Apple iPod Shuffle 512MB Review

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Apple iPod Shuffle 512MB
4 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4 out of 5

From 6 ratings and 37 reviews

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andymillikin's Review of Apple iPod Shuffle 512MB

4th Feb 2006

Overall Rating

4 stars
  • Value for money
    3 stars
  • Sound Quality
    4 stars
  • Features
    1.5 stars
  • Time MP3 Player Owned
    1 - 6 Months
  • Battery Life
    5 stars
  • Memory
    512Mb
Good Points

Tiny
Ultra-light
Excellent battery life
Good design


Bad Points

No screen (but less to go wrong)
High price compared to equivalent players


General Comments

The iPod Shuffle is incredibly light and possessed of a very good battery life. It just never seems to need recharging. When you eventually need to recharge it, you simply connect to a computer via its USB connector. I didn't want to be tied to a laptop, so I bought a Belkin plug and car charger set ($22 in Wal-Mart). This set also allows me to recharge my other video iPod, so it's worth investing in if you have two iPod's.

Like all iPod's, the Shuffle is very well designed, and is so light it's not true. It slips into your pocket and you just don't know it's there.

Accessories:

The Shuffle comes with an iTunes CD, ear buds and a neck lanyard. There are a myriad of accessories for it available online (Apple and Ebay to name but two). Many pertain to sports use, for which it is clearly intended.

Capacity:

I thought that 120 songs wasn't very much, but when I went through my record collection I could only find 100 songs of my absolute favourites (and I have an extensive collection). 512Mb is more than enough for a portable player.

Furthermore, Windows XP recognises it as a flash drive, so you can allocate as much of the memory as you like for file transfer. This memory allocation is controlled in iTunes.

The Bottom Line:

This is very much a subsidiary player for short journeys, shopping, impromptu parties and exercising. Its lack of screen is offset by its stylish design and incredible ease of use. Coupled with 120 songs, you won't be bored in a hurry. Nonetheless, it is expensive compared to players of the same size, which usually come with a screen, FM tuner and voice recorder. You have to ask yourself what you want from a small capacity MP3 player. For me, this fits the bill perfectly if you already own another larger capacity player.

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