting used to it, im finding i spend ALL of my time on the shuffle setting. it is nice to use as a continuous 4 hour cd. not only is it cool, but its TINY. when i say tiny, i mean like the same length and about 4/3 as wide as the adult index finger. On the bottom there is a USB plug. i primarily purchased this item as a souped up USB key. it is only around 30 dollars to go from 512 USB key to ipod shuffle, so that's a cheap way to use extra space on your USB key for music.
PROS
1. TEENY TINY SIZE. fits in pocket no problem.
2. Price per gigabyte is unheard of in the flash player market
3. Cable free USB drive capabilities
4. Rechargeable battery gets better than advertised life. like up to 33% better(no lie! there are reviews on the internet that agree with me. I've had mine for a week and have charged spurradically for a total of 3 hours and there is no sign of the battery losing power)
5. The battery charges from USB jacks, so I can charge it at school or work
6. Double redundant hold function and YES THERE IS A SHUFFLE FUNCTION (many reviewers claim there isnt)
7. Lanyard included, so it's extrtemely fashionable and so fetch
8. It's hard to dig up dirt on (so far)
9. I have 120 songs on it and i have room for about 20 more (lots of extra memory)
10. So lightweight that it can hang from the earphone cord plug without falling off. Who needs a lanyard when you can just use the earphone cord? ;)
CONS
1. The most frequent complaint, no screen (this actually isn't that bad. It goes along with the "what's coming next" theme. Also, if a screen had been included, the battery life would be unacceptably low. You get used to it very fast)
2. No sort of organization or navigational system. you just load one playlist, and that's the order. No subfolders. you navigate by clicking sideways.
3. No extras, like voice recorder, FM Tuner, line in recording, equalizer, etc. its just a music player, with a shuffle function.
4. Mine took 5 hours to install. spent 30 mins on hold with apple to learn that i only had one incident of telephone support. NOTE: the problem was i had a bad iTunes install.
5. Sound begins popping when at the highest volume levels (like a mini speaker system on a super loud setting)
6. Accessories severely overpriced
7. As with all apple products, the casing scratches easily
8. Small size makes it easier to lose
9. ITS WHITE there needs to be an HP tattoo for this or something to make it non-obvious you are using an iPod
I absolutely adore it though. It works like a charm, and attracts looks when im listening.
I wish apple had designed it like the iRiver players like this
------------------
I***I ........ .-'-.I
I***I ........( O )=-~
I***I ........ '-.-'I
------------------
The dots are a screen. The stars are the USB cap. The circle to the right is a mini-click wheel this would give it a nav system and better added features.
They also should have designed it with integrated neckstrap/earphones like the iRiver n10 and the MPIO FL300 (the other two players in the wearable category). All the cords dangling look really really dorky. without the earphones it is cool though.
OVERALL RATING: BUY
68 love it
Got this as a gift and this elegant little thing delivers great sound.
69 SHUFFLE ROCKS
Finally, an MP3 player that fits the "pocket". The iPOD Shuffle weighs only 20 grams, costs only 99.00 USD(512 Mb), plays great music and doubles up as a USB (2.0) storage device.
Controls - Intuitive:
-----------------------
Front:
A circular control handles the Volume Up, Volume Down, Skip, Repeat. At the center is the Play/Pause button. All accessible at the touch of the thumb.
Back:
A sleek slider control for power off, play shuffle mode and play continuous mode, ensures that you don't accidentally switch the player on/off. Also at the back is the battery status button.
Uploading Music - A breeze:
---------------------------------
Uploading songs to your iPOD Shuffle is a breeze with the bundled iTUNES, an award-winning digital-jukebox software.
iTUNES:
- Library, a great music organizer. Add songs individually or by the folder.
- Drag and Drop the songs from your iTUNES Library into your iPOD Shuffle - that simple.
- Search songs in Browse mode by Genre, Artist and Album. The quick search filters the song list as you type which is very fast and effective.
- Import/Convert Audio CD into pristine-quality AAC file format.
- Burn custom playlists to CDs and MP3 CDs.
- Party Shuffle, which keeps a queue of songs at the ready that you can rearrange.
- Radio, more than 250 free Internet radio stations.
- Also nifty playlists being "My Top Rated", "Recently Added", "Recently Played", "Top 25 Most Played".
Charging and Battery Life:
-------------------------------
Plug it into the computer USB port or alternatively via the iPOD Shuffle Battery back (sold separately) and you are ready for up to 12 hours of pure music.
Headphones:
---------------
The signature white earbud headphones deliver a sharp sound quality.
I was looking for a simple yet sleek, light, inexpensive mp3 player that plays good music and the iPOD Shuffle delivers just that. Not having an LCD screen on the iPOD Shuffle does not bother me a zilch. I have been using the iPOD Shuffle every single day since my purchase (well almost) and not once has it jumped a song.
Simple is beautiful and Apple proved it once again.
70 Awesome
I got my iPod shuffle last saturday and I love it! I have not been able to put it down because it is so cool! It is the size of a pack of gum and is light as a feather. At first, I was mildly disapointed with the lack of bass in the earbuds but I found the black foamy earphone covers that came with it! They drastically improve the sound quality. I love the whole shuffle play mode as well. When i am on the computer, i listen to my music in shuffle anyway so that just makes it better. Dont worry, it is not impossible to find a song on it without a screen. If you load entire CD's in order on it, you can switch it to shuffle and go through until you find a song on the same CD and then get the one you are looking for. It takes all of 30 seconds usually. I highly reccomend the iPod shuffle to anybody even if you dont already own an iPod because i dont and it is working out great!
71 Happy with purchase
So far I am very happy with my ipod shuffle. Regarding the shuffling complaint, you can download your playlist in the order you want. The ipod shuffle has two options of playing, one in order and one on shuffle. So for those who can't stand the shuffling, all you have to do is store the songs in the order you would want and play it on regular mode. I purchased it for taking to the gym and it's been a great investment. For those who don't need their whole collection on the go and don't want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option.
72 Brilliant design; limited usefulness
This is the sleekest mp3 player on the market and worth the 99$. If you are happy listening to 100 or so songs in random order without being able to find a particular song, this will do. If you want to keep you 400$ Ipod with its fragile hard drive at home while you listen to some music during your workout, this will do, also. Having lost one ipod due to dropping it down a flight of stairs, I am not anxious to risk that again. The ipod shuffle was an investment I made in order to have a few hours of mp3 files with me at all times. I listen to talk and music files constantly (I have almost forgotten what radio is. Oh, yeah, that's that annoying thing with all the commercials and the small playlist of oldies). Think what you will be using this for before you buy it. If you have a big collection of music, save up for the full size ipod. If you do not, spring for this one. If you want something that is sturdy for everyday use, get this. Otherwise, forget it.
73 Great product, what else can be expected from Apple?
I recently purchased the Shuffle based on a couple of factors. First, I have heard that the Mini and the regular IPOD are fairly fragile, and since I am rough on things personally, and I would mostly take the Ipod to the gym, hiking, biking, running, or on trips or other "high risk" adventures, I thought there was too much potential for me to break the darn thing. Second, the cost of the more expensive Ipods gave me pause. Third, the Ipod is not forever, as battery life is likely to die after a while. I didn't want to risk the battery life on a $300 product. $100 to me seems to be near 'throw-away value' personally. Second, the Shuffle uses flash memory, which is longer lasting, then the mini hard drive in the regular Ipod. Again, I thought this was a safer choice for me.
All these considerations led me to believe the Shuffle was the best choice. I know 'merely' 120 songs doesn't sound like a lot, but I tried an experiment with the Itunes software (which I recommend using even if you don't have an Ipod because of its simplicity of use!) and I came to understand that 120 songs is quite a lot. Sure it would be nice to access more songs, but for my purposes 120 is enough I think. Plus, Apple has issued an update to reduce the bit quality of the songs in order to put more songs on the Ipod Shuffles!! I have heard of almost 200 songs on the smallest model.
As to the Shuffle itself, it is a glorified USB drive key. However, for $99 dollars, I get a virtually unbreakable piece of equipment that I can transport anywhere. It is incredibly light. So light you can't believe it, I still can't get over it. It's like a virtual "DJ es machina." My only quibble is the switch for 'off' to play is a bit cheap in tactile feeling. This doesn't feel to soild. No, you won't feel like it will come off, rather it just feels like its insecure. However, this is the only moving part besides the volume and play control button in the front. That control is intuitive and very similar to the regular Ipod. No problems there.
As to the complaint of a lack of a display, it is somewhat unfortunate. However, with the limited songs I can put on the thing, it doesn't really matter because I know each of the songs on the playlist (it's GOLD Jerry!) and they are all my favorites. I am not losing anything by not being able to see the songs. Also, for my purposes the lack of a display is a good thing because it would add a battery loss and also a gain in weight and fragility to the thing, who needs that? I don't.
As is typical, I plugged in the software (PC user here) and away I went. I already had Itunes, and the software updated Itunes for the Ipod seamlessly, and I mean seamlessly! Within minutes I was placing songs onto my Ipod. After a four hour initial charge, I was using the Shuffle. The sound is great, it is light and the shuffle feature works like a great eclectic radio station delivering the kind of music I like to hear. Wow.
I have always loved Apple products, and supported Jobs over Gates, now I know why. Believe me, if your purposes are similar to mine, you can't go wrong with this thing.
By the way, if you are a traveler like me, you may like the fact that the Shuffle charges by being placed in a USB port. Now, I know the regular Ipod can be charged with the additional international adapter from Apple to eliminate this problem, but I like the fact that I can take the Shuffle to any computer with a USB port, stick it in, and begin to charge it. This is convenience!
In short, I heartily recommend this product. Apple had done it again.
All
74 LOVE It
I thought I would not like the new Shuffle because it lacked a screen. Boy was I wrong. First off, for $99 you can't go wrong. I now understand the random concept. Its great. I have a 3G ipod so this is a great companion product. However I find myself using the shuffle more than my other ipod. I can choose to shuffle the songs or I can put my own playlist on it. I use it while in bed, at school, and walking. Battery life for me was better than what Apple rates it. Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase.
My only quibble is that it does take longer to load an charge than my 3G, but thats minor. Some people may say that it lacks an equalizer, but if you select it in iTunes it seems to transfer over for me.
I highly recommend this as a companion for the millions of ipod owners. It better as a second iPod than a first one, thats what I think.
75 Great product.
I bought the Shuffle over the weekend and it is great. I bought it for the sole purpose for working out. The machine itself is light weight, the buttons are easy to use, though the on off button can be a little slick to grip on to. The sound quality is better than my radio or discman. I have a PC with Windows XP and Itunes has not had any problems and it makes loading all my cds on to my computer a breeze. Many have complained that there is no screen, no FM tuner, no recorder. Well, if you want those things don't buy the Shuffle, that seems to be a fairly easy solution. The Shuffle is great if you are looking for an MP3 player and nothing more. If you want more, look elsewhere.
76 Works as advertised
This is a stripped down iPod for a stripped down price. When it was released, all the competing Flash Mp3 players had half the memory for the price. Granted it's got no display, but then again, did anyone care about displays in their tape based walkmans? When you're working out, walking around, or whatever, do you really need to know the next song? If you so need the display, go buy a iPod Mini since they're now just $100 more...
Used on a Mac, and had no problems at all. Works a treat, the software update adds some nifty features for the Shuffle, like the conversion of songs to 128Kbs to increase the number of songs (it doesn't change the songs on your harddrive).
As for the XP complaints, it's not a Apple problem. XP SP2 created a number of issues with Flash Drives in general. Go search on Google for "XP SP2 Flash" and you'll see who's to blame...
The interface is USB, which is noticably slower than my regular iPods firewire connection, though I understand thats also because Flash memory is slower to update.
A recommended buy.
77 Great Device, cheap and worth the deal!
This is a great buy, the cost is great, and sound and everything is just as great as an iPod mini or Regular iPod. It's light-weight capability benefits for athletes like me that like to work out a lot and its sleek design will make people stare in envy at it. It doesn't have an LCD screen, but who cares? It's very simple to put the songs onto it too. You just plug the iPod into the optional USB port or the extension cable that comes with it and an iPod symbol will appear on your iTunes at the left. Then just go to the library and drag the songs over. Could it get any easier? But i definately recommend buying a sports case for it. It adds color and protects it efficiently at the same time. Overall, this is a must-have for someone that can't afford the outrageous price for an iPod mini or Regular iPod or for someone who is just looking for a good light-weight deal.
78 Miss or KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid)?
Let's start with the major negative. You already know it just by looking: No screen. You can't see the song you're listening to, you can't quickly find the song you want, you can't look at the clock. It was definitely a risky move by Apple. I'd like to say it doesn't bother me, but it does. I would like to have a screen.
Let's move on for now; we'll get back to the negatives later.
The first thing I thought when I saw the Shuffle was, "It's that small? I could keep that in my pocket all the time." It's truly shocking how small the thing is. I am in awe of the whole thing: An amazingly player with about 16 hours of battery life (my measurement), superb sound (at least as good as the other iPods), and a 512 MB memory that I can use to carry my work from computer to computer.
Let's look at the Shuffle's benefits compared to other flash players: size and convenience. First the size. It's almost half the size and weight of the smallest other flash player. That means it can be a permanent part of your daily life. The second factor is convenience. With other flash players, you can expect to carry around a black usb cord to connect the player to the computer. Take it from me: It's annoying. Apple was able to include the usb attachment on the Shuffle because the Shuffle is so small. That means no cord. Just slip your little Shuffle into your pocket and go. With other players, you need to take a player at least twice as big PLUS a cord. Not so easy.
Back to the negatives now. The Shuffle also lacks a voice recorder. Apparently, a great deal of people spend their time recording conversations. I never have recorded from my other MP3 player, but I should probably start being careful of what I say. This might be an important consideration for some people, particularly spies and the ilk, but I see no need for it.
The other feature the Shuffle lacks is a radio. I wouldn't mind a radio on the Shuffle so I could listen to the TV programs at the gym (they broadcast the sound on unused FM spectrum). I don't understand why Apple doesn't include this with their other iPods, but obviously the Shuffle can't have a radio because it doesn't have a screen with which to see the station.
The Shuffle is a clear winner if you want an attractive, go-anywhere, easy-to-use, inexpensive, great-sounding music player. If you want something more, such as a radio, a voice recorder (again, why?), or a way to manage the 120 to 240 songs on the player, then you have to buy something else.
Personally, I bought the Shuffle because of the size and convenience. I already have a big 20 gig MP3 player, but I wanted something I could carry in my pocket and not have to worry about. I love reaching into my pocket and copying over a file from a friend's computer; when I drive home, I listen to tunes on the Shuffle (through the car radio), then I forget it's in my pocket until I need it again.
I'd still like a screen, though.
79 Frustrating Software Isues
Apple make a big song & dance about ease of use but I found it just wouldn't register with ITunes on our Mac, despite endless messing about with IPod Updates. At each point it would just silently fail to work or occasionally provide a cryptic error such as "Failed to update IPod Shuffle. (2)". Gee, thanks Apple.
Ironically, it communicates fine with a PC. Once the songs are finally on the device, it works OK.
80 I am mad about my earlier ipod but love this notwithstanding
I am extremely annoyed that my original ipod does not work properly and is not covered by apple warranty or recall. Notwithstanding my better judgement I bought this. It is a great product, light easy to use, stylish, great sound...why don't they fix my other ipod so I can be a 100% satisfied customer.
PS Who needs the screen if you are shuffling random songs. Its like a private dj is serving you.
81 Nice Flash Player
With my iPod 20GB not currently funtioning and not under warrenty, I decided to indulge myself in the iPod Shuffle as a stopgap between my old iPod and a potentially new iPod. I really didn't have high expectations for the shuffle, as I thought it was still relatively overpriced for what it had to offer, without the LCD screen, and whatnot.
Boy, was I wrong.
I cracked open the shuffle, and immediately started charging my shuffle and at the same time, I was able to load my songs from my iTunes into my shuffle. This means that if you have any experience with an iPod or even iTunes at all, you should have absolutely no trouble with the shuffle, as it's basically the same thing. The shuffle also gives you the option to automatically update, or manually update. With 14 GB of music on my computer, I choose the 'Manual Update' option of updating my songs, and I drag playlists (created through iTunes) into my shuffle while charging, and once done, I just take it with me wherever I go.
The nuances of the shuffle may annoy people, such as the shuffling of music or the lack of an LCD screen. I honestly have no need for an LCD screen because I pretty much know all of my music, and if I had the screen, would probably just browse to my favorites all at once. And to quell a lot of people's fears of the shuffle, you can actually set playlists and drag them into your shuffle, and keep your playlists playing in order. The shuffle just randomizes your music, not something I do, but I know people love doing it.
I am extremely pleased with my purchase so far, and enjoy the shuffle far more than my iPod, when it did function. I mean, do you really need 4,500 songs with you at once when you can just upload maybe 150 with you for a day, and update which songs you want on your shuffle for the next day?
I would reccomend the shuffle to anyone. If you absolutely have an inherent need an LCD screen, then I would not reccomend this to you, but otherwise, I'm not going back to my iPod because of this small wonder.
82 How To Use the iPod Shuffle
1. Take it out of the box.
2. Install software from CD.
3. Plug iPod Shuffle into USB port (or extension cable).
4. Autofill.
5. Charge for four hours initial.
6. Disconnect iPod from computer.
7. Put lanyard on, put headphones on.
8. Turn iPod on.
9. Press Play. Enjoy.
I don't know how much more simple it could have been.
83 Perfect workout companion
I needed an easy to use, lightweight mp3 player for working out at the gym and jogging, and the shuffle is just perfect for that. Its buttons are the easiest to navigate without looking. It's super light and feels like nothing in your pocket when running.
Instead of giving a full review and repeating everyone else's comments, I'll just list off some tips and features (both cool and annoying). In no particular order...
- iTunes is a big part of the package. The shuffle is a real simple machine, but iTunes is what makes it great. Once you have cleaned up your library and rated songs properly, etc, use smart playlists and autofill to fill your shuffle. You'll get a good enough variety of songs on there to last a week of workouts, jogs, and commutes. You can edit what autofill puts in your shuffle if you're not happy.
- Set your shuffle as a source in iTunes and you can put songs on it without it plugged in. Then plug in the shuffle and walk away while it's synch'ing and charging.
- The indicator lights can be confusing when it's plugged in. It will indicate activity instead of charging progress if the OS sees it as a mass storage device. After you're done filling it, if you're in Windows, go into Windows Explorer and right click on the shuffle's drive to eject it. The lights will now indicate charge progress and will be continuous amber until charged.
- There is a real shortage of good accessories right now. Both the weatherproof sport case and the armband are very hard to get (2 month wait). And what most active people really need is a hybrid of the two: a waterproof case that's an armband. It doesn't exist yet.
- The slider switch on the back can be hard to use sometimes because it's flush with the body.
- Pressing the big button for 3 seconds for hold/unhold isn't quite practical. It is also easy to bump a button when it's not in hold.
- Pressing the play button 3 times in continuous play will start the play from the first track. This is useful when you want only up-tempo tunes for working out. Place your workout songs at the beginning of your playlist for use in continuous mode and you can use shuffle mode during your commute, shopping, etc.
84 e-waste!!!
yes, for 99 bucks the ipod shuffles does seem like a steal, but apple needs to stop portraying their products as simply 'disposable'. E-waste is a serious issue and the fact that apple continues to produce and create new ipods that have irreplaceble batteries is not helping.
it is not ok that if your ipod dies, u can simply throw it away and purchase a new one "for only $99." it does not make sense that apple charges you to replace the battery, nor does it make sense that they charge you if you want your ipod 'properly disposed of'.
please visit this site and learn how you can help:
www.badapple.biz
i agree, apple is producing some of the coolest products ever, but why cant they do so while taking the problem of e-waste into consideration?
85 Great for what it is!
At $99.00 it's a great price for this 512MB unit. I was not in the market to spend $300.00-$400.00 for the regular Ipod. I was really impressed with the sound quality of this little unit. I use it while I run and on the train to work.
Pros- Price
Sound Quality
Compaq size (pack of gum)
Ease of use
Can also be used to store data
Cons- Earphones are uncomfortable/fall off.
On/Off button is flush (sometimes hard to use)
No Display (not an issue for me)
Playback is either sequential or shuffle mode.
So it's the perfect device for working out, traveling, etc.
Obviously if the Display is a must have, or your looking to transfer your entire music collection, the regular Ipod is the way to go. (Shuffle holds about 120 Songs)
86 AWESOME PRODUCT!
The Apple iPod Shuffle is great! You can take it anywhere because it is no bigger than a pack of gum! Downloading music couldn't be any simpler or faster! You can't beat the value of this, the world's smallest Juke Box!
87 The latest news about iPod family
This is not a review of iPod shuffle as such - great reviews are available already. Here is some information that might help in deciding which iPod to go for.
Apple announced a major upgrade to the iPod lineup today (23 Feb 2005).
The biggest advantage is the reduction in price ($ per GB) and improvement in battery life. Another significant change is that USB 2.0 is being emphasized although FireWire continues to be supported. AC adapter is USB based instead of FireWIre and the FireWire based AC adapter still sells as a separate product.
The impact on iPod mini:
> A new model, iPod mini 6 GB is introduced for $249
> iPod mini 4 GB now priced at $199 ($50 down from earlier price)
> Change in colors - now mini is available in new shades of Silver, Blue, Pink, and Green (the Gold color is discontinued)
> Major improvement in battery life - up to 18 hours (was 8 hours earlier)
> AC adapter ($29) and firewire cable ($19) no longer shipped with mini (have to be bought seperately if you really need)
> iPod mini 4 GB and 6 GB now ship with only three things: earphones, belt clip, and USB 2.0 cable
> The indicators on the click wheel now match the color of the iPod mini
The impact on bigger iPods:
> iPod 40 GB is discontinued
> iPod photo 40 GB is discontinued
> iPod photo 30 GB (new product) replaces the 40 GB iPod photo and the regular iPod 40 GB
> iPod photo 60 GB now costs $150 less -- $449 instead of $599
> iPod photo 30 GB costs $349 ($150 less than iPod photo 40 GB and $50 less than regular iPod 40 GB)
> iPod dock ($39), AV cable ($19), carrying case ($29), and firewire cable ($19) do not ship with iPod photo (you may not really need them)
> Now we get three things with iPod photo: earphones, USB based AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable
> In additon to the above, a firewire cable continues to ship with iPod 20 GB & iPod U2 edition
> iPod photo Camera Connector is introduced - this can be used for connecting your digital camera directly to the iPod
With these changes, there is an interesting $50 gap between:
> iPod 20 GB and iPod photo 30 GB
> iPod mini 6 GB and iPod 20 GB (as earlier)
> iPod mini 4 GB and iPod mini 6 GB
> iPod shuffle 1 GB and iPod mini 4 GB
> iPod shuffle 512 MB and iPod shuffle 1 GB (as earlier)
Price, size, weight, and ease of use are major considerations while buying an iPod shuffle. If price is the only factor, iPod mini could be a better choice over shuffle. I have all the models of iPod (shuffle, mini, regular 40 GB, and photo 60 GB) and I find myself sticking to the iPod photo 60 GB since it carries all my music and has a better, color-based user interface.
88 INCREDIBLE, it changed my life!
i think some of the negative reviews are actually written by people with a stake in other MP3 players, i dont see how anyone can not fall in love with this perfect design. if you want a watch with a digital face, you dont buy a cartier!
if you are looking for simplicity, beauty, design and function, look no further, this is it....it's like listening to your own radio station anytime anywhere, who needs satellite FM when you can get the ipod shuffe?.....full disclosure, still using a PC and cant wait to get rid of it
89 Apple has a great marketing staff
..but in this case an inferior product.
There are better ones out there with more functionality and better quality.
90 Forever Apple...
I love all Mac products and will continue to use them. I just bought my iPod Shuffle to use when I run, and it's stupendous. Thanks to Apple, you are my god.
91 Ipod shuffle 512mb or 1g-- headphone news!
It is great. Don't worry about the headphones and their quality. Just put on the black ear bud covers (Apple provides 2 pair)-- and you will be amazed at the uprated bass response and loudness. Because of the snugger fit more of the music comes thru clearly. Try it! I cancelled my new headphone set order, too. It is not really necessary!
92 Awful MP3 Player
For The Same Price You Can Get An MP3 Player With A Screen, Voice Recorder,Longer Battery Life And A Radio. It Will Also Support More Music Stores The An iPod Which Only Supports iTunes. Other MP3 Players Can Also Fit Double The Number Of Songs In The Same Amount Of Space At The Same Quality Because They Support WMA.
It Is Just An Awful Product.
Avoid At All Costs!!!
93 The harsh truth.
This product is great. Easy to use, light, and simple. It is for people with a small amount of music, not audiophiles. If you complain about the LCD not being there, (hate to say it) but you probably haven't worked out a day in your life. Who fiddles with a tiny screen while they are on a treadmill? Honestly, who needs a LCD if you're actually busy doing something productive? If you need one, suck it up and buy a hard drive based mp3 player. Don't be cheap. Quit complaining.
94 You can't go wrong for 99 bucks....
I got the 512MB Shuffle a few days ago (finally)....After waiting for 4 weeks for Apple to ship it....It is great for what it is....A small, cheap MP3 player that you can take anywhere, and uses the great iPod software....It is good for places and activities that you would be afraid to take a regular iPod...The whole point is that it is cheap enough to be expendable....Get a regular iPod, add case, extended warranty, tax etc. and all of a sudden you are talking 400 or 500 bucks.. At that price, you are not going to be taking it to the gym, out in the snow or rain, throwing it in a backpack with other items etc..This you can..It's 99 bucks and small...No need for a case, an arm band, an extended warranty (because of the poor quality of the iPod battery).You can take the Shuffle anywhere, wear it under a coat in foul weather, let it receive bumps and bruises...If the battery dies in 3 years, then so what! It cost you 33 bucks a year....The Shuffle does sound great, and the software for it is nice and simple....Other MP3 players may have an LCD screen, a microphone, radio etc. but their software is not going to be as easy to use as the iPod software which takes only an hour or two to get the hang of....A tiny LCD screen is probably going to be more hassle than its worth....And the whole point is for the Shuffle to be simple and inexpensive....Something to take to the gym or work....You are not going to be taking it on a trip to Antarctica, or storing your whole music library on it, all cross-referenced... That's what a regular iPod for! The Shuffle is for environments where you wouldn't take a regular iPod....It only takes a couple of minutes to install your music on the Shuffle...You can play the songs in order, and skip to the next song in the list...You don't need an LCD for 100 songs that you choose to download to the Shuffle....The only drawbacks that I have found to the Shuffle is it can be easy to lose the cap and lanyard when the iPod is plugged into the computer....The ear buds sound great but are uncomfortable....The Shuffle might not be ideal for audio books that are one, single file....If you go to another song, you will lose your place in the audio book, and the fast forward feature on the Shuffle doesn't go too fast....Do you want to wade through an hour or three of narration until you get back to the right spot on the audio book? I also bought the 30 dollar optional Dock for the Shuffle.
I didn't want to be plugging and unplugging into my computer's USB port 10 times every week....The connector on the Shuffle sticks out and looks easy to break off....It is easier and safer to plug and unplug it from the optional Dock instead...It provides a place for the Shuffle to stand, and charge....And I don't like plugging and unplugging something into my 2,000 dollar computer every day....If something is going to break, it will be the 30 dollar Dock, not the USB port on my computer.....
95 Well...if I could it would be 100,000,000,000 stars!
This is the best thing I think I ever bought (besides my cat). It is so small...smaller than a pack of gum! The speakers are so clear you can hear every detail of the music! It is so easy to put music on it too! I've only had mine for 3 hours (REALLY) and I am in love with it already...how can someone NOT have this? I would recomend to ANYONE. I saw some of the bad reveiws but decided to try anyway...how can someone NOT like this? OMG you MUST buy this...!
