Apple iPod shuffle 3G MP3 Player Review

Reviewing Apple's new 4GB iPod shuffle may just be the hardest assignment I've yet had with everythingusb.com. That's because this impossibly small thing is as much jewelry as it is electronic gadget. It would be easy for me to rave about how small the shuffle has become (I could), or how the anodized aluminum casing is machined so perfectly (it is), or how the whole thing is so easy to use (or lose). But somehow I feel that's not enough to do this product justice. And yet, after three weeks of living with the 4GB shuffle, I'm left wondering if this baby iPod fulfills its main mission as well as it should considering its $99 asking price.

iPod shuffle 3G took out the USB connector in favor of a 'special USB cable'.

Cracking open the casing, all of Apple's legendary attention to detail becomes readily apparent. The shuffle is packaged in a clear transparent case, with the shuffle and its new headphone cable-mounted remote control exposed for all to see. Lift the thick plastic sheet and you'll find a brand-new style of Apple headphones, along with a very short (4 inch) proprietary cable with a special 1/8" stereo plug on one end, and a USB Type A plug on the other. At the bottom of the box, you'll find a few pages of "getting started" information, actually more than you would expect for a product so simple. I personally think that with all of Apple's eco-friendly advertising with respect to their new MacBooks and packaging, that Apple deliberately went against their own benchmarks for the shuffle. The package is plastic rather than paper, and certainly bigger than it needs to be. It's almost as if the shuffle ships in an earring box. If any of you remember the original shuffle's green super slim packaging, that was pretty cool stuff for 2005. The new 4GB shuffle's packaging really should just continue the eco-theme for everybody's benefit.

Second from left is the iPod shuffle 3G.

Minimalist - to a Fault?
Briefly touring the exterior of the new 4GB shuffle, one finds a beautifully finished anodized aluminum housing, available in your choice of silver or black. As you can see from the photos, the black version is not really black, but more of a dark gunmetal. Featureless on its front surface, sides and bottom, your eyes are immediately drawn to the beauty of the back with its polished shiny surface, laser etched Apple logo, and spring loaded hinging mechanism - with hidden spring. I literally spent hours trying to figure out how the clip is sprung, obviously from the inside, but HOW? Etched into the back surface are tiny markings that would be familiar to any shuffle owner - OFF, REPEAT and SHUFFLE. The top surface contains a multipurpose stereo headphone jack, a pinpoint LED, and a machined three position switch to set the play mode.

When you think things cannot get any smaller...

Size-wise, the 4GB shuffle is tiny. Miniscule. Molecular. The first-generation shuffle dwarfs it in comparison, and four years ago everyone though that 240 songs in an iPod thinner than a stick of gum was amazing. This new 4GB shuffle represents 1000 songs in a matchbox. And it's about half as thick as grandpa shuffle. Still, with the aluminum housing, it has a nice heft and rounded sides but sharp edges. There really is no other portable music player it can be compared to. Kudos, Apple. I finally understand why the shuffle can't have a screen. But I still want one...