Apple 1 GB iPod Shuffle Metal (2nd Generation)

Customer Reviews:

shuffle a nice little mp3 player
I absolutely LOVE my shuffle. There have been so many times where I've wanted to listen to music but didn't want to carry my slightly bulky video with me. The shuffle is a perfect solution to this problem.

Pros:
-it's VERY small
-it has a convenient clip
-the sound quality is decent
-the design is nice

Cons:
-the only way to charge it is using your computer unless you buy some other charger

So far, the battery life has been decent. Charging it at my computer isn't very convenient, but it doesn't kill me. The shuffle is an amazing little thing, and I love its size. It's great for someone who wants music on the go in a tiny package.
--2006-12-19

Shuffle Complaints
I do not know where all these reviewers are getting their criticisms from. As a musician myself, I bought a 2nd generation IPOD three weeks ago. I also own a first generation Shuffle and a Nano.
I use all of these units with both the Bose triports and the Sennheiser 100's. Both the sound and the portability are excellent. They certainly do not lack bass. I have a feeling that problems with bass are due to the included ear buds and not due to the player itself. In short, I feel that when I can clip this much music practically anywhere on my clothing and get this quality of sound, these units are a bargain...I do, however, wonder why Amazon is getting so much more for their units as all other vendors out there.$79 seems to be the going price at almost all vendors.
--2006-12-18

Shuffle = 4 Stars; iTunes = 1 Star
The shuffle is one of the smallest MP3 players you can get (although not the smallest, as Apple claims). It's enclosed in a durable, aesthetically-pleasing casing and has an incredibly functional clip. This is pretty much the only incentive to get this MP3 player. If you do not care about that, you will likely be disappointed. First of all, the Shuffle requires the use of iTunes, an incredibly ungainly program that will destroy the ordering system of your entire digital collection if you're not careful. This required software doesn't actually come with the player either; you have to download it from the Apple website (those with dial-up beware the 35MB file size). There are other work-around programs that you can use, but you'll find them just as user un-friendly as iTunes -- at least those currently available for the Shuffle. Many other MP3 players will let you drag and drop music from your computer straight to the device without having to use any additional software, which is by far a much easier solution. Once you actually get your music transferred over (a fairly long process using iTunes versus being able to drag albums over), then there's not much more to the player. It plays smoothly and intuitively, despite not having a display (the MP3 player I owned a year ago that was smaller than the Shuffle actually had a brilliant OLED display that was easy to read despite its size). The sound quality is quite poor compared to other flash MP3 players, such as those made by Creative Zen or Rio, but still sounds decent enough for what it is. I use the same pair of headphones on all my MP3 players, and the sound comes out far more tinny on the Shuffle than any of the others, which are less expensive too, I might add.

In summary:
Great looks
Decent sound quality (note that I didn't say great)
Poor computer-to-player interface
--2006-12-18

Disappointed
First let me say that this iPod Shuffle is my first experience with an MP3 player. I don't listen to music much when I'm out and about but I've been flying for business more lately so I wanted something less bulky than my portable CD player. I didn't need one of the large capacity models, 240 songs is more than enough to get me through any round trip flight. Apple being the leader amongst MP3 players I figured I couldn't go wrong with an iPod.

I have to say that I am disappointed with the iPod Shuffle.

The frequency response is not as advertised (20hz - 20000hz) and the overall sound quality is quite flat and poor. Particularly absent is the bass. This frequency range is commonly featured on most portably audio devices including my old portable CD player and it provides plenty of bass. I tried swapping headphones for the ones I use with my CD player; it sounded better but only barely. I tried the same song on my CD player, iTunes on my PC, and then on the iPod and the iPod was the worse by far.

I'll also never use the provided ear buds. They do not fit well in my ears, nor do they stay in (in addition to not sounding very good).

Another draw back is that the Shuffle can only be charged from its docking station, which can only be plugged into a USB port on a computer that is on. This kinda makes it difficult when you're on the road and need to charge the thing. You could try to beg some juice off a fellow traveler I suppose [Approaching someone at the airport you see using a laptop] "Excuse me sir, would you mind if I could suck some power from your computer's USB port for my iPod?"

I also didn't think I'd mind not having some indication of what I'm listening to (even a track number display would be nice) but it is an inconvenience not knowing where you are in your play list.

The provided instructions are very thin, especially on how to use iTunes with your iPod. I've been using iTunes for a while and it took me some time to figure out how transfer music to the iPod (after I figured out I needed to upgrade iTunes to version 7+).

Speaking of the software, my computer has crashed more in the last week than it has in the last 2 years after installing iTunes 7. I cannot boot the computer with the iPod in the docking station and the docking station plugged into the PC. I also cannot put the iPod on the docking station without first having iTunes running. Doing either of these causes the computer to lock up.

There are a couple things I do like. I like that it's small. And I like that the volume can be turned up pretty darn loud to drown out the screaming children on the plane.

I cannot recommend the Shuffle if it is going to be your primary means of playing your music. It works well from a functionality standpoint but falls very short on quality. An $80 learning experience to be sure...

Pros:
Small
Volume goes up high
More than enough storage space for casual use

Cons:
Poor audio quality
Poor ear buds
Can only charge with USB docking station
Poor instructions
Software crashes my computer
--2006-12-17

Don't buy this if you're on dial up
It's cute, but what's the point if they don't include a software CD? I can't get 7.0.2 to download (a requirement to use the product) and therefore, I have an $80 piece of junk. What a collosal waste.
--2006-12-17

- Apple Computer