Wait, That’s not a Pack of Gum: The iPod Shuffle

By Jonathan Berohn

OK—so you’ve got your cool new video iPod that, in addition to your favorite TV shows and music videos, can hold every song you can ever imagine wanting to hear.  You think you’re done right?  Not so fast.  Apple has ingeniously created the iPod Shuffle to tempt you into yet one more gadget to round out your digital music player options.

The Scoop

OK number 2—why on earth would need another iPod?  (and OK number 3—is this really designed to be a second iPod for people?)  First answer number 2—well…it’s cool.  All right, that didn’t convince my wife either, but there is something to the cool factor.  At just over 3 inches long and weighing in at less than an ounce—that’s right, less than 1 ounce—the iPod Shuffle is by far the most portable of the iPods.  The Shuffle fits easily into any pocket or hangs around your neck without weighing you down at all.  Apple also makes an armband that lets you strap the Shuffle on while running or doing other exercise.

This last feature is another part of the cool that really lets the Shuffle shine.  Unlike the other iPod models, the Shuffle uses flash memory instead of a hard drive.  What this means for you—in addition to the tiny dimensions—is that the Shuffle cannot skip.  Yes, all of the iPods have skip protection, but they eventually top out after about 30 minutes.  That’s not ever going to happen with the Shuffle.  That’s right—no skipping even if you are biking, running, or shredding up the meanest mogul run.

The Specs

Of course, to get the benefits of miniaturization and no skips, there are some sacrifices involved.  The main sacrifice is memory.  The Shuffle comes in two memory configurations: 512k and 1 gigabyte.  This translates—according to Apple, into approximately 120 or 240 songs respectively.  This is the main reason why I think the Shuffle is ideal as a second iPod and not one to build your complete audio habits around.  The second reason is the interface—or lack thereof.  Simply put, the Shuffle doesn’t give you any playback options other than straight through or shuffle.  If you want to manage your play lists or change things around, you have to do that on your computer then upload an entire new collection of songs to your Shuffle.  In other words, if you want something incredibly mobile, and you don’t care too much about the order you hear your songs, the Shuffle is perfect for you.

Simplicity

This lack of functionality, while certainly a limitation, also has some benefits. If you have kids, you have certainly heard the plaintive whine of the young adolescent or teen bemoaning their lack of iPod.  My daughter even cut out and posted on the fridge a Foxtrot comic that essentially said Paige (the daughter) + iPod = Christmas (I’m still wondering what kind of kickback the author got for that commercial).  The simple controls of the Shuffle make it ideal for little hands that aren’t used to fussing with click wheels and play lists.  In any case, I’m not too keen on giving a 9 year-old a $400 iPod to lug around.  The $99 you have to drop for the Shuffle—while still admittedly hefty, but at least within the realm of the main Christmas gift we buy every year—is a little more reasonable.

The Bugs

To avoid falling into the same shameless plug category of the Foxtrot comic, I do have a few bugs to point out.  These aren’t bugs in the traditional “make the thing not work” sense.  Rather, they are things about the Shuffle that bug me.  First and foremost, I have to wonder why they can’t let you upload one playlist and give you a third playback option.  This would make it much easier to manage how you listen and let you avoid having to reload all your songs if you want to change the order at all.

The main annoyance though is the lack of a separate power adapter.  In other words, you must recharge your Shuffle in a USB port unless, of course, you shell out thirty or forty bucks for a power adapter.  Considering how little management you can do of the play list, the need to keep it hooked up to a computer to charge it is very annoying.  Apple should have included a cheap charger.  I would recommend picking one up if you do buy a Shuffle.