The Bottom Line: Appealing price, but when you consider the small storage capacity and lack of view screen, it lacks a lot of what make its big brothers great.
prfstars's Full Review: Apple iPod shuffle 1st Generation (512 MB) MP3 Pla...
With the addition of a new 512 MB Apple iPod Shuffle, our home now has more iPods than people. If this sounds wasteful, keep in mind that one of the iPod users is a seven year old girl, who has left her pink iPod Mini on the school bus, in her classroom, and in a bevy of cars, libraries, and friends' homes. Thanks to dumb luck and the kindness of friends and strangers, she's never lost it permanently. We've tried a clip-on case. We've tried fist-shaking pronouncements of hell to be paid. Nothing works. She's not intentionally irresponsible-- she's just hopelessly seven.
When I saw the iPod Shuffle for the first time, I realized it would be perfect for the kid for three reasons:
1. She only has sixty or seventy songs in her iPod Mini, which can hold a thousand.
2. She's never lost a necklace. More on that later.
3. There's no firewire cable for her to dangle in front of the cat when she wants to play.
Storage
The iPod Shuffle comes in two models: one holds 512 MB, or about 120 songs. The other holds 1 GB, or about 240 songs.
Price
As of 2/12/05, the 512 MB model is $99, and the 1 GB model is $149.
For most people, the 1GB model is a great deal. If you've got a small music collection, or are on a tight budget and don't mind updating your iPod when you want to switch songs, the 512 MB model provides adequate storage.
Similarities with other iPods
Like all of our iPods, the Shuffle came with Apple's signature white ear bud headphones. These are great once you get used to them, but it takes a little practice to get them in your ear firmly enough so that they stay, but comfortably enough so that you're not constantly aware of the hard plastic in your ear.
iPods sync with iTunes, Apple's application for importing, playing, and burning music. You can created playlists of songs in iTunes, and then play them on your iPod.
Despite it's name, the shuffle feature is not unique to the iPod Shuffle. You can shuffle music on any iPod, or on your computer with iTunes. This leads me to the first major difference.
Differences
The iPod shuffle has no display. On other iPods, you can visually scroll through your songs by name, artist, genre, etc. This is impossible on the iPod shuffle.
The primary method of navigation on the iPod Shuffle is the shuffle function-- you transfer songs to the iPod, and let it randomly choose them for you. Apple puts a very positive spin on this, advertising that it frees the user from the burden of having to select each song. They say it's like having your own personal DJ. If you want more control, you can create a playlist in iTunes with your music in the order you prefer. It's not a perfect system-- you can't just scroll through songs for the title you want-- but eliminating the display trimmed size, weight, and price off this model.
Speaking of size the Shuffle is a fraction of the size of the iPod Mini. The Mini weighs in at 3.6 ounces; the Shuffle is a mere 3/4 of an ounce. Apple compares its size to a pack of gum. You can buy an arm band for the Shuffle, but if you're not engaged in vigorous exercise, the included Lanyard is a perfect way to keep your Shuffle with you and not leave it behind on the school bus.
The Shuffle charges and syncs through the USB port on your computer. Unlike other iPods, though, you don't need a dock or a cable. The iPod shuffle plugs directly into your computer's USB port. This makes it easy for my daughter to sync and charge her iPod with no help from the grown-ups.
According to Apple, the battery life of the Shuffle is about 50% greater than the iPod's. They say you can get 12 hours. I've never really kept track of how much time we get out of any of our iPods, but 12 hours sounds like a fair estimate for the Shuffle. With no display, the Shuffle must use less battery power than other iPods.
Should you buy an iPod Shuffle?
Despite my rating, I'm not personally a big fan of the Shuffle or the Mini. If you love music and can afford one, a regular iPod is vastly superior to either, and it's a better value. The $299 iPod currently has 20GB worth of storage-- that's 40 times more storage than the Shuffle at three times its price, and 5 times more storage than the Mini at only 20% more than the Mini's price. If you just don't want to spend that much on an MP3 player though, the Shuffle is a nice alternative.
Do not buy an iPod Shuffle if you:
• are a serious music lover, and must have hundreds (or thousands) of songs at your fingertips
• don't want to change or update your playlists frequently
• you don't mind spending $249-$299 for the significant storage added by getting an iPod of iPod Mini.
Buy an iPod Shuffle if:
• You don't have a very large music collection, or
• You do have a large music collection, but don't mind updating your iPod every time you want to rotate which songs you can hear.
• You're on a tight budget, or are looking for an MP3 player for a child.
The iPod Shuffle is a scaled down, simplified version of its bigger sisters. For some, like my daughter, that's a big plus. For me, it's all negative. I could never give up my iPod's viewing screen or storage capacity. Consider your own resources and needs, and feel confident that no matter which iPod you choose, you're getting a great MP3 player.
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