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"I feel cheated!" on by mad_dog_2u
Pros: Smal size and portability
Cons: No display, battery cannot be replaced, bad with audio books
Summary: Although the Shuffle is great with portability, please beware that Apple does not let you know that the Shuffle is a "disposable" MP3 player. The Shuffle's rechargable battery has a limited life (2 years or so) after which the battery will hold no charge. While Apple is happily advertising how the iPod's battery can be changed when it's life is over, it has failed to mention that the Shuffle's battery cannot be replaced (unless you'd like to spend almost twice as much as what you paid for it to send it to Apple and have the battery changed for you - mind you, that may take anywhere from 3 to 6 months). Basically when your Shuffle's battery is dead, you have to toss it away into the trash can and hunt for something new. It's Apple's sneaky little scam to get you interested in the world of bigger iPods. Sadly Apple has developed Microsoft syndrome.
I listen to a lot of audio books (which is why I got the Shuffle). Firstly with the Shuffle there is no way to bookmark a spot in a 9 hour audio book (so if you want to find a spot again for reference, good luck). Secondly, when you stop at a particular spot in an audio book, turn it off and then later turn it on to continue listening, the Shuffle resumes play about 3-5 minutes ahead of the last stopped spot. That's really frustrating!
Apple whatever happened to your "good ethics" . IMO you're just another dirty blood sucking corporation in the guise of a trendy rebel. -
"Simple and effective" on by huibvdbolt
Pros: Good sound, simple controls
Cons: Internal battery.
Summary: Before I start; I really didn't want to buy an Apple.
It took me a couple of weeks to decide which MP3 player to buy. My requirements; good sound, 1 GB memory, batterypowered. And it should fit easily in my pockets.
I took a look at iRiver, iAudio and Jens of Sweden. But I don't want a long list of technical features, I want to hear music. So I bought the Apple for less money.
I still don't like the fact that I can't change (rechargeable) batteries, but the size makes up for that. The standard headphones are soso.
But the sound of the player is very good. And I decide what music is actually on the player, so I don't need a display.
For the rest; iTunes takes a little getting used to (about 10 min.), but it workes.
Bottom line; It does what it should, and it does it very well. -
"Fabulous, the cons mentioned dont really matter because:" on by awesomeperson
Pros: Gorgeous design, a pleasure to use, so small, simply fun to use design. EXCEPTIONAL sound quality, perfect for audiofiles like me. WONDERFULL. 12 hour battery life is enough for the amount of music.
Cons: No LCD, but doesnt actually matter because you can put your songs in alphebetical order or enjoy shufflin'
Summary: WOW!!!!!!
The design is so lovely to use, its truly a pleasure. Fabulous sound. As well, awesome portability. Fits enough songs for most, and for those with large libraries, its great for adding your 240+ favorite songs, so every minute of listening is a real treat!!!!! The "no lcd" posts dont really matter cuz its so easy to use without it. Besides, it lets you simply enjoy the music more. FABULOUS PLAYER, perfect enjoyment from it. Great as a second or primary mp3 player. Love it!!!!!!! -
"Perfect for podcasts" on by parkison
Pros: small, light, unbelievably portable, easily filled and emptied.
Cons: no screen so you can't visually navigate a play list of programs and so are left with the ffwd button.
Summary: I love it, especially now that iTunes includes easy access to podcasts. This is now the way I get all of my audio/radio programming. Hopefully, iTunes will come around and allow me to set up an autofill from "podcasts" in the source list.
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"Perfect for those of us who know their music library" on by watts300
Pros: Weight. Rarely used buttons.
Cons: Transfer speed isn't quite indicative of USB2.
Summary: This MP3 player was a steal. I absolutely love it. Most will complain about the lack of display. To me, that's not an issue because I know all of the music that is on my computer. So whether the playlist is created manually, or randomly, I still choose the songs that go on it. Newly acquired music? I got it because I like it, song name isn't a big a deal when I'm on the go. I can check that later.
I have a computer that remains on 24-7, so a battery charge of ~12 hours isn't a problem either. Just keep it plugged in when its not in use. For most other people, a computer turned on for 4 hours shouldn't be a problem either.
PC users: Ditch iTunes. I've never liked it and my iPod furthers that belief. There is a plug in for WinAmp that will support iPods. Use iTunes once to adjust the allocation slider to full storage. After that, use WinAmp. Sure, WinAmp doesn't have an AutoFill feature, but trade that for forgetting about the allocation slider (any space unused by music is automatically space for file storage). WinAmp also will not require the deletion of everything on the iPod when it is plugged into a second computer. I have always found WinAmp to be a superior media player, and such is the case here.
Only reason for 9 star rating: Slowish transfer speed (monitorable in WinAmp). I see on average 1.7 - 1.9MBps. If I ever want to completely reload this thing, it kinda takes a while to send over.
Other gripes typical with Shuffle reviews don't coincide with what this is meant to be: ultra portable with little user reliablity.
Go. Press play. Enjoy.
Apple iPod Shuffle user reviews (1GB)
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