Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL

This is an amazingly small version of an Ipod that can hold a fair amount of music (about 12-15 CDS or so) and play it back with the really great sound that Apple's much pricier Ipod players have. The great thing about an Ipod is that you can essentially load your CDs onto it though Apple's Itunes software and then use your Ipod to access the CDs or lists of songs you create from these CDs on your computer. The negative of this the Shuffle player is that you basically load down a batch of CDs or lists of songs from your computer and have pretty limited control on how you access them - either just shuffling though them on a random basis or skipping through them in order. Is this a bad thing? It depends on what you want. If it is a chance to have a good batch of songs to play through without a lot of need to select specific songs, it is great -- kind of like a super radio station that can play selections you want to hear, either randomly or in some basic order. If you want to create a music library in your pocket to easily select from a mix of songs, the Shuffle doesn't work well.

The unit is great when you want a mix of music (say for a plane trip or for a week of daily runs) or a program in a certain order (say a talking book). The unit is incredibly easy to load up (just plug into the USB port of your computer -- also charges here) and Itunes software is a cinch to use to import music from CDs (or purchase music files from Apple).

Given the price, it is (by the standards of Ipods) a good deal as a way of getting great sounding music in a small unit. It presents a nice alternative to a heavier and much more expensive Ipod -- good things as long as you accept its limitations.

My friend just got his iPod Shuffle and lent it to me for a couple of days. I was'nt ready to buy one myself, but after trying it out, it does seem pretty good. It's just another ordinary flash mp3 player with an iPod logo. I've given a breakdown of some, not all of the aspects of the Shuffle. Here goes:

---Design---
A really neat design(always expect something new from Apple), small and lightweight.Its roughly the size of a keychain and is very light. Navigation is easy, 4 buttons, Next, Previous and volume up/down. A nice tab at the back allows you to shuffle your playlist(not playlists) or play them in order.

---Compact---
Carrying around the iPod shuffle is really easy. No worrying about dropping your iPod and breaking the silver cover or the screen. Really fun and practical to use while jogging or in the gym. The strap which comes with it is a bit tacky and not too useful since the Shuffle can very easily slip into you pocket. Actually, it's so light, that you might even forget that you're carrying it.

---Battery---
Amazingly, I churned out 10 hours of playback on shuffle mode. There are two reasons behind it having a reasonably good battery life. Firstly, since it doesn't use any screen(which really eats up battery), and because it uses flash memory;no hard disk spinning and thus, battery usage is kept to a minimal.

---Cost---
[For a low price] you get an iPod, with 12 hours of playback, with a nice shuffle option, with 1GB of flash memory and no screen. Flash memory is old stuff now...hard disks like the Mini's are small and hold up a massive amount of songs. Then again, this is supposed to lightweight and a cheaper alternative to the Mini and the iPod. Lastly, if you already have a Mini, skip this one. If you have an iPod, and need something light to use at the gym or for jogging, this is a very good backup player.

Breaking news: The price on this recently dropped from $149 to $129. It is now very compelling to buy this 1GB model given the small delta to the 512MB.

This review is for current regular iPod owners that are attracted to buy an iPod shuffle as a second player. I own both a 40GB iPod Photo and one 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 240 songs on the 1GB model (mine took more than 10 mins on the initial load). 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. to load several playlists into it).

When loading it is useful to select the option to reduce high-resolution MP3 into lower rates. The Shuffle only supports AAC and MP3 files up to 320 kbps, which is much more than what most people use (it 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 low cost MP3 players out there.

Synchronizing both players:
Then I focused on Synchronization with iTunes, synchronizing both my regular 40GB iPod and my shuffle intermittently. I didn't notice any interoperability issues. You can own both and synchronize both and run into any issues. 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 (iPod and Shuffle both on one iTunes) both players can synch with the same library.

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 and walking.
- 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) - you are likely to listen to different types of music 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 more pleasant 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 on. Changed your mind in the middle of your flight? Simply use your laptop to reload from a different list.

Definitively a winner as a very convenient second player. If you like shuffling on a regular iPod, don't even think about it and get it as a second player for those times where being light is worth the loss of flexibility.

I bought my iPod Shuffle after spending a week debating between it and an iPod mini. I'm an Mac-user, and I used iTunes long before I thought about buying the Shuffle, so there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to buy an iPod of some type, because I feel from my experience that Apple products are very high quality. Luckily I had two friends: One with a iPod Mini and one with an iPod Shuffle, both of whom were very satisfied with their respective products. I didn't buy the iPod mini because I felt the Shuffle was exactly what I was looking for and the iPod mini was a bit too much for what I wanted, but the Mini's are very cool. However, I have not for one second regretted buying my Shuffle.

For a simple, cool little Mp3 player, the value of a Shuffle can't be beat. First of all, the value of using it as a flash drive is almost alone worth the price. 1GB is a huge amount of storage for something this small. It weighs next to nothing, and if you don't watch, you'll leave it in your jacket pocket and lose it. However, good things come in small packages and the sound quality is just plain awesome.

With their "Life is Random" slogon, it is amazing that Apple has launched such a great advertising campaign based upon what many see as a flaw: the lack of a screen. I feel that this actually benefits from the lack of a screen. It wouldn't be as light and the battery life wouldn't be as long if it had a back-lit LCD screen, and in my opinion the screen on most flash Mp3 players (telling you only the name of the song that is playing) is kind of useless and pointless. I've had my Shuffle for a month, and I've never felt that I once desired a screen. Sometimes I let the iTunes software fill it up with autofill and it's cool to listen to it on shuffle mode and get surprised with what comes up. iTunes will also let you set up a playlist in order which you can play straight through.

Other flash players in this price range do not have this much storage. I'd honestly take the extra space over a un-necessary screen anyday. All of my friends with non-Shuffle flash-based Mp3 players are jealous of my Shuffle.

Some people sometimes complain that the only way to charge the Shuffle is through a USB port unless you buy an adaptor from Apple. To be honest, there are computers everywhere today, and almost any one around will be able to charge the Shuffle. The battery life is really 12 hours like they say it is. The fact that the USB port is right on the Shuffle is much nicer than a real iPod if you want to use it as a flash drive. If you want to use a real iPod to transfer data, you need to carry a USB cable with you. The shuffle is much more convenient because it plugs right in. The connection may or may not be as fast as firewire, but if you've got USB 2.0 ports on your computer, it's plenty fast enough.

The only downside to any iPod is that while the earphones sound great, they're not the most comfortable earphones. Some people I know complain that they always fall out. I don't have this problem, but I find that they feel uncomfortable after a couple hours of being in my ears. It's not enough to make me buy a different set, but it's sometimes a bit annoying. Still, if you factor in an extra $20 for the cost of different set of earphones, it's still well-worth the price.

This is a great Mp3 player if you want something to run with, fit in your pocket at work, listen to on the subway, or use also as a quality flash drive to store data on. This is NOT for people who want to put all of their music on it with 70 different playlists to choose from and keep a calendar and everyone's addresses on it. Get a real iPod if that's what you want. If you want an ultra-portible, great-sounding, good-value-for-your-money music player that is easy to use, doubles as a convenient flash drive, has good software, and has good battery life, by all means go for the Shuffle and you'll love it.

When the Shuffle came out early in 2005, it had its day as the newest and coolest in the iPod lineup. I was an early adopter. Since then, the Nano and the video iPod have arrived. So how tempting is the Shuffle almost a year after its introduction?

I remain a Shuffle fan. I would buy it again even given the choice of the newer models. It's not just that it costs less -- I prefer it even without factoring in the price.

The Shuffle is a real workhorse and a tough unit -- there's no need to worry about scratches. I've used mine without a case, keeping it in pockets and bags with keys, pens and other sharp objects, and have never obsessed about keeping it pristine. Despite this, it still looks good. A case for a Shuffle is completely unnecessary. With a Nano, by contrast, a case is, by all accounts, a necessity if you want to avoid scratches that spoil the look and, moreover, reduce the functionality of the tiny screen (which is a pity because a case hides the Nano's good looks and adds to its size).

I use the Shuffle for audiobooks and podcasts as well as for music. It is an excellent device for these purposes. And the sound quality is just as good as on a bigger iPod.

Battery life has been good. I get the rated 12 hours, if not more. (I did buy Apple's AAA battery adapter for use on long journeys, but have never actually had to use it. That said, the fact that you can use AAA batteries is a plus over the other iPods.)

I also I like the fact that one can plug the unit directly into a computer without wires. Wires, like cases, complicate the iPod experience - more "stuff" means more mess and more not to have with you when you need it.

The absence of a screen does not bother me. I regard iTunes on my computer as my way of looking inside the Shuffle -- there, I can decide what to manually place on the Shuffle and in what order. There is no need to have iTunes randomly fill the device with the "autofill" feature, although that can be fun when you are in the mood. Likewise, there is no need to have the Shuffle play what is on it in a random order -- if you prefer, you can play it in the order you established using iTunes.

The 1GB capacity is plenty for the way in which I use the device. I keep my library on my laptop and, using iTunes, simply decide what I want to have on the Shuffle at any given time. I don't see the need to keep everything on an iPod at once so long as it is on a computer to which the Pod connects.

In short, the Shuffle's simplicity and elegance define its appeal. To complain about the features it lacks is to miss the point. It's like complaining that the Mini is a small car. Simplicity is the Shuffle's whole point. In a world of clutter, the Shuffle is a tidy device that works. The fact that it is the least expensive iPod is a bonus.