Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB Green (2nd Generation) Reviews

• Apple 1GB Shuffle - New Lower Price, Same Popular Player, Check it Out!!!

  
  By A17BUUBOU0598B on 2007-11-16
  
  Apple's iPod Shuffle is a compact MP3 player that's great for working out, running or just plain music listening on the go. The new lower price as of January 2008 makes the relatively high cost of the device a little more bearable. Great as a gift, extra player, or exercise companion.
  
  Pros
  - Newly lowered price!!!!
  - Compact and functional design
  - Nicely integrated clip - No case needed!
  - Great family of Apple accessories
  - Great for those already used to iTunes
  - Included in-ear headphones are great for a starter pair
  - Lots of great color options (silver, green, purple, blue)
  - Highly durable player
  - Apple brand and reputation
  
  Cons
  - Still a premium price compared to competing players (total $ and $ per gigabyte)
  - Competing products offer more features, including fm radio and voice recording
  - No screen to view track names
  - Difficult to control / select tracks via playlists
  - Proprietary dock / jack for syncing
  - Small capacity (1GB) with no expandability
  - Limited native file format support in iTunes (MP3, AAC), though you can easily convert
  - No drag and drop music control
  - Non iTunes fans are still forced to deal with software limitations
  
  The Form Factor
  
  Size has always been the iPod shuffle's greatest asset. The integrated clip is no doubt its second greatest asset. This unit works fine with no extra case, though there are still options. The composite case comes in one of several popular color options, including the silver, blue, green and purple. And of course, the unit's durability is great, probably because of the simple design.
  
  Apple chose to use a proprietary headphone jack for syncing, which most competing players accomplish with a standard USB B port. Overall, still a great design.
  
  Durability
  
  Apple deserves points for the more durable player in this group. Even with the composite body, these guys do hold up to a lot of abuse. Creative's failure rates are too high, but Sandisk's Clip is gaining ground in this area.
  
  Capacity
  
  The 1GB size for the shuffle was the only option from Apple for a long time. The market has been flooded with 2GB players from the competition. In addition to lowering the price in February 2008, Apple finally added a 2GB option available now at Apple stores. Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Silver (2nd Generation) Still, as Apple finally ups their size, Sansa now has their Clip in a 4GB size. SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player (Silver)
  
  Creative Zen Stone Plus 2GB MP3 Player
  SanDisk Sansa c150 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)
  SanDisk Sansa Express 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)
  SanDisk SDMX7-2048 Sansa c250 2 GB MP3 Player
  SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)
  
  Features and Software
  
  Competing players over simple screens for track viewing as well as FM radio and voice recording. The Zen Stone Plus by Creative and the Sandisk Clip each offer all three features at better price points. Apple's reliability and brand loyalty has allowed the shuffle to survive with limited features.
  
  Competing players also offer drag and drop syncing using standard USB cables or, in the case of the Sansa Express, via direct USB. Apple still requires the proprietary dock.
  
  For a 1GB MP3 player it seems excessive to have to use iTunes software to sync your software. Competing players have even worse software, but allow you to drag and drop files on these devices like USB thumb drives.
  
  iTunes is both a curse and a blessing, depending on your point of view. For those who are used to iTunes or totally new to MP3s, the interface can be a great plus. For anybody who want more direct control over their music collection, some of the features within iTunes can become burdensome.
  
  Once again, if you LOVE Apple and iTunes, or if you are totally new to MP3s the software will still be a net plus for you.
  
  For those that care about file options, Apple's software allows only MP3 and AAC. You can easily convert other formats to these, but be aware of the limits. This is only a negative for those really loyal to a certain file format, such as the growing group of WMA users. Having to have 2 format copies of all your music can really hurt as your collection grows.
  
  Sound
  
  The sound this unit produces is pretty good though not great. While I still feel the first generation shuffle sounded much better, the tradeoff was worth the smaller size.
  
  Cost
  
  The shuffle's price has finally come down to about $50 for 1GB or $65 for 2GB. While not a bargain, this price makes the sting much less painful for Apple loyalists. On a dollar per gigabyte and absolute dollar cost, Apple continues to charge a premium for their brand.
  
  1GB of flash memory is going for under $10 retail, one fifth the lowered cost of the shuffle. In addition, competing players like the Sansa Clip continue to offer more features at a better prices. If you want a small player and you are open to brands beyond Apple, your options continue to expand. In addition to the Creative Stone and the Sansa Clip, new models from Samsung and Sony have added even more options.
  
  Once again, Apple's reputation is well deserved. This model requires you to pay a premium for it, though a slightly shrinking premium. :-D
  
  Conclusion
  
  If you must have Apple and need a small player for high impact workouts, choose this or one of the new 2GB shuffles. If you want to stay with Apple and can afford it, stepping up to the Apple iPod nano 4GB will cost you $140 but gives you 4 times the capacity and video. Still, if you're not an Apple die-hard, the Sansa Clip and other options deserve consideration.
  
  Research your options and choose the player that's right for you. Overall this is a good player at an improved price.
  
  Enjoy!!!
  
  
  

• The 2 Gig. Twice the Storage in Case You Need It.

  
  By A2I6MHMAZZDCRX on 2008-06-12
  I've long thought about buying an iPod, but the price always held me back. When Apple recently lowered the price of the shuffle, I jumped. But I did spend a little extra and buy the 2 GB model. I mean, for $20 more, who wouldn't?
  
  This model actually allows you to input 1.89 Gigs of music. Why the difference? Because the iPod needs some space for the software. Depending on the size of the songs, that translates to roughly 500 songs. The first time around, I got 498 songs on it, and I had three 11 minutes song included. I just reloaded and got 528 songs on. I did use a different computer (although it had to erase everything because it only connects with one computer at a time), but it looked like it grabbed shorter songs this time.
  
  The iPod comes with everything you need to get started. You've got the device itself, the ear bud headphones, and the docking device. You use this device to connect your iPod to your computer. While connected, you can load songs from iTunes and charge the device.
  
  And that's one of the weaknesses of the device (and Apple in general). You can only load songs from their music player. Fortunately, anyone can download iTunes from Apple for free, so that isn't an issue. But it would be nice if it worked with other programs. Additionally, you must plug it into a computer to charge it.
  
  Loading songs is pretty straight forward. You can either create a play list for it to load or have it load up random songs.
  
  The device is small and lightweight. But what I love is the build in clip that allows you to attach it to any article of clothing. I bought it mainly to use while running or working out. It's perfect for that. Just clip it and forget about it. And, at half an ounce, it is so lightweight you don't even notice it.
  
  The controls are well laid out and easy and obvious to use.
  
  My biggest complaint is one I knew I would have before I bought it. If you've put one song on the iPod and decide that is the one you really want to hear, good luck finding it. There is no screen. You can tell it to play in shuffle or in playlist order. But you have to skip tons of songs to find the one you want.
  
  The battery lasts about 12 hours. And with 500 songs, you get over 30 hours of music. So you really don't need all those songs since you could just pick different songs every time you charge it. The only time it indicates battery strength is when you first turn it one, which seems strange. If you don't check as soon as you turn it off, you might turn it on some time to find it is out of juice.
  
  I also wish the noise level was standardized. I have to adjust the volume on practically every song.
  
  So do you really need the added storage capacity of the 2 GB model? That's for you to decide. But if you just want something to play a few random songs for you while you do other things, this is a great model to get.
  
  

• Super little gadget

  
  By A1DXJPAPEASGOK on 2007-09-08
  I have had mine for almost a year now and cannot tell you how happy I am with it! I use it at the gym everyday and have to plug it in to charge maybe every other week. Now that I have one and know how good it works I would pay more then the $79 for it.
  
  

• It takes a licking and keeps on, well, playing...

  
  By A1MOML346EDIME on 2007-10-02
  I adore my shuffle, 3d generation. It is always with me at the gym, or when I do housework. But the most amazing thing about it is that after I accidentally put it in the washer and dryer, it still worked!
  
  

• 3rd Gen Apple iPod Shuffle Fits The Bill For Beginners!

  
  By A1ZM846Y7AUYD on 2007-12-02
  I purchased this iPod shuffle for a young lady of 10. This player really works well for her. She doesn't care about selecting specific songs and has no need to sort by artist or genre. She likes how easy it is to dump songs onto this player, even without the use of iTunes. The Shuffle is really small and has an integrated clip, so it is easy to transport. The sound quality is awesome, for such a small device, and it plays for hours and hours on a battery charge. I think the iPod Shuffle is an item that will only please a certain range of people. After all, there is no display so you cannot select the songs or artists that you wish to listen to in any given order. The player does just what the name implies. It "Shuffles" your music in random order. You still have the basic controls at your fingertips, including track skip forward and backward, play, pause, and volume up and down. It also has a handy hold switch so that you don't accidentally turn the player on or change tracks when you don't want to. I purchased this 3rd gen iPod Shuffle from Amazon for the amazing price of $69.99! It is now back up around $75, so I feel lucky to have purchased it when I did. If you are looking for a very small and easy to use MP3 player, which simply shuffles your music and has a high quality look and feel, then look no further than the Apple iPod Shuffle. It really is an amazing player. =o)
  
  UPDATE - 1/23/2008:
  This iPod Shuffle ended up taking a trip through the washing machine and was then subjected to the brutal pouding and scorching heat of a clothes dryer! Obviously we were just sick about what we had done, and we were sure that this Christmas gift had met an early death. We allowed the Shuffle to sit out for 4 days, without trying to power it on, in order to make sure that it was completely dry on the inside. Much to our amazement this 3rd Gen iPod Shuffle powered up and works flawlessly! It charges, plays all of the onboard music files, and connects to the computer without any problems. All of the buttons and switches work just fine as well. We are SO relieved, and can't say enough about the build quality and durability of this product. We will now be more careful about checking every pocket before laundering our clothes in the future. Whew...thanks Apple!
  
  
• I Adore It As Well...
  By A3F19JZZ07PDX0 on 2007-10-27
  The software is a little cumbersome, though; not streamlined enough. All in all, perfect mp3 player. Clips easily to your person, doesn't skip and boasts great fidelity. Inconspicuous jams! It's also ergonomic enough to where you don't have to look at it to use it. This should be the only flash-based mp3 player you need.
  
  
• Listen to audio books, too
  By A5N00VBNNTTIW on 2007-11-04
  I love this little guy - I listen to music only sparingly, mostly I listen to audio books - I had no problem downloading from Audible - one thing to be aware of, though - it is cheaper to purchase books through Audible than ITunes. Audible has directions on their site that tell you how to purchase from them and still download through ITunes.
  
  
• Love It!
  By A2OXIWTV4MTMQR on 2007-10-10
  I just LOVE my new shuffle. Easy to use, convenient to carry (especially on the morning walk) - the only problem is remembering to place it back on its docking station so I don't misplace it. If you're thinking about buying a starter iPod, this would be perfect.
  
  
• GREAT BUY
  By A2EMSNCX5YZE9B on 2007-09-30
  I got this in August for my birthday.... It is great and very easy to use. Mine is pink and I love it. GREAT for young and old. I am 33 years old but would also be nice for a teenager or younger... Clips nicely to your clothes to make it very handy to use.
  
  
• DOA
  By A9DYWY9VOSP1P on 2008-03-26
  It was DOA. I followed all the instructions, updated my iTunes software, bought files from the iTunes store and Amazon MP3. It always 'failed to sync.' I tried the 'help' function. Nothing worked. I called the Apple help line. They couldn't get it to work either. Fortunately, Amazon is good about returns. Mine is on its way back.
  
  
• Perfect for Kids
  By AZ79VEQJC71RY on 2007-11-17
  This is a perfect gift for my kids - I have control with what goes onto it AND the sound level. The colors make it fun for them too. I'm getting one with more memory for myself, but with an average of 250 songs per shuffle, it is just right for them.
  
  
• Satisfied though wish for better earbuds
  By A1O0JRU7IYBV6D on 2007-11-16
  I got this for use at the gym. I clip it on my collar, and it's fine, stays there, does what it should. This is my big leap into the 21st century, so I'm still adjusting. I haven't timed it, but I don't know if the battery stays charged for as long as it claims. It's still good. My only beef is with the earbuds. They're of good sound quality, maybe too much bass, but that's a small quibble. I just wish they stayed in place while I'm running. I find myself adjusting them a lot, and when I sweat, they just pop right out. I wound up buying some other clip-ons this week. Still, worth it to me.
  
  
• great for running
  By A368FM1WQ939N8 on 2007-11-07
  This product has been a great buy for me. I use it for long distance running. It's tiny, it clips on to anything (and doesn't fall off), it's got great sound quality and it's easy to use. So far I've had absolutely no problems with it.
  
  
• Horrible and pointless
  By A3VKXGICGO1LAR on 2008-07-11
  horrible for audio books, frustrating for podcasts. If you do anything other than songs, look elsewhere
  
  
• THE UNTENDED UNDERLING IN THE iPOD FAMILY
  By A1L8HRCM60W0W7 on 2008-01-05
  I wanted to buy a no-nonsense mp3 player to keep me company while running. No video, no funky display menus, no labyrinthine software to work with. If I wanted to spend half a day getting my music in order I'd shell for the 80 gig iPod.
  
  So I got myself a Shuffle, by far the sleekest small pod in the market.
  
  But boy did I regret it.
  
  After the one-time registration and initialization (which is not optional) the lemon wouldn't get the songs on it, thanks to the infamous "Disk not found error". Googled for it and discovered websites that are brimming with untended complaints; I'm on Windows XP, but the glitch seems to pervade operating systems.
  
  Spent a day battling with the idiosyncrasies. Downloaded and installed an extra utility that Apple's Help site recommends. Enabled the Shuffle "for disk use". Reset it to factory settings and tried all over again, five times. And I'm a fairly persistent tech-savvy one. I did everything that's needed and more, but the stupid thing will still not remember the settings, will not let me change songs, and so on.
  
  Tired with all of this rigmarole, I got a Creative Zen Stone Plus. It's a little larger than the Shuffle, but you can see why--Shuffle doesn't have a display and it uses the same jack for charging and earphones so you can only do one of those at a time. Stone Plus on the other hand connects through a small non-spaghetti USB cable, comes up instantly as a new drive on your PC, you copy the mp3 files from your music folder to this drive, and you're done.
  
  I was up and running in 5 minutes flat. Can't help kicking myself for having fallen for the iPod luster.
  
  Without becoming any clunkier in any meaningful way (both the doohickeys are pretty small), Stone Plus shows me the song that's playing, which I don't see on Shuffle. Stone Plus has an FM radio, a voice recorder, a timer, and a digital clock--none of which the Shuffle has. It charges in 5 minutes, which the Shuffle doesn't. I can use iTunes or any other tool or even nothing at all, but with Shuffle I am in an unhappy marriage with iTunes. The Stone Plus will hold about 1000 songs in comparison to Shuffle's 200 at the same bit-rate.
  
  Because this is Creative, the company known among geeks for its speakers, the ear phones that come with the Stone Plus have a fabulous combination of bass and treble that will please the most fastidious connoisseur. After hearing them Shuffle's white thingies sound tinny and childish. I got my Stone Plus with a clip that makes it much more practical for running.
  
  And all of it at 60% of the cost of a basic bare-bones Shuffle.
  
  Sorry, Apple folks, in the small-mp3-player market Apple is simply the beautiful blond bimbo who trips on high heels at ten paces. If you're in the market for a nifty little mp3 player, skip the Shuffle. Even in the 3rd generation it's a 3rd rate contender.
  
  
• Apple 1GB iPod Shuffle... get a Nano instead
  By A21O3C9HJJOAQC on 2008-01-22
  I didn't realize you couldn't see the song title playing or control what was playing. Returned the shuffle to exchange for a nano. Much happier! For not much more money you can get a better, more useful product!
  
  
• great product
  By A2BN1QYZ9I9M41 on 2008-02-13
  I love this little IPod. It is very hardy after a few days I accidently dropped it in some water and it still plays ;like new. I put both music and books on it. I love the clip, the size and the clarity of sound. It was my first IPod.
  Some of the directions for setting it up could be a lot clearer otherwise it is a great product and a good price.
  
  
• Super Duper and it Comes in Colors
  By A1WCKKO3BOJ84H on 2008-04-09
  I purchased the iPod Shuffle for my niece's eighth birthday. She has been wanting a music player for some time and with the low cost and ease of use of the Shuffle, this was the perfect choice. That it comes in purple, her favorite color, was an added bonus.
  
  The Shuffle is ready to go right out of the box, but it took us awhile to get her CD's and iTunes choices into a play list. For some people, the Shuffle may not hold enough songs, but for her, there was more than enough room to get all her High School Musical and Hanna Montana tunes loaded up. Once that was done, she figured out how to use the Shuffle very quickly, without having to look at the directions (that should tell you how easy it is to use!).
  
  Of course, I had to play with it as well and am now going to purchase one for myself. It would be perfect for taking to the gym.
  
  
• Best iPod value
  By A33J4UNRFWPSDH on 2008-05-27
  I have a regular 40GB iPod, but only about 10GB of songs, and only really listen to about 2GB of them on a regular basis. The regular iPod is therefore a waste for me, uses more batteries, is heavier/bigger, and generally overkill.
  
  I wanted something for my runs, and my old shuffle (which I didn't really like) broke, so I thought I would try this new one as my wife has one and likes it.
  
  This design is superior, the built in clip negates any need for an armband like the old design needed, and it is so small and light you don't even know it is there.
  
  The battery life on it is fantastic - I use it for my walks to and from work each morning, on my runs, and at night when I play poker - and it still lasts about three days for me on a single charge.
  
  I don't use the headphones that come with it, so I don't know if they are any good, and there are some odd volume issues with the unit when you first start it up (that might be a settings issue that I'm not aware of - it starts off very low) - but otherwise perfect.
  
  If you don't like listening to the same music over and over, don't care about video, don't care about seeing the song details - then the iPod Shuffle is all you need - and it is inexpensive too - get one.
  
  
• Great purchase for the price
  By A1TVEY6GSNARX0 on 2007-10-18
  My husband has one so I had to have one too! Hold plenty of songs and it is an easy clip on to what ever I am wearing.
  
  
• Apple Suffle: Purple
  By AIAHO3D7DZTFN on 2007-12-02
  I purchased this for my 9 year old daughter. This Ipod is better than my nano. For it's size,the quality is outstanding. the buttons on the unit are strong and sturdy.
  
  This is a perfect product for a teen, young adult, or an individual who works out. Due to it's size, this is perfect for a runner or a gym junkee.
  
  My next Ipod for myself is going to be the shuffle, due to quality and size. At first I was hesitant about this product as the music is random, but this is a really fun product!
  
  
• All this sound from this tiny little device?
  By A2RFYC0RCO4FV0 on 2007-11-27
  I was given a shuffle from work as an award, I had never wanted one before, but I set it up today and started listening, the sound is absolutely amazing. It may even be better than my 5G 30Gig video. The big con is that you are at the mercy of the ipod as to what songs you listen to, I like having a screen.
  
  
• Didn't work for me
  By AUOIF71SR4LWQ on 2007-12-23
  I strongly believe Apple is a good product but this is the second one I purchased and both wouldn't hold a charge.
  
  
• NEVER BUY iPOD PRODUCTS FROM AMAZON!!!!!
  By A1V3GU5D6HQSI4 on 2008-04-22
  this is the SECOND time i've bought an iPod from Amazon and the SECOND time it broke within a few months. guess i should've learned the first time. NEVER buy an iPod from Amazon! go to the Apple store.
  
  
• Too Good ! Love It
  By AXZF5H3RO7FYN on 2007-11-14
  Wanted to gift my younger sister.
  I felt every penny worth after seeing the joy on her face.
  She uses it and what more should i say , its an apple product .
  Thank you Amazon !
  
  
• Some disappointment
  By ATWU3DD3JRIC on 2007-12-25
  I was disappointed that there was no engraving as advertised ....This was a Xmas gift & I would have been happy to pay extra for it, but was advertised as FREE in large letters!
  
  
• wonerful
  By A2V8IV73EDT11P on 2007-12-29
  Love the shuffle, I bought it for my daughter who is severely handicapped. Loaded it with "kid" songs and connected it to a bear that plays the music and lights up!!YEAH!!!!!
  
  
• First time I pod user at 60
  By A13RKNNONBNONB on 2008-01-12
  I purchased an Apple 1 GB iPod shuffle (Purple) (3rd Generation)
  recently for myself. It is the first time I have used any Ipod. I am 60 years old, and sum-what technically challenged I thought. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use and how perfect it is for taking anywhere with me. It is so small, that there is no weight issue with clipping it to any clothing and the sound is amazing. I'm truly happy with this purchase for myself.
  
  
• Very Impressed
  By A1500Y1GVF25S3 on 2008-01-13
  I am very impressed with size and quality of sound of this product! I liked it so much I bought another one. The first one was a purchase for a Christmas gift for my 11 year old daughter. I like hers so much I bought one for myself. Great!
  
  
• Want to Make a Good Ipod Purchase? Stop here!
  By A2TVAG2XX0LWIO on 2008-02-18
  The 3rd generation of the Ipod Shuffle has to be one of the best purchases that I have ever made, period. Although I will admit that there is just one down side that I see in comparison to say the 80 gig classic Ipod, which I also own. But lets focus on the positive first.
  
  Running at least 8.5 miles a day, 5 times a week the Shuffle is great to have! The controls are easy to use, it gets loud enough to drown out all of the people at the gym and the battery life is out of this world. I love that it can handle hours of music, also that is so small that I forget that I am wearing it on my arm. I also wrote a review one of the Shuffle arm bands that I highly suggest. I know that a lot of people love their new Ipod Touches, but I think that the Shuffle could be the most valuable Ipod because of all of the people I see at the gym using one. It makes time fly and I go a couple of weeks without having to charge it.
  
  The one down side is the sound quality when you compare it to full size Ipod. You can really tell the difference between them. But that is just one of those trade offs for size and convinence that you are going to have to live with with the Shuffle. The rest of the unit is great to use. I know that other reviewers state that it is a little pricey compared to other small MP-3 players, and that is true, it is. But when a product works like the Ipod Shuffle 3rd generation it is worth the little extra money for the long term benefits that the product is going to deliver.
  
  

• Kicker iK500 iPod Speaker Dock (Black)
• Griffin PowerDuo Home/Car Charger for iPod and iPhone 1G (Black)
• Case Logic ISS-1 Silicone Case Duo Pack for iPod Shuffle (Clear)
• Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Loudspeaker Dock System for iPod and MP3 Players (Silver/Black)
• Kensington Car Charger for iPod and iPhone 1G, 3G (Black)

• Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB Silver (2nd Generation)
• Speck Zipper-Puck Carrying Case for iPod shuffle 2G (Green)
• Griffin Tempo Armband for iPod shuffle 2G (Light Gray)
• Bargaincell- Brand New Home Wall Travel Plug in Ac Charger For Apple IPOD Shuffle 2nd & 3rd Generation MP3 Player
• Griffin Tempo Armband Case for Shuffle 2G (Black)