My iPod shuffle review

This is the review I did for the Mindanao Daily Mirror. I will be making another review since this one is kind of short.

Life is random

On January 11, 2005 at the Macworld San Francisco, in his keynote address, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's products for 2005. Jobs introduced the iLife '05 multimedia suite, the iWork '05 productivity suite, the new Mac OS version 10.4, codenamed “Tiger,” and the entry level, affordable Mac mini priced at $499 or roughly 27,500 pesos. In the same keynote address, after weeks of rumors and speculations, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's own flashed based MP3 player. Since Apple has dominated the hard disk drive based MP3 player market, it was just natural, according to Jobs, that Apple will now try take a bite out of the flash based MP3 players, which so far, has been dominated by the likes of Samsung and Creative.

The iPod shuffle was an instant hit. A nearby Apple Store ran out of stocks at the end of the day. One guy bought ten iPod shuffles, charging it to his credit card without even batting an eye. It became such a hit that after a week it was released Time magazine named it as their Gadget of the Week, and one review after another raved about the shuffle. I wanted it, and after 53 days of waiting, I finally managed to get my hands on one. Without much further ado, here's my review.

The Box and what's inside
Just like any other Apple product, the iPod shuffle's box is elegantly designed. The package is a two tone green box, with the length and width that's just a bit larger than a CD case and the thickness of about an inch. On both sides are the words “iPod shuffle” and on the front are Apple's logo, the shuffle logo and a plastic window where you can clearly see the iPod shuffle.

The shuffle comes with a lanyard attachment, earbud headphones, and a green colored carton pack the size of a CD case. Written on the carton pack is Apple's reminder: Don't steal music, written in English and in other languages. Inside the carton pack are: the user's guide booklet, an installation CD, booklet explaining the warranty, 2 pairs of soft covers for the earbuds, and two Apple logo stickers. There's also a laminated quick guide card that summarizes the button functions and what the lights indicate.

Technical specs
The iPod shuffle is small. It measures 3.3 x 0.98 x 0.33 inches (or 8.4 x 2.5 x 0.84 centimeters) and weighs 0.78 ounces (or 22 grams). It's just slightly bigger than a pack of Juicy Fruit gum and weigh less than four 1 peso coins. It comes in two capacities: 512MB or 1GB. Apple has advertised that up to 120 songs can be loaded in the 512MB and twice that on the 1GB. However, I managed to upload up to 140 songs in my 512MB iPod shuffle. Some users even managed to put in 180 songs. It depends on the average file size of your songs and the bit rate of your music collection.

It is made out of white plastic with a smooth and glossy exterior. The surface might easily attract grime and be prone to scratches. It is better to avoid putting the shuffle in a pocket together with coins or keys. There are cases available for the iPod shuffle that will offer protection.

The iPod shuffle doesn't have a screen. The front of the shuffle just features a navigation wheel and above it are two LEDs, colored green and orange hidden behind the plastic. At the back is a slider and a battery status button. On the top is the headphone jack and the bottom is the cap covering the USB 2.0 plug. The cap can be replaced with the included lanyard accessory. You can see either '512MB' or '1GB' etched on the USB plug, depending on which capacity you bought. The earbud headphones has a small plastic sizer that allows you to move it up or down the earbud wires to minimize cord tangling.

The front and back
The navigation wheel has the play/pause logo in the center, plus sign on the top and minus sign on the bottom, and forward and backward logo on the right and left, respectively. When the play/pause button is pressed while the iPod shuffle is playing, the music is paused, indicated by a flashing green LED. Press again to continue playing. Music will automatically pause when the headphones are removed. To continue playing the audio, press the play/pause button.

When the play/pause button is pressed for a few seconds the orange LED will start flashing, indicating that the buttons are “locked” and the shuffle is in hold mode. Pressing down the play/pause button again for a few seconds deactivates the hold mode.

At the back of the shuffle is a slider and a button. The slider has three positions: off, sequential playing and shuffle mode. From the off position, sliding down to one level will play your music in sequence or in order. Sliding down another notch will put the iPod in shuffle mode. A piece of bright green sticker behind the slider help indicate whether the unit is off or on.

When the slider is in the sequential mode, press the play/pause button three times quickly to return to the beginning of the play order. When in random or shuffle mode, pressing the play/pause button three times quickly will re-shuffle the songs.

Below the slider is the battery status indicator button. Press the button and a LED will light up and the color will indicate the battery status. Green for good charge, yellow for low charge, red for very low charge (time to recharge you iPod shuffle) and no light means no charge.

Battery and charging, and sound quality
The iPod shuffle has an internal lithium ion battery. The shuffle is charged by plugging it into a USB port. Charging is by trickle charge and happens only when the computer that is it plugged into is on. Putting the computer to sleep or hibernate mode will not charge the unit. The shuffle achieves 80% charge after two hours and full charge after four hours. The orange LED lights up while charging and turns green when fully charged. According to Apple's website, the shuffle's battery will last 12 hours but some users have managed 13 to 15 hours of play.

With the diminutive size of the iPod shuffle, I didn't expect the sound quality to be really good. But after listening to the some songs played in the shuffle I was pleasantly surprised. I am not an audiophile, but the sound quality of the iPod shuffle is much the same to that of the iPod mini.

Extras and reminders
The iPod shuffle is not only a digital music player but can double as a mobile storage device. After plugging the shuffle into a USB port and is seen by iTunes, go to Preferences and click on the iPod tab. Check “Enable disk use” and move the slider to the left or right to adjust the size allocated for data.

It is advisable that the shuffle must not be unplugged while data is being transferred and while it is mounted. The orange LED in front of the shuffle will blink indicating files are being moved. Always eject or unmount the iPod shuffle before unplugging it from the USB port.

The iPod shuffle is compatible for both Windows and Mac. Always remember to install the software first before plugging in the iPod shuffle.

It might be a good idea to buy a USB extension cable for the iPod shuffle. This solves the problem of having to reach at the back the computer when charging or transferring files. Even if there are USB ports in front of the PC the shuffle might not fit because of its width. The width also poses problems when using a laptop; it will tend to cover the ports beside the USB port that the shuffle is plugged into.

Several accessories are available for the shuffle from Apple. There's a Sport Case, a battery pack that uses AAA battery, extending playing time by another 20 hours, and an Armband. Several companies have taken advantage of the shuffle's quick rise in popularity. There are now a myriad of cases to choose from; from plastic to rubber, from silicone to aluminum. One company has started selling an FM transmitter made especially for the iPod shuffle. Some companies have designed replacement caps that allows the user to attach the shuffle anywhere by using a carabineer, a belt clip or a push pin. The iPod accessory business is a multimillion dollar industry, when combined, earns more revenue than the iPods themselves.

The iPod shuffle comes from a family that has been regarded as an icon. It is well designed and well made. Some would complain about the shuffle's lack of a screen. To those who have used the shuffle, however, it really doesn't matter. With the shuffle mode on, they let the iPod pick what music to play next. Randomness is the name of the game and it is made more evident by pressing the Autofill function in iTunes. This lets iTunes decide what music to put into your shuffle. Enjoy uncertainty.

The iPod shuffle, as well as the rest of the iPod family, is exclusively distributed by Microwarehouse, Inc. The iPod shuffle and other iPods are available from dealers all over Davao City.

Don't steal music.