Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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List Price: Our Price: $24.50 You Save: $75.49 (75%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Best on the market as of August 8th 2005
Summary: 5 Stars
Yesterday I learned that Apple was releasing their latest iPod family member: the iPod nano.
First of all I must say I disagree with those reviews or reviewers which complaint about things they knew before purchasing the item: yes the shuffle lacks any sort of display.
Fast reviewed facts:
- Ease of use: this is the real plug&play thing. It won't get any easier to use, yet it comes with a pretty good menu of advanced features in case you might want to customize your iPod shuffle so that I will store both data and mp3s. Charging is also simple, come on I hate all A/C adaptors, you can really forget about wires, voltage etc. Yet this might be a drawback if you lack a USB port around, but... how would you transfer songs in anyway?
- Reliable: even though this is not a waterproof or shock resistant player, I take it with me while doing downhill bicycle riding and I have been under heavy rain and rough terrains yet my iPod has never failed (although it has been quite wet). Also batteries last as stated in the technical specs, perhaps 30 mins less (this will depend mostly on the volume you listen your music at).
Size and weight: simply small and light.
In my opinion the iPod shuffle player is the best for use while doing any sport. I ride bycicle quite often and I couldn't care less whether my mp3 player had display or not, because I wouldn't be able to look at it anyway, yet the weight of a normal iPod would actually bother me. I also enjoy of listening to my songs randomly but hey! you can also organize all sorts of ordered playlists.
Only drawback: iTunes could be a bit complex sometimes, the latest version iTunes 5 just came out, I'll have to try that one out. But as I started my review i must finish by saying that this iPod is more that I spected, therefore no reason for giving it less than 5 stars, I only review items I own and use.
Customer Review: Pure vanilla ... plain, simple, and elegant
Summary: 5 Stars
One warning ... make sure you have a USB 2.0 port or extra time. The iPod Shuffle doesn't have a FireWire connector, and using USB 1.0 makes the process of uploading songs pretty slow ... 3 or 4 times slower than 2.0. (Figure about 1/2 hour for 1 GB model on USB 1.0 to about 5-10 minutes on 2.0. Of course, if you're okay with that ...)
This is a real gem -- a truly portable, absolutely stunning extension of the iPod family, and the perfect companion for the active person (for everything from jogging to walking). Perfectly light and easy to use, the iPod shuffle also features a hardware toggle to mix-up your songs (of course, shuffling is completely optional) and iTunes, the program you'll keep on your Mac or PC, allows the computer to pick a random (or not so random) selection of songs for you. Nice touches.
The shuffles works splendidly with iTunes. What I've done is create about a dozen iTunes playlists for different moods and activities, and then dumped about 1 GB of songs into each. If you go into iTunes preferences, you can then "sync" your shuffle (or other iPod) to any one of your playlists. Plug it into the USB port and you're off!
The smaller capacity of the shuffle has been a great solution to my now overwhelming collection of songs -- not even half of which could fit into the top of the line iPod. It allows me to manage and listen to those songs through as many playlists as I can imagine. And carrying around 250 songs -- about a day's worth of music for me -- is all I really need.
Of course, you give up the screen with the shuffle, so finding the exact song you want isn't as easy. To me, it doesn't matter. I'm content to use the elegant wheel controller to dash through the songs if there is something I really need to hear. It's fast and simple to use.
The iPod shuffle is a no-brainer. Another great product from Apple.
Customer Review: Compact, sleek and no screen!
Summary: 4 Stars
My friend just got his iPod Shuffle and lent it to me for a couple of days. I was'nt ready to buy one myself, but after trying it out, it does seem pretty good. It's just another ordinary flash mp3 player with an iPod logo. I've given a breakdown of some, not all of the aspects of the Shuffle. Here goes:
---Design---
A really neat design(always expect something new from Apple), small and lightweight.Its roughly the size of a keychain and is very light. Navigation is easy, 4 buttons, Next, Previous and volume up/down. A nice tab at the back allows you to shuffle your playlist(not playlists) or play them in order.
---Compact---
Carrying around the iPod shuffle is really easy. No worrying about dropping your iPod and breaking the silver cover or the screen. Really fun and practical to use while jogging or in the gym. The strap which comes with it is a bit tacky and not too useful since the Shuffle can very easily slip into you pocket. Actually, it's so light, that you might even forget that you're carrying it.
---Battery---
Amazingly, I churned out 10 hours of playback on shuffle mode. There are two reasons behind it having a reasonably good battery life. Firstly, since it doesn't use any screen(which really eats up battery), and because it uses flash memory;no hard disk spinning and thus, battery usage is kept to a minimal.
---Cost---
[For a low price] you get an iPod, with 12 hours of playback, with a nice shuffle option, with 1GB of flash memory and no screen. Flash memory is old stuff now...hard disks like the Mini's are small and hold up a massive amount of songs. Then again, this is supposed to lightweight and a cheaper alternative to the Mini and the iPod. Lastly, if you already have a Mini, skip this one. If you have an iPod, and need something light to use at the gym or for jogging, this is a very good backup player.
Customer Review: 5 stars for the product, 1 star for the Memory space = 3 stars
Summary: 3 Stars
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 1GB 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. Though a great product in terms of use and functionality, its storage space is simply not worth the money for an extra 100 songs. The purpose of a flash memory is to be able to constantly change it. If you want to store lots of songs, upgrade to a Mini.
Good Things:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:
I don't understand why Apple limited this to 1GB when for $50 more you can get the 4GB mini. NOTE: APPLE RECENTLY REDUCED THE PRICE OF THIS DEVICE, LIKELY BECAUSE OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE. A FM tuner would be nice but I can live without it. It really depends on your personal tastes.
Loading from another ITUNES Set up you cant transfer to yours due to Flash Memory.
Personally, I think if you are going for storage space, then its worth it to get the IPOD mini for $50 more. If its portability and ease of use, then go for the 512MB version and use the $30 you saved on some tunes.
Customer Review: iPod Shuffle rocks!
Summary: 5 Stars
Apple has released a ground breaking product in terms of mp3 players history. The shuffle is a fabulous achievement of Apple's engineering and marketing skills. The electronics inside the shuffle are very refined and its remarkable how this manage to fit it all in such small size.
Pro's,
1. Elegant, minimalist and ergonmic design.
2. Lots of memory for an affordable price (remember those 128MB players for same price last year?)
3. Built in rechargeable battery, hassle free.
4. Charging from a USB port instead of a bulky wall adaptor, unlike most other electronics items.
5. Very good sound quality.
6. Excellent build quality and full one yr of warranty support.
7. Works as a portable flash memory drive, plug-n-play.
8. Compatible with iTunes Music Store, the only reasonable & legal source of music downloads.
9. Very good battery life.
10. Easy to use during activities like jogging, gym etc. No skipping like CD or hard drive based players.
11. Perfect gift item. Comfortable to carry, looks attractive and a joy to use.
Con's,
1. Shuffle doesn't have a LCD display, depending upon your needs this maybe a disadvantage.
2. Only one color, unlike mutiple mini colors. Ofcourse this is just a cosmetic issue and would likely be fixed with next generation of Shuffle.
3. Priced very close to iPod mini 4GB, for only $50 more you go from 1GB to 4GB with screen.
Apple waited for the flash memory prices to become affordable and finally released the Shuffle with 512MB/1GB. Anything lower would have resulted in poor user experience as majority of other players out there (don't they end up in drawer?).
Buying an iPod Shuffle is a very easy decision to make. It looks great, works with ease, is competitively priced and easy to find at most retail stores. Enjoy!