Apple iPod shuffle 512 MB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod shuffle 512 MB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Good audio device, too big to be a flash drive
Summary: 3 Stars
I first saw the ipod shuffle, I thought it was pointless and didn't think it would sell well because of the lack of lcd screen. But once apple dropped the price of the shuffle I decided to get one because it was so cool looking and doubled as a flash drive......
For me, the shuffle because when I had my ipod mini, Every song I owned was on it and could never decide what to listen to. When I used the shuffle mode on it, I would just skip through most of the songs because I wasn't familiar with them and never the songs a chance! So I just stuck with the same 20 favorite songs love over and over again.........
Now with the shuffle, I can either create a playlist and play them in order or in shuffle mode. OR it can randomly choose songs to put onto it. Since it would be a hassle to scroll through the songs I like with the shuffle, I would be more encouraged the songs a chance, and even enjoy most of them!
Shockingly, my favorite thing about the shuffle is what I hated about it the most when I first saw it; the lack of lcd screen. You see this device was created for use in "active" conditions, like exercising working out etc. It's flash based so it doesn't skip, and when your in the middle of doing something active, you just let the songs play without having the need to choose songs or have something as delicate as an ipod scratch up or even worse, have the internal parts break. The great thing about the shuffle is that it doesn't scratch as easily (as the nano and non-mini hard drived based ipods) and even if it does, your not looking at it much due to the lack of lcd screen. It even comes with a nice neckstrap to wear!
I also admire the lack of screen on the shuffle like it because I listen to music a lot in the dark and can't to drain the battery with a light turning on while scrolling through the songs. That cut my ipod mini battery usage to maybe 50 percent or even more per charge!
Some people complain about the 12 hour battery life versus the (up to) 14 on the Ipod nano and 30 gig ipod video. I think the lower battery time contributes to the smaller size of the shuffle, but 12 hours is half a day which is fine for me! This contributes to the smaller size of the shuffle resulting a smaller battery. Most flash based mp3 players use a replaceable AAA or AA battery, but I know one where the the battery life is only 4 or five hours on it, depending on the usage! I heard some offer up to 20 hours, but I prefer something internal because I won't have to go through the hassle of buying new batteries or expensive rechargeable batteries, that don't last as long as regular batteries per
This leads to one bad thing about the ipod shuffle but it depends on the consumer; Like all ipods it has a non-replacable battery. I hated this when I first bought the ipod without knowing that, but the interface on the device was so user friendly, I didn't care after that. I haven't had an ipod that completely drained yet, but I personally would rather upgrade to a new ipod then send in my old one for 50-100 dollars (not sure how much it costs, but I do know it went down in price recently) to get a refurbished, different one (unless the ipod was personalized). And with the shuffle costing about 70 dollars (as of this wrting), I estimate I will get at least 1.5 years out of it and just buy a new one if this still make it.
The flash drive functionality is somewhat disappointing. Yes it works on any XP enabled PC (you need to tell it to save a certain amount of memory to store files through itunes first) but it's too big to be a flash drive. My USB slot is tucked inside of the bottom front tower behind a cover that flips down. The shuffle doesn't fit all the way inside and I thought it was defective when itunes didn't detect it. So I plugged the shuffle into the USB located in the back of the tower and it works fine. But I have to use this USB extender I bought to keep it plugged into the front. So this means I can't go to any computer and expect the shuffle to fit inside of the USB slot unless I want to bring the USB extender with me, which kind of defeats the purpose of the flash drive functionality. I can get a flash drive the size of the extender!
Finally I'm going mention about the shuffle and its integration with itunes. The reason why I think it works so well is because if I bought a non apple flashed based player, It would most likely integrate with windows media player, and I would either have to drag and drop each song onto it, or it would automatically transfer my wma songs onto the device. For maybe 10-20 songs this is okay, but for up to 120, it's too much of a hassle IF I wanted to do playlists. With itunes, it's a snap to create a play list and I could drag it into my shuffle directory, Or I can drag albums onto it. This is what makes the shuffle and all of apple's digital music players so brilliant, it syncs up with an easy yet to use interface that appeals to casual and hardcore users.
So I give it 3 stars. good audio device thanks to the painless itunes interface and integration, flawed flash drive device
Customer Review: iPod Prestige at a "bargain" price
Summary: 4 Stars
Apple's iPod "Shuffle," released after a flurry of hype early in 2005, is a combination of many wonderful features with many drawbacks -- though it is up to the individual user and his or her needs that decides whether or not these drawbacks are serious.
Pros:
1 - iPod "prestige" -- what this means is that you have the great feeling of owning an iPod -- a trendy device that many young people like to own, not only for its practical uses but also for the sake of having it and showing it off in public. "Look everyone, I'm using an iPod -- yeah, it's just the shuffle model, but still, it's an iPod which makes it a million times cooler than the other brands out there that might actually be better but they s^&k because they're not iPods..."
2 - holds tons of music -- sure, larger, more expensive iPods (along with larger, more expensive products from other manufacturers that aren't as trendy to have a product from -- ie, "I-river") hold more music and other material, but for all practical purposes, the +/- 110 song capacity of the iPod shuffle is adequate for most people's listening needs, unless they plan on being away from their larger source of music and won't be able to change or replenish the shuffle songs for a long time.
3 - cheaper -- of course, a hundred dollars is a hundred dollars, but still, if you lose your iPod shuffle or break it or have it stolen it won't be as heartbreaking as if you lost your $300 full size model. Also since it's cheaper you won't often think twice about taking it absolutely anywhere with you, or even getting a little careless with it sometimes.
4- you can store and transport other, non-musical files on it. The memory capacity on an iPod shuffle can be used to download (via its USB port) text, photo, and other files from one computer and upload them to another computer or device -- making it a convenint, portable zip-type drive -- though of course the iPod itself has no capability to access and use non-musical files.
5 - it's small and doesn't sag in your pockets. the tiny size and meager weight of the iPod shuffle make it perfect for running and taking to the gym, as it doesn' create any unsightly lumps in your clothes, nor does it sag in your pockets with every step you run.
6 - the controls are easy to use. it takes only a few minutes to become accustomed to the "circular button" system on the shuffle. After a couple of days you don't even have to look at the buttons anymore because you'll know them by feel
Cons:
1 - no visual display screen. Some people really must see the song artist, song title, and elapsed minutes/seconds of each song to be happy. If you are this person, maybe the iPod isn't your ideal mp3 player.
2- less control over which song is played, and WHEN it is played. This isn't quite as serious as it sounds, since we all know how easy it is to rapidly press "skip" dozens of times to get to the songs we want. An equivalent level of frustration might be like when we're pressing the digital "seek" button on a friend's car radio when you don't like any of the presets. Plus, with only a hundred or so songs, it can't really take THAT long to get to the track you want
3 - battery charge time -- unfortunately, the ipod shuffle takes three hours to fully charge and give you 12 hours of listening time. However, if you're only going to use it for an hour or two at a time the 3 hour charge time isn't as much of an issue. And, since many iPod users tend to charge their iPods overnight, the charge time isn't much of a concern.
4 - sometimes people mock the iPod shuffle since it is a "cheap" iPod and certainly less capable than the Mini or Nano. However, people who are overly concerned about being teased for their iPod shuffle are probably a bit too image conscious. After all, it's function first, and then fashion second.
5 - the tiny size of the shuffle makes it somewhat easy to misplace/lose,
6 - after only a few months the maximum battery life tends to dip from 12 hours when brand new to about 8 or nine hours
7 - sweat from your body when working out, or any other moisture, is extremely corrosive to the iPod. Even though it is somewhat more durable than the larger iPods (you can drop it and nothing in it will break) users still need to take emementary precautions when they work out. As in, protect your iPod with an armand or wrist band or other accessory, or at least prevent skin-to-iPod contact.
So with these pluses and minuses considered, please purchase wisely! I recommend the shuffle both for its relative value and features, and although its limitations are sorely felt sometimes, they are usually only a minor irritation and don't detract from the overall pleasure of owning one.
~ Kai
Customer Review: GUIDE TO IPOD SHUFFLE AS A SECOND IPOD + Breaking News
Summary: 5 Stars
BREAKING NEWS: the 1GB shuffle is now only $129 (late June 2005). The delta to the 512MB is now only $30 for double the songs. In my opinion, this makes the 1GB model a more compelling buy.
This review is for current regular iPod owners that might be attracted to buying an iPod shuffle as a second player. I own both a 40GB iPod Photo and a 1GB iPod Shuffle.
Initial reactions out of the box:
Out of the box it is as simple as any other iPod and its documentation is simple yet effective. Loading the songs (on a USB 2.0 PC) is slower than the regular iPod charge, which is blazingly fast. It takes several minutes to load the 120+ songs on the 512MB model. The autofill menu is simple and lets you choose from your library or from one of your playlists, either in sequential order or at random. I'd personally would have liked more flexibility (e.g. load from several playlists).
When loading it is useful to select the option to reduce high-resolution MP3 into lower rates. The Shuffle supports AAC and MP3 files up to 320 kbps, which is much more than what most people use (also supports MP3 VBR files). However, if you do use higher resolutions, there is an option to load everything on 128Kbps AAC.
Sound quality:
Once I have loaded it fully, I have tried it with several types of speakers and earphones. I first tried it with the standard white iPod ear buds which are very convenient, but come across flat, similar to any iPod. I then tried it with a pair of BOSE Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones. The results with the BOSE headset are pretty good; you can not tell a difference from a regular iPod. The music comes across well defined and bass comes across rich and full. This is at the same level as regular iPod, but I somehow expected a less full sound. Finally, I tried it on a set JBL Portable OnTour speakers and again the iPod shuffle stand up really well related to its 40GB iPod Photo sister.
I used the shuffle for a while and I can tell you, the sound quality is pretty good. Apple has done a great job reproducing the same high quality sound as in any iPod, which is much better than many MP3 players out there.
Synchronizing both players:
I focused on Synchronization with iTunes, synchronizing both my regular 40GB ipod Photo and my shuffle intermittently. I didn't notice any interoperability issues. You can own both and synchronize both and not have any issues doing this. Please remember that iTunes does not allow you to synchronize two regular iPods into one iTunes library (I guess to provide some protection to the music), unless you buy one of the 3rd-party software programs out there. In this case (regular iPod and Shuffle on one iTunes) both players can synch with no issues.
Usage models that best fit each player:
iPod Shuffle:
- Exercise at the gym. It's so light and convenient you won't go back to a regular iPod.
- Trekking, walking, jogging, outdoor sports.
- Short flights. Even with just how easy is to operate a regular iPod you still have to go through a little procedure to get it out, select your music, put on your headphones, and look for where to put it (challenging if you are in coach). You can easily board a plane with your lanyard and turn it on as soon as you can.
- Reading books in the park, your house. Why bother carrying the big iPod if you are basically going to use if for background?
Regular iPod:
- Long trips (e.g. transcontinental or to South America) - you are likely to listen to different types of music in your library within the trip.
- Parties (you do want the flexibility or changing your playlist if the mood of the party changes!).
- Listening to specific songs or albums not in a list. Don't even try on the shuffle - the lack of a screen will definitively frustrate you.
- Car trips.
Use Smart playlists to make shuffling a better experience.
Use Smart playlists. You can easily organize your library by genre, personal rating, time of publication and many other parameters (or several of them at once). If you have a large music library you can easily build smart playlists for "Top rated Rock", "My top rated Songs", "60's Latin" (Bossa Nova lovers) or "90's Soundtracks". Then when you autofill your iPod shuffle simple pick the music that suits your mood and you are ready. Changed your mind in the middle of your flight? Simply use your laptop to reload from a different list.
Definitively a winner as a more convenient second player. If you like suffling on a regular iPod, don't even think about it and get it as a second player for those occassions where being light is worth the loss of flexibility.
Customer Review: It so...small...yeah...
Summary: 4 Stars
That's pretty much the first thought I had about the Shuffle when I got it as a gift. Had not I had some inside information that I was to be getting an mp3 player previous to this point, I would have said something in the lines of WTF?
Yes, I am that off-track when it comes to what's new and hip and I was also of the opinion that paying a hundred bucks for a piece of plastic that plays music is something that would never kick off. Oh yeah. So when I held this so-weightless-it-almost-floated-away-on-the-wind device, I was shocked, to say the least. Yes, the iPod is smaller than a pack of gum. As to whether it's more fun goes back to how much you like your gum. I like gum.
The largest complaint about the Shuffle (as The Seashell Soft-Shoe Shuffle inevitably goes through your mind) is its lack of a screen. You can't pick which song you want when you want it. You can't start at song no. 35 and go from there (unless you want to spend an hour pushing next, next, next) and you can't see what song you're on and what's about to come next. However, Hell will freeze over before they can fit screens onto something so small. Now, the iPod Nano has an LCD display, but is it smaller than a piece of gum? And is it more fun? I don't think so.
The price of the tiny fit-into-your-pocket size and non-existent weight is the lack of the LCD display. Other than that, the Shuffle more than makes up for this one prob with high sound quality, the AAC thingie and of course, the price. I have since changed my mind about mp3 players. I mean, as one comedian said, imagine walking out of your house each morning to the accompaniment of `Hail to The Chief' blaring in your ears. Now that's the way to start your day!
The advertisement isn't quite accurate when it claims that the iPod will help you make new friends. I haven't made any yet. Still waiting though. It does not guess your mood. In fact, it's pretty stupid at times. After Enya's `May It Be' the last thing you want to hear is Rhapsody's blaring `Emerald Sword'. But that's my problem for having such a wide and diverse selection on my pod, from classical to Jpop to new age. The iPod will not take you anywhere. You will be taking the iPod around, not vice versa, I assure you.
However, the good thing about the iPod is the fact that it holds a ton of songs, and with the Shuffle feature you are guaranteed a new and different Playlist every time you listen to it. No more listening to same order of songs anymore, no more humming the next song before the one you're listening to has finished. That is, unless, of course, you want to; the Shuffle has an Un-shuffle feature (it's not actually called that) and you can listen to the songs in boring, playlist order whenever you want to. The best part about the Shuffle feature is the fact that you get to listen ALL of your songs. I mean, when you have 150 songs, how many times do you get to listen to the whole selection, or just the ones at the end? With the Shuffle feature, all your songs get equal treatment.
What I don't like about my iPod is iTunes actually. It's annoying. I've heard a lot of hate going for windows media, but I prefer it to iTunes any day. Why? Well, imagine plugging in your iPod because its battery needs to be recharged and ending up with every song on it wiped off. Why? Oh, because you moved your music file. Move one file anywhere and all of a sudden iTunes gets freaked. I applied the `update my iPod automatically' because that's what was recommended and now I can't get it off! If you think you can just put songs on your iPod and then delete them from your PC, you got something else coming. They have to stay on your computer indefinitely. Which means if you lose a file accidentally, or your hard drive gets messed up, so will your iPod the next time you connect. Every time I connect now, I offer up a prayer that somehow nothing will happen. I've got the hang of it by now, but it drove me INSANE at first. No offence, Apple, but iTunes SUCKS!!!
Other than that, it's easy to use, the Smart Playlists are catchy and whatnot. I've had a hard time trying to organize the songs in exactly the way I want them to, but I can't find out how. If you arrange them by artist, it's by alphabetic order, and the same goes for he title, etc. I want to have all my Jpop next to each other, my Enya next to Mckennit and so on, so that I can listen to it un-shuffled when I want to, but I haven't found an easy way to do that.
All in all, for a iPod you can listen to while it sits unnoticed in your jeans pocket, this is the pod for you.
Customer Review: I'm impressed...
Summary: 5 Stars
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...