Apple iPod Shuffle V2 Review

Overall Rating

Amazing battery life, unbelievably small form factor, sturdy build, cool-looking.

Hissing in earphones, not very loud but there all the same and annoying.

I got the iPod Shuffle 2nd generation purely for using at the gym so I don't have to put up with the usual nonsense other patrons listen to. I got the Shuffle in green as there was nothing else but pink available. It is incredibly small in the flesh, even though I had often spied it in the shops and gazed through the plastic packaging with lustful eyes.
The Shuffle is all metal and feels solid in the hand and heavier than I expected. It synced with my Mac Mini with all the efficiency I expected (although it will work with Windows, my previous PC was Win XP and it worked fine with iTunes) and within minutes I had a handful of albums thrown onto it. My MP3's are always ripped at 192kbps and you can tick an option when putting music onto the Shuffle to convert the selection to 128kps AAC. This is a payoff between high quality audio and small file size to cram more tunes onto the Shuffle. I find the quality acceptable for the gym but beware, it takes a while to convert the tracks as its not a case of just moving them across. Anyway, the quality is okay, I use Sennheiser CX300's with the Shuffle and they are a damn fine set of headphones. I listen to an eclectic variety of music and the Shuffle does it justice.
The only fault I could mention is that there is a low level hum or hiss audible in track gaps or areas of silence. I have read that a lot of Shuffles have this and when the music kicks in to any level it totally disappears. Annoying but only a minor niggle.
The transfer process is very versatile with iTunes. It is a bit boring to bang on about software (this ain't what you buy a Shuffle for) but users of iTunes will know what a fantastic piece of software it is. You can transfer tracks from certain playlists in your library, picking higher rated tunes first, autofill the Shuffle randomly each time you dock it or drag tracks across manually. The process is user friendly, non-intimidating and a good way to fine tune your music. You will be looking at iTunes a lot, it is the only clue as to what tracks you have in the Shuffle and stats RE remaining storage space etc.
The 'shuffle' feature is something I never used on my full size iPod as its buried away in a menu but I use it all the time on my Shuffle. Its really quite cool, I have a few tracks I use to get me through my run on the treadmill then I flick it to shuffle and see what gets thrown my way. A handy feature that I had previously thought of as a gimmick.
The Shuffle is a difficult product to review, it is a music player and there is little more to say than that. It has been stripped back (and then some) to the absolute basics of what an MP3 player is. Some people are saying its more an experience rather than a valid product, I disagree but it is not far from the truth. Yet again Apple have come up with a product for which I had no previous need and somehow it has become indispensable.
If you partake in any kind of fitness activity this product is a must buy.