What is this?
Apple's first flash MP3 player drops LCD screen and complicated controls in favor of simplistic 'song shuffle' style. Basically, iTunes' AutoFill randomly picks 120 songs for you during sync from your favorite playlist. iPod shuffle also recharges via USB, and doubles as a 512MB USB flash drive as well.
Apple iPod shuffle 512MB ReviewMarch 22nd, 2005
Pros: Stylish; no learning curve; excellent endurance factor, on par with system-grade flash memory.
Cons: Overly simplified process of random song selection; slow transfer speed; difficult to tell volume level.
Verdict: The Apple iPod shuffle is affordable and stylish, yet iTunes' AutoFill function needs some more work.
As the most simplistic portable audio design we've seen to date, the Apple $99 iPod shuffle will appeal to music fans who are less enthusiastic about exploring the functionality on a feature-bloated audio player and/or more concerned of the state of their bank balance.
iPod shuffle - a Screen-less MP3 Player? What catches you eyes the most on the iPod shuffle is perhaps the lack of features. At the peak of technology convergence, it seems rare to find a MP3 player with no provision of a screen, voice recorder, FM tuner and even equalizers, all of which are present on the all-in-one competitors from Creative, iRiver and Samsung. But minimalism is what Apple iPod shuffle is all about, whether you like it or not is another story.
There is just one circular control with great tactile feedback on the main side of the player, which handles the volume adjustment, navigation and play/pause. The "Hold" is toggled on and off by holding the circular play button for 3 seconds. When you press on the buttons, the hidden LEDs will blink to indicate an activity. Most buttons are very self-explanatory so the provided Apple cheat sheet may probably be unnecessary, but it is a nice touch for less tech-savvy.
Flip the player over, and you'll find a three-position slider that turns off the iPod shuffle, plays the tunes in order continuously, or shuffles songs randomly. Either of the two playback modes will loop indefinitely until battery dies out. It would nice if future models have an extra mode for playing the songs just once. Under the toggle switch is a battery indicator button with a LED, which returns the power level from "Good" in green to "Low" in orange and "Very low" in red.
To top it off, the headphone jack is on top of the gum pack-sized player, and the USB connector at the bottom is exposed when the cap is removed. The bundled lanyard has its own USB cap that snaps onto the iPod shuffle's USB connector securely, but the player could still be swung off from the cap with enough force. At 0.78 oz., the shuffle is so light you won't feel a thing when you wear it around your neck. The MP3 player is also dangling in a perfect position that allows you to reach the controls with ease.
Shuffle at Work With a regular flash memory-based MP3 player, you either export an entire playlist and select songs individually into the device. With iPod shuffle, you simply hit Autofill - an exclusive iTunes 4.7.1 or later feature - to have the jukebox software picking out songs for you at random or in their original order from a playlist or the entire library. Unfortunately, iTunes needs a smarter selection criteria, because you don't have much control over what may get picked besides telling iTunes to choose higher rated songs more often.
Apple touts this randomness concept will spark new excitement among digital audiophiles. Purportedly, this is the reason for the omission of a library management, since you shouldn't know what 120 songs iPod shuffle has in stock for you. Whether or not this is for you maybe a matter of personal preference.
Peformance & Battery life iPod shuffle uses FAT32 on both PC & Mac. On our PowerBook, the 512MB Hi-Speed USB MP3 player literally crawled, taking 5 minutes to transfer 100 songs totaling 460MB of assorted MP3s and AACs. This translates into a disappointing 1.2MB/s. We attributed to the slow speed partly to iTunes taking time to update the playlist, and largely to the onboard flash drive controller. On Windows XP/2000, the transfer rates are tad faster at 3MB/s read and 2MB/s write.
To Apple's credit, Sandra 2005 reported back iPod shuffle scoring 34.6 for 'Endurance factor' in removable flash benchmark, highest we've seen for a media-grade flash device. This means the shuffle's flash memory will have a higher life expectancy than other flash memory players.
The iPod shuffle lasted 12 to 14 hours or played all 100 songs twice before the battery hits 'Very low'. Recharging the battery is again a test of patience, requiring 2 hours to fill up 80% and 4 hours to a full charge. Should you need to travel with the shuffle to areas without access to a high-powered USB PC or Mac, it's safe to say you need an 2 AAA External Battery Pack that increases playback time by 20 hours.
Sound Quality & iTunes The iPod Shuffle supports a variety of formats, including MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, AAC Protected and Audible format, though iTunes 4.7.1 or later. So, getting an iPod also means you must adapt to Apple's way of buying legal music and audiobooks from iTunes Music Store. Speaking of audiobooks, you may want to know shuffle like its siblings supports automatic bookmark that also syncs with iTunes. In the sound quality department, iPod shuffle's output was pretty loud for a player this size; though, the frequency was somewhat flat, yet the bass reproduction was good. This was with the same pair of headphones shipping with other iPods.
Where to buy Apple iPod shuffle 512MB?
User Review(s)
We're currently upgrading our user review system; so we won't be accepting new reviews for now. iPod shuffle 512MB Specs
Windows 2000, Windows XP, MacOS 10.3.x, MacOS 10.2.x
Dimensions
3.3" x 0.98" x 0.33"
Weight
0.78 oz.
Natively supported music format(s)
MP3, AAC, WAV, Audible, AIFF
Signal to noise ratio
--
Battery life
12 hrs.
Storage
512MB built-in flash memory
Storage expansion type
None
FM tuner
No
Voice recording
No
Software
iTunes 4.7 for Mac & Windows
Remote included?
No
Inputs / outputs
3.5mm stereo jack
Extras?
Lanyard, USB cap
Screen
Not applicable
Photo import?
--
Natively supported video format(s)
--
Max output
--
Line-in recording?
--
Power source
Built-in Li-ion battery, rechargeable via USB
Warranty
One year (optional AppleCare 2-year service)
Extras Lost a USB cable? Get a replacement USB cable.
Running out of USB ports? Get an extra USB hub.
You may need a new USB card to achieve Hi-Speed USB speeds.
Confirm with our USB 2.0 FAQ if you have Hi-Speed USB on your PC.
Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Everything USB
What catches you eyes the most on the iPod shuffle is perhaps the lack of features. At the peak of technology convergence, it seems rare to find a MP3 player with no provision of a screen, voice recorder, FM tuner and even equalizers, all of which are present on the all-in-one competitors from Creative, iRiver and Samsung. But minimalism is what Apple iPod shuffle is all about, whether you like it or not is another story.
Flip the player over, and you'll find a three-position slider that turns off the iPod shuffle, plays the tunes in order continuously, or shuffles songs randomly. Either of the two playback modes will loop indefinitely until battery dies out. It would nice if future models have an extra mode for playing the songs just once. Under the toggle switch is a battery indicator button with a LED, which returns the power level from "Good" in green to "Low" in orange and "Very low" in red.
The iPod shuffle lasted 12 to 14 hours or played all 100 songs twice before the battery hits 'Very low'. Recharging the battery is again a test of patience, requiring 2 hours to fill up 80% and 4 hours to a full charge. Should you need to travel with the shuffle to areas without access to a high-powered USB PC or Mac, it's safe to say you need an 2 AAA External Battery Pack that increases playback time by 20 hours.
