Apple iPod Shuffle (512MB)

By James Kim on 12/01/2005

More Apple reviews , RRP: AU$99.00

The good:

  • Design is dead simple and compact yet stylish and wearable
  • Excellent integration with iTunes
  • Solid sound quality
  • Affordable

The bad:

  • No LCD
    No extra features such as an equaliser
  • Slow transfer speeds

The bottomline:

The iPod Shuffle, with its ultralow price, its dead-simple design, and its iTunes integration, is virtually guaranteed to be a hit, especially among those looking for a second iPod.

Users' rating:

8.6/10

Tags:

apple | flash | ipod | shuffle | usb | player

As anticipated, Steve Jobs introduced a flash-based player dubbed the iPod Shuffle at the tail end of his lengthy Macworld keynote. Despite denouncing flash-based players in the past, Apple couldn't resist the 29 percent of the market that it doesn't already dominate. Minimal as can be, the Shuffle weighs just over 20 grams, has no LCD, includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface, and comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities for the supercompetitive prices of AU$149 and AU$229, respectively.

Upside: Zero LCD, USB 2.0 built right in, and wearable -- the concepts aren't new. But the iPod Shuffle raises the ultracompact MP3 player to an art form. It is only 0.8cm thick and 2.5cm wide, and weighs a feathery 22 grams. A simple, round controller features all-tactile buttons and makes the Shuffle feel more like a wireless remote than an MP3 player. (The USB 2.0 connector hides underneath a removable cap.) The big slider power button on the back toggles between the Shuffle and standard Playlist Repeat modes. It works seamlessly with the new iTunes 4.7.1, which includes an Autofill feature that automatically fills the Shuffle player with an optimal number of songs based on user preference. Our first 512MB Autofill stats: 488MB, 103 songs, 7.5 hours (but what happened to the other available 4.4MB of space?).

Downside: At 8.4cm, the iPod Shuffle is actually longer than most of the flash players on the market. Wearing it using the included lanyard creates an annoying mess of wires when headphones are attached (you might want one of these). The Shuffle is also missing many of the features that prospective flash-player buyers look for, such as an LCD, an FM tuner, and recording capability. After just a day, we missed having an LCD; we prefer knowing what's on our MP3 player. Finally, the rated battery life of 12 hours is abysmal, though poor battery life is something we've gotten used to with iPods. You might want to spring for one of these, too.

Outlook: Jobs and the iPod franchise are hot on the heels of the flash market (think manifest destiny). There's really nothing new in the iPod Shuffle -- including the heavily hyped Shuffle mode. And other ultracompact players offer a lot more, most notably an LCD. Still, as the long lines outside the Mac store in San Francisco on day one attest, the iPod Shuffle, with its ultralow price, dead-simple design, and iTunes integration, is virtually guaranteed to be a hit, especially among those looking for a second iPod. Apple Australia expects the iPod Shuffle to be available by the end of January.

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Wilmer Legra
03/10/2008, 02:05 AM

rating
9
/10

es un producto excelente, pero he presentado problemas reciente con el es reconocido en el ITunes como un IPOD corrupto que debe de ser restaurado, lo hago y al finalizar me pone error desconocido 1442,
crees poder ayudarme a solucionarlo, no quisiera desacerme de el ya que es lo maximo, ademas no cuento con el CD de instalacion, por favor cuento con u ayuda lo antes posible

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korn zombie
29/03/2008, 06:12 AM

rating
8
/10

i love mine its all my favorite songs on a wearable device

Pros: Form fitting, nice factor, "indestructible" atleast mine doesn't break

Cons: too less capacity

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markryder1
29/10/2007, 06:53 AM

rating
10
/10

Its so great i just got one yesterday wow i had one before... it rained though and it got destroyed lol

Pros: NO batteries and easy buttons

Cons: none im content with everything

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Rach
02/10/2007, 06:58 PM

rating
9
/10

I've had a 512MB Shuffle for a while now, I've only just found the need to move to the 1GB. Even though the 1st-gen Shuffles are moving out faster than the new models are coming in, I'm sticking with this. It's far superior to the finnicky, over-stuffed (feature wise) MP3 players, has great sound, and is perfect for my needs-- a simple, reliable, MUSIC PLAYER. Seriously, if all you need is music, this is the one to get.

Pros: Music quality, simple design, ease of use, pretty much everything.

Cons: Song capacity of the 512MB. Easy fixed though, get the bigger one.

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Josh
08/07/2007, 10:17 PM

rating
5
/10

I recently had an iPod and it was great (until the dog chwed it). But I deicided that i was going to get an MP3 player insted of an iPod shuffle, and i'm loving the MP3 player. It's so much better. It actually has a screen and a better design

Pros: Small, Lightweight, Easy to use, Plays music (I mean hey at the end of the day thats all you need it to do)

Cons: NO SCREEN!, Not the best design, Featurless

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rod
06/07/2007, 04:38 PM

rating
10
/10

If its all ya need its all ya need.Im gonna use it to put 4 hours of music on it for my birthday and then press............?shuffle.I wonder whats next????

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lewi
06/07/2007, 04:35 AM

rating
9
/10

its great and simple

Pros: small and simple

Cons: nothing

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whatever
15/06/2007, 09:02 PM

rating
8
/10

hey dont get my apples is a good company!! but i am having problems with my ipod it wont turn on or it wont even reset it...whats wrong with my ipod??? HELP!!!!

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Sarah
15/06/2007, 09:00 PM

rating
6
/10

i need help...dont get me wrong apples good and all.. i cant get my ipod to turn on at all or even reset it i need some help!!!
whats wrong with my ipod????

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beef
14/05/2007, 11:11 PM

rating
2
/10

thid id a cheap made chinese product that makes apple look cheap its a shame i have been with them for 25 years and the quality is getting worse by every year that passes us by you can only make things look nice for a little while but in the long run you will lose your loyal customers and apple care warranty is forth world in service its really really bad come on steve make quality again this plastik period will hurt you soon i promise..

Pros: nothing its crap

Cons: bad batterys 90% of shuffles have buds from factory

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