Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple iPod shuffle 1GB green

At the time of writing this review there are 68 others already on here, but I thought I would tell you of my own experience with the ipod shuffle.

I go the gym and used to have a MP3 player - just a basic "memory stick" type that I plugged into my computer to recharge and I could drag & drop songs onto. Unfortunately it died so it was time to look for a new one. Now I was undecided whether to buy a basic model by a less well known company, or go for a leading name. It seems to me that if you're prepared to go for a relatively unknown manufacturer you can get a basic mp3 player for half the price with twice the memory, but eventually after much deliberation I plumped for the apple ipod shuffle, swayed by a combination of the reputation of apple & (hopefully) a better build quality.

I have had it just over a week now and I think I have made the right decision.

Yes, there is no screen, but I knew that when I bought it. I know from my prior experience at the gym that I just tend to switch it on and let it play so I didn't really need one. Also, I have a mobile phone that takes pictures, plays videos, games etc and I hardly use any of those features so I figured I wouldn't need a screen to watch tiny videos on. The earphones are great - several reviwers say they fall out but I've used mine on the treadmill, rower, cross trainer, exercise bike and wave machine and they've stayed in throughout! I've got about 14 hours out of it before I had to recharge which is impressive, and although initially I missed the simplicity of the "drag & drop" method of my old mp3 player, its just a question of getting used to itunes and once you have it seems simple enough.

All in all, an excellent purchase and having never had any previous experience of apple or ipods I am very pleased with my purchase.

Yes it would be nice to have a screen and easy manual selection of songs like with the bigger ipods but thats the whole point to the ipod shuffle- its tiny! I absolutely love the fact that i can stick it on at the gym and clip it to my top or trackies or hang it on a handy neck rope. It weighs nothing and is perfect for those of us that prefer simplicity and a good price to all the latest gadgets and gizmos. I needed an mp3 player that'd play MUSIC- I dont care about music videos- what good would that be in the gym? I can do things like photos and videos on my phone. This has got to be the best thing I've bought this year. And the new range of colours? Much classier than the original practically neon range.

If you are a runner, then this HAS to be on your shorts somewhere. Steve Jobs has freed up the lone-runner experience over the past few years. Only 4 or 5 years ago my right hand had a Sony Waterproof Cassette Walkman velcro'ed to it (if the Walkman was clipped to your waist it jumped and warbled too much) which also meant to carry a water bottle tied up both your hands.

The first generation iPod Shuffle was a revalation, not only could you carry more music than you needed even for a marathon but it fitted into the key pocket on most running shorts. (but your house key was relegated to being tied on to your laces)

Now with the new version, you can clip it to your shorts and feel no bulk or weight atall whilst running along to all your best running and motivational tunes. And your keys can go back into the thoughtfully placed pocket on your shorts.

The included headphones, like for all iPods are pretty awful and do not stay in your ears when running but other than that the new Shuffle has to be the best workout kit (and bargain) of the year.

The latest range of Shuffle colours are not as vibrant as the first range, if you lookout for them the original colours are still available.

Nothing new to be seen with this new-labelled MP3 player from Apple. Now in its second hyear of release, the Shuffle is starting to pale in comparison to competitors such as the Zen Stone Plus, which offers greater capacity and features at a lower cost. However, this MP3 player itself is mostly faultless, and though it may not be the best deal out there cannot actually be faulted for quality.

I bought two shuffles one for each of my children, I didn't want to spend too much money in case they were a bit heavy handed with them. However these are great little machines, the sound quality is very good. The only disadvantage is that there is no screen on which you can select your songs, its a case of listening to the beginning of each track until you find what you want. My 15 year old daughter found this a bit frustrating and I have since bought her an ipod Nano. Which has meant that I now use one of them when I am cycling, and for exercise or travelling they are ideal as they actually clip onto your clothing very effectively. Great for music on the move.