Travel Technology - New iPod (iPod Shuffle)

In addition to iPod Photo, iPod, and the iPod mini, you can add a fourth version: the iPod Shuffle.

It will weigh less then 1 oz and is tiny.

Flash based. 1 G for $149. 512 MB for $99.

Shipping today.

See it here: http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

Is this the end of the discman?

I soooo want a Mac mini too!

really nice in terms of price and form factor... but wish it had an lcd display.

is this USB 2.0? tech specs does not say...

is this USB 2.0? tech specs does not say...

USB 1.1 and 2.0 through integrated USB connector.

I think it's useless.

It's 2 year old technology hoping to sell because it says "Apple" on it.

No display, and nothing else that makes it stand out from all the others.

Apple could have as least added something to make it more advanced, like Bluetooth.

Very dissapointing.

Innovation wise, it's really nothing special. But remember, this is primarilly designed to get the rest of the market share who thinks that the iPod is too expensive or unnecessary.

And more importantly, it will drive more income to the iTunes Music Store. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who want to buy from the store, considering it has the best selection out there, but won't because they don't have a cheap player to play the DRM'ed tracks on.

Now, the Mac Mini is pretty cool. I might have to pick up one of those to hook up to my home media center/plasma.

I think it's useless.

It's 2 year old technology hoping to sell because it says "Apple" on it.

No display, and nothing else that makes it stand out from all the others.

Apple could have as least added something to make it more advanced, like Bluetooth.

Very dissapointing.

I don't think it is useless. I for one, use ipods and mini ipods, won't go for an ipod photo though.

but this device, is JUST what some people want. There won't be a harddisk based version of product for at least 18 months, that is this size or the size of other flash based players. So, for some, this is just the ticket, as well as the fact that it is at LEAST 150$ less than other "pods"

As for differantiation: It is an apple product. For many people and apparently a growing percentage of people they like the apple products, UI, useability, cache, whatever.

I think it is a fitting compliment to a market that continues to grow and that apparently apple continues to lead and dominate. I really don't see that changing soon, at least not from what I saw at CES last week.

And, it is 3/4 of one oz, .78 oz., that is light, Could be tinier in my opinion, but whatya gonna do?


OT: did you see what the keynote did to the stock today, I haven't had that much fun trading aapl since 1997. Started off, bought in at 65.25. Sold off at 68.00, then bought in again at 65.00, I'll hold this position a little while while the market digests earnings and the products come out. Stop it at 63.00 though.

Still holding shares from a year ago though. Only an announcement from BillG, or a bigger announcement from sony, motorola or some other could have pushed it over 70 today.

As others have said, this is about market share pure and simple. The average consumer for a product like this probably doesn't care much about or need something like Bluetooth let alone other "innovations" they could have designed.

Apple is delivering exactly what it is needed - a cheaper player with the "coolness" associated with the iPod name.

I just bought one. At the price it's ideal for travel. Since it's all my songs I don't need a display. Small enough not to be another item to stash somewhere and the cool "auto fill" option will make it interesting each time I play it. Of course with my noise cancelling headphones It will look the battery case. Oh well.

Even though my personal preference is for flash-based MP3 players, I would stay away from this one. True, you get much more space for less money.. but the iPod Shuffle looks like a memory key .. with annoying cap for the USB end. I wonder how much they sell the replacement caps for.

And.. if you didn't figure this out already, Apple provides a helpful footnote:

1. Music capacity is based on 4 minutes per song and 128Kbps AAC encoding.
2. Do not eat iPod shuffle.
3. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
4. Some computers require either the optional iPod shuffle Dock or a USB cable extender (sold separately).

Yeah, one should also consider the added value of this unit, compared to the others. that of a flash memory storage device

Since it is flash based, with a USB2.0 connector on it, one can just plug it into a laptop or computer and use it for storage to store files, transfer data, etc.

With 512MB flash memory devices costing 45-65$ ALONE, adding an MP3 player from for 30-40$ more from APPLE is a STEAL!!

Granted, this cuts down on the number of songs one can store, but it is still value add in my book.

In a year, they will be 2GB for 129$. I'll buy one then

I think it's useless.

It's 2 year old technology hoping to sell because it says "Apple" on it.

No display, and nothing else that makes it stand out from all the others.

Apple could have as least added something to make it more advanced, like Bluetooth.

Very dissapointing.

Steve explains Apple's logic behind the design decisions in the keynote presentation. (It should be available on the Web soon if not already.)

It's appropriate for the market it's after: cheap MP3 players. Apple has around 70% of the total MP3 player market. Flash-based players make up nearly all of the remaining market (around 30%). Other high-end players make up a remaining 6% share, down from 7% last year. Apple's going after the flash-based market now: the largest non-iPod market remaining.

point-by-point:
1 GB flash memory is not 2 year-old mainstream technology. Especially not for $149 built into a device.

Displays on devices that are the size of a pack of gum are useless. Anyone over 40 won't even be able to read them. People set their players to play random (shuffle) a majority of the time anyway. If a display offers no significant benefit and makes navigation frustrating, there's really no point. Plus, the display would consume power, require more involved hardware, not to mention the soft and hard user interface that would need to be designed. This thing is meant for people walking to work, working out or doing other activities to get away from scrolling and button-pushing. In general, people want to push buttons and look at screens as little as possible. That's why there's no display.

Why should the player have Bluetooth? It's too slow to transfer data quickly. The only real use would be for Bluetooth headphones, but I know of none that exist yet. The additional mfg cost would be at least $10 per unit, and it'd be technology that very few would take advantage of at all. 99% of the market for this thing would rather save the $10-$20 Bluetooth would add to the price. Additionally, Bluetooth consumes the battery, so there'd have to be a way to turn it off, adding another button or switch or preference, needlessly complicating things for users who won't use the feature anyway.

Some other details mentioned in The Steve Show:

- less than 1 ounce in weight (less than 4 US quarters)
- 12 hour battery life with a built-in AAA battery extender option
- Available in 512 or 1G capacities (approx 120 or 240 songs)
- Can also be used as a thumb drive. Data vs song capacity can be set in iTunes Preferences
- iTunes has the ability to automatically load a random or semi-random (based on general criteria) selection of a music library onto the iPod Shuffle. If the data-to-song capacity ratio is adjusted, iTunes will automatically adjust the loaded set.
- The avg price of a 512 MB player from other companies is $149. The general range is $99-$199, so the iPod Shuffle is on the low end of this range.
- Most other flash MP3 players use AAA batteries, which are not rechargable, adding significant expense if the player is used regularly.
- Users can set the iPod shuffle to random or first-to-last using a switch on the back.

...............

... but won't because they don't have a cheap player to play the DRM'ed tracks on.

That's right -- this is a fairly inexpensive device that will play AACs and stuff downloaded from the iTunes music store with DRM. And if I were the type to go running or be physically active, I would probably prefer the smaller device... and be less worried about it knowing that it is all solid state, no moving hard drive head or anything to be bothered by the jostling.

... suitability for audiobooks ...

I don't know -- haven't played with this one yet, but I do know that my 30gig dock iPod is fairly unpredictable when it comes to playing audio books and resuming, etc. Maybe I just haven't figured it out, or maybe I was spoiled by how well the original audible software worked even though I was constantly having to split up my books into 128mb chunks to fit it on my rio 500!

Despite people saying that it's "old technology" i think the big breakthrough here, and differentiating feature is that integrated battery. All the other flash unit MP3 players take some sort of AA or AAAs, which weigh the player down. I've held those type of players, and they have weight to them. I held the iPod shuffle today (great display at macworld) and it's like a feather.

Of course it's got the usual non-replaceable battery, but that doesn't seem to stop the regular iPod sales.

I think the iPod shuffle is decent for the price. Don't forget that iTunes has some great music management capabilities with playlists (putting aside all other DRM arguments), play counts, and ratings, and it's a good combo for the money. I like being able to hit the "Autofill" button on iTunes to randomly select songs to fill the Shuffle, using parameters such as selecting from a certain playlist, using higher rated songs more often, etc.

That being said, I didn't buy one today, though at the Apple store there was a feeding frenzy, some people with literally 8 boxes under their arm. The 1gb model hasn't even hit the stores yet.

Regarding above questions about resuming and audiobook suitability, my understanding is that it does resume exactly where you left off at any given time (which is sometimes unlike the other iPods), but that you can't fast wind through a given track, which would be bad for audiobooks because the track size can sometimes be a full hour or so. I guess that last bit might be somewhat mitigated by the resume part, but it would mean you couldn't switch from one thing to another and then back to the audiobook mid-track. (Admittedly, the desire to do that might be very small anyway.)

It was a third-party site (and I don't remember which one) where I read about the inability to fast wind within a track, so that info could be erroneous.

Apple products in a nutshell:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/iProduct.gif

im really happy with my 1.5 PowerBook G4 with iSight and AirPort Express and 20 GB iPod also. I just bought the apple wireless mouse on sale yesterday from Pasadena Apple Store with the World Travel Adapter set. I'm just waiting for the new Mac OS X 1.4 Tiger :p. yippee! no need for the mini Mac or the iPod shuffle.

im really happy with my 1.5 PowerBook G4 with iSight and AirPort Express and 20 GB iPod also. I just bought the apple wireless mouse on sale yesterday from Pasadena Apple Store with the World Travel Adapter set. I'm just waiting for the new Mac OS X 1.4 Tiger :p. yippee! no need for the mini Mac or the iPod shuffle.

Can't wait for Tiger :) Did you notice built in flight tracker amongst other things?

Can't wait for Tiger :) Did you notice built in flight tracker amongst other things?

I'm sure Konfabulator has a flight tracker widget out right now if you can't wait.

Konfabulator is basically the same thing as Dashboard.

As for differantiation: It is an apple product. For many people and apparently a growing percentage of people they like the apple products, UI, useability, cache, whatever.


As others have said, the Apple name is exactly what this will sell on. UI? There is none. Useability? Stop, PLay, Forward, Back. I think others have the same usability. Cache? I assume you mean cachet? Exactly - It's white and 'cool' - that's why people will buy it. Other iPod's do have differentiators that make them nice. This is like the original Lexus ES - an unremarkable, rebadged Camry to take advantage of the name.

It's no worse than other flash players, no better, and has "iPod" stamped on it, so I'm sure it will sell bunches.

Please also see: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/ipod/index.php#howto-hack-ipod-into-ipod-shuffle-029509

As others have said, the Apple name is exactly what this will sell on. UI? There is none. Useability? Stop, PLay, Forward, Back. I think others have the same usability. Cache? I assume you mean cachet? Exactly - It's white and 'cool' - that's why people will buy it. Other iPod's do have differentiators that make them nice. This is like the original Lexus ES - an unremarkable, rebadged Camry to take advantage of the name.

It's no worse than other flash players, no better, and has "iPod" stamped on it, so I'm sure it will sell bunches.


thanks for the kudos and speel check. I type faster than I can think actually. :-)

As for my comments, UI, useability, etc., I meant for apple products in general. Ipod, iMac, APE, they just work well, and people can interface well with them.

As for a phone, I think that the don't THINK they can do it well enough to keep up with this track record.

I have nothing against ipod, bought my wife one for xmas, and she absolutely loves it :)

They have a great interface, are cool looking, reason they are the best seller out there.

And now, Apple comes out with a new product, and everybody that is a loyal minion is eagerly awaiting. And it's normal, we have a loyalty to the products we buy, creating a rivalry between brands is a great way to keep a consumer base (I also have a degree in marketing ;))

But trying to be objective about it, this product is nothing to be excited about. It's just a run of the mill flash memory MP3 player. And if stripping a LCD out of it is a sign of genius, so be it. But this is a plain, boring, nothing extraordinary about it "new" product.

It's hard to be creating revolutionary, cutting edge products all the time, even for Apple ;)

It's just a run of the mill flash memory MP3 player. And if stripping a LCD out of it is a sign of genius, so be it. But this is a plain, boring, nothing extraordinary about it "new" product.

True, it's not moving mountains in innovation, but show me another flash based mp3 players in 512mb/1gb capacities that weighs less than an 0.78 ounce (with battery).

Even players like the Muvo Micro that was billed as one of the lightest weights in at 0.8 ounces (not including the AAA), though it does have more features overall.

Of the current crop of 512mb flash based players, only 2 or 3 out of 15 or so players break the sub-$100 price mark.

Most other flash based 1gb players are running around $175 as well, and none are as small as the Shuffle.

The shuffle isn't for everybody, but I think apple has done enough differentiation to make a case for itself in the current market - but we'll see what happens, since flash memory continues to drop down in price. 1gb players should be sub-$100 by years end.

Looking at it in a slightly different way, I was planning on getting a USB flash stick in any case, so will probably get the 1gig Shuffle instead

Fighting words from the CEO of Creative:

We’re expecting a good fight but they’re coming out with something that’s five generations older. It’s our first generation MuVo One product feature, without display, just have a (shuffle feature). We had that — that’s a four-year-old product. So I think the whole industry will just laugh at it, because the flash people — it’s worse than the cheapest Chinese player. Even the cheap, cheap Chinese brand today has display and has FM. They don’t have this kind of thing, and they expect to come out with a fight; I think it’s a non-starter to begin with.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000343027143/

Hopefully the Shuffle will force other flashplayer manuf to drop their prices.

Personally I don't care for the Shuffle as it offers no features. I like the Iriver flash players much better.

I also like to play certain songs at certain times depending on my mood so the random play thing does not really work for me.

Funny thing is that you will spend more on a quality pair of earphones(shure,etymotic) for the player than the actual cost of the player.

Fighting words from the CEO of Creative:



http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000343027143/


I agree with him wholeheartedly. There is nothing special about the ishuffle aside from the rechargeable battery. Personally I can care less about the battery part. batteries are pretty inexpensive these days.

I agree with him wholeheartedly. There is nothing special about the ishuffle aside from the rechargeable battery. Personally I can care less about the battery part. batteries are pretty inexpensive these days.

The battery does worry me too. They made it sound like AAA batteries are a bad thing, but I think it's easier to find a 4 pack of AAA's than it is to find a spare USB port when on the road.

Of course, you can always get the Apple battery extender... Just like with the iPod, to get the thing working like you want you need to spend at least $100 in accessories.

Just like with the iPod, to get the thing working like you want you need to spend at least $100 in accessories.
What do you need to spend $100 on a iPod to make it work?

What do you need to spend $100 on a iPod to make it work?

I said work like I like it.

When my wife got an ipod she had to invest in a remote, a dock and a sync cable as the one included wasn't the right one.

Fighting words from the CEO of Creative:



http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000343027143/

Check out the comments on that entry for some more banter. One comment does make a good point, in that, it's partially about the player, AND partially about the software (iTunes).

And come on Creative, that muvo one weighed almost 50% more than the shuffle. In this part of the market, is IS about the physical size/weight.

I think the shuffle will sell extremely well to that section of the market who has iTunes but doesn't have an iPod. I'll be getting one because its one of the cheapest ways of getting a gig of USB2 flash storage in the UK at the moment (and the music is a very good side benefit).

In terms of inavation though, it's crapola!

Dumb newbie question: are there limitations on what type of music files the iPod Shuffle will play? I have an external hard drive full of MP3's. Will it play those? Or do I have to buy stuff from iTunes?

I had a couple of cheap-o first-generation flash MP3 players from about two years ago. They were junk. One was Nike/Rio and the other was iJam or something like that. They had all sorts of problems: I'd take one of them out for one of my weekend runs and I'd get an hour into the run and the player would conk out. So I'd have to either run somewhere (home or car) to dump off the dead player or carry around a dead player for a couple more hours.

I'd take the thing home, reformat the memory card, jiggle the batteries or change them out, and the thing would work again for a while. Very finicky.

I'd gladly pay $100 for a good player that was somewhat water resistant, somewhat shock resistant, and easily clipped to the fuel belt I run with. 120 songs is awesome - those cheapie players of 2 years ago held 15-20 songs. If I get bored with 120, I'll change 'em out for the next run.

You are restricted to the format supported by iTunes.

You don't have to buy stuff from iTunes. You can copy your CDs into iTunes. I think you can also import your existing MP3s into iTunes. I've not tried this though (being a relatively conservative iTunes user).

You are restricted to the format supported by iTunes.

You don't have to buy stuff from iTunes. You can copy your CDs into iTunes. I think you can also import your existing MP3s into iTunes. I've not tried this though (being a relatively conservative iTunes user).

Am I correct to assume that iTunes, in this context, refers to software that resides on my PC? (I know "iTunes" also refers to an online music store.)

In other words, if I own content - in whatever format - I have no problem converting it through proprietary software on my machine in order to play it on an iPod, provided that the software comes with the iPod of course. I just don't want to have to exchange personal or content data through my Internet connection to Apple's server in order to use a stinkin' MP3 player. :)

In other words, if I own content - in whatever format - I have no problem converting it through proprietary software on my machine in order to play it on an iPod, provided that the software comes with the iPod of course. I just don't want to have to exchange personal or content data through my Internet connection to Apple's server in order to use a stinkin' MP3 player. :)

There's no converting -- MP3 is a native format that iTunes supports. You basically "import" the tracks into your library (which basically indexes the metadata about each track for title, artist, album, etc.), and you're done. Nothing is exchanged with Apple for that, and you don't even have to move your MP3's from where they're at (though it does have the option of keeping your library organized, where it will file by artist, album and name the songs with track number and title).

Does the fact that iTunes supports the format but does not convert it mean that tracks in the MP3 format cannot be exported to iPod?

I said work like I like it.

When my wife got an ipod she had to invest in a remote, a dock and a sync cable as the one included wasn't the right one.
True, they are not including the remote or dock (except on the 40gb) anymore, but what comparable player does? They are also including USB2.0 and Firewire cables now.

Does the fact that iTunes supports the format but does not convert it mean that tracks in the MP3 format cannot be exported to iPod?

iPod supports MP3 just fine. If you have an MP3 file in iTunes, it will get synched to your iPod as MP3 - no conversion. I like AAC better personally, which is what I encode my files in through iTunes.

Does the fact that iTunes supports the format but does not convert it mean that tracks in the MP3 format cannot be exported to iPod?

Nope, the iPod will play MP3, AAC, AA (Audible), WAV, Apple Lossless, AIFF with no conversion necessary. All of these can be exported onto the iPod without converting.

iTunes will convert non-DRMed WMA files into AAC, but that's the only format that needs fiddling with.

I played with one of these Ishuffles today(buddy of mine acquired on) . Sorry but I am extremely dissapointed. Nothing special or innovative labout it.
Nothing but a featureless USB flash drive with an Apple logo on it. Also a rechargeable battery with a 9-12 hour life really suckz IMO. That won't make the trip from LAX- BKK. So you would have to make sure it is fully charged to get from JFK-LAX direct with one connect.

I can see current Ipod owners snapping these up, Apple geeks, low tech types that want a flash player but only buy brand names and the fashion set.
Serious or half hearted techies would not even touch this thing unless they want it as a souvenir.

I know a little bit about mp3 players I bought one of the firt Rio's made as well as the RCA Lyra years ago and the first hard drive plyer which was a piece of crap Archos Jukebox(that player alone made me swear that i would never buy another har drive player where I could not remove and replace the battery myself). I am currently waiting for Sony to get their head out of their butts and improve the Network Walkman form a users standpoint-simplify the interface software, make it compatible with all encoded audio files and drop the freaking price u would have a definite ipod killer.

I guess I am disappointed because Apple used to pride itself on technological innovations or at least the adaptation and implementation of those innovations in their products. They seriously dropped the ball with this one. I bet DELL could make the same device and sell it for 1/2 price. Even the Ipod mini is not impressive when you compare it to the Zen micro and the Rio carbon( I pwn the Zen and bought the Carbon for my sister).

The ishuffle is merely designed to capture the cheap end of the mp3 player market and help sell more itunes. Apple has basically turned into a music distubution company; that happens to make some computer stuff, along with a kick-... operating system

Before anyone thinks I am an Apple hater my first real computer was a mac and I kicked and screamed my way to PC's but still a mac guy at heart.

I can see current Ipod owners snapping these up, Apple geeks, low tech types that want a flash player but only buy brand names and the fashion set.
Serious or half hearted techies would not even touch this thing unless they want it as a souvenir.

...

I guess I am disappointed because Apple used to pride itself on technological innovations or at least the adaptation and implementation of those innovations in their products.

Well I don't believe this product is targeted towards the "serious techies." I believe the full-sized iPods or the iPod Photo are what's targeted to that space.

And I think this is innovative in the sense that Apple is now taking what has become a very inexpensive commodity part (flash memory), putting it in a very small device, that meets a very specific need at a very low price. You also have to consider that this product isn't an island -- it integrates with iTunes, which is something other MP3 players don't bring to the table. That was one of the problems I had with my pre-iPod MP3 player, I had to use Real Jukebox to load music into it, which completely sucked.

People commuting on transit, people going to the gym, people going for a run, all of these are situations where one is likely to just hit "shuffle" and let it go. That's what this is for. Why would you need a display for that?

I think too many "serious techies" look at a product, and if it doesn't meet THEIR needs, they proclaim that it sucks without thinking about the market segments it is good for. And yes, there will be people who buy it because it has an Apple logo and is now finally within their price point, but Apple is in business to make money, and as a shareholder, I think anything they release to try and eat up more market share while making a profit is a good thing. So regardless of geeks thinking it's nothing exciting, if it sells, I'm all for it.

These are the same people who said the iPod Mini sucked because for $50 more you could get a 10gb iPod. Well, looks like the Mini didn't fare so bad, no?

As I contemplated this a bit more, I see Apple in a bit of a difficult situation. They have prided themselves on offering slick/cool/neat gadgets to a cult following. This product is none of those, so they get bashed for trying to capitalize on their name without all the "cool" technology.

But take the Apple logo off of it for a minute. 512MB of storage, MP3 player, USB2.0, onboard rechargeable battery, .78oz, extremely small. For $99. Not overpriced like historical Apple products. I just went and searched - lots of 256MB players at this price. Lots of 512MB players that cost more. They all need batteries. They all are slightly bigger/heavier. Most don't support all the file types Apple does.

It's almost.....mainstream. Except it's white.

I may just have to buy one, paint it up all silver and gray and blue, and scratch some random RIO/NOMAD/NuVo logo on it, and use my non-white Ety ER-6's, because it might just be the best no frills, cheap, functional flash player out there. I wouldn't want to blow my cover with the "those Apple folks are kooky, fringe, cult-y types" gang. Whoda' thunkit?

Am I missing another device that does just the basics, smaller and cheaper?

Agree with the last two posts.

There are a few other players that are competitive with the capacity/size/price features offered by the Shuffle, but I can't remember their names, which is worth noting.

There is one other market segment in which this will do well and where the regular iPods couldn't penetrate: kids. Not many people would buy their kids a $200+ gizmo that fits in a pocket ("pocket-sized" in a kid's world = will get lost). $99 is a lot more within the acceptable pricepoint, plus you can tie it around their neck.

Kids love to emulate older teenagers and have the same stuff that their big brothers/sisters have, and now they can. 11-14 year-olds are the ones who are going to wear this thing around their necks, displaying their trendiness for all to see.

This is even doable on lawn mowing money, whereas something twice as expensive probably would not be.

A lot of folks are ripping on this player because it doesn't have a display. My question is...what would you use the display for anyway? It's my music - I know the names of the songs, the artists, etc. Anytime I want to do any file-management, I'm using my computer monitor anyway.

Some of you say it's just a pimped-out thumb drive with music capabilities. That's exactly what I want! I might not buy this one, but I will buy this or a similar product at some point. I'll wait until a couple products are on the market and my ultramarathoning friends have had a chance to test them out. Whichever player can last through a 50-mile trail ultra :eek: should be able to handle my 20-mile road runs with no problems.

A lot of folks are ripping on this player because it doesn't have a display. My question is...what would you use the display for anyway? It's my music - I know the names of the songs, the artists, etc. Anytime I want to do any file-management, I'm using my computer monitor anyway.

Some of you say it's just a pimped-out thumb drive with music capabilities. That's exactly what I want! I might not buy this one, but I will buy this or a similar product at some point. I'll wait until a couple products are on the market and my ultramarathoning friends have had a chance to test them out. Whichever player can last through a 50-mile trail ultra :eek: should be able to handle my 20-mile road runs with no problems.


It's funny; every sinlge review I've read of display-less flash players slammed the device for not having a display. Gave them 5 thumbs down, called it useless.

Now Apple pulls the same stunt and it's called revoliutionary, it'll change the way we listen to music, it's awesome, and people run to the store to buy 8 of them.

I like my music too much to get rid of the display, sometimes I'm in the mood for a certain song, or a certain genre. With this device I would just have to take what it gives me.

What bugs me about this thing is the rechargeable battery. My father has a HD ipod and the battery died on him after 13months. he had to send it back to Apple and it cost him somewhere around $100 to replace along with the waiting time. I have read reports that this is the main complaint from ipod users is the battery. That was the main reason I bought the Zen mini over an ipod mini.

How long will the battery last on this shuffle before it has to be replaced? I mean for a $100 512mb flash drive you would probably be better off buying a new player than replacing the battery.

Nope, the iPod will play MP3, AAC, AA (Audible), WAV, Apple Lossless, AIFF with no conversion necessary. All of these can be exported onto the iPod without converting.

iTunes will convert non-DRMed WMA files into AAC, but that's the only format that needs fiddling with.

Just a correction - the shuffle will not play Apple lossless or AIFF formats - audiophiles like these full-rez formats, but it's not very realistic on a 512MB device

What bugs me about this thing is the rechargeable battery. My father has a HD ipod and the battery died on him after 13months. he had to send it back to Apple and it cost him somewhere around $100 to replace along with the waiting time. I have read reports that this is the main complaint from ipod users is the battery. That was the main reason I bought the Zen mini over an ipod mini.

How long will the battery last on this shuffle before it has to be replaced? I mean for a $100 512mb flash drive you would probably be better off buying a new player than replacing the battery.

He could have gotten a generic battery for around $30-$40. I replaced my gen 1 ipod battery recently for $39 and get 20+ hours of use before it dies now, though it takes longer to charge it up.

I actually replaced my battery while sitting in the car on the way home from the airport, so it isn't very difficult.

My preference for ANY gadgetalia is AAA or AA batteries. Why so many go with unusual rechargeables I don't know. Certainly it's not cheaper or easier to engineer the product with funky batteries, is it?

I have a plentiful stash of rechargeable AAA, AA, and C's at home. (The C's are for kids toys mainly.) If the proprietary battery cranked out unbelievable playtimes per ounce of weight I could see it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I usually use my rechargeables, but the AA/AAA are also easy to replace on the road without having to mess with recharging.

My preference for ANY gadgetalia is AAA or AA batteries. Why so many go with unusual rechargeables I don't know. Certainly it's not cheaper or easier to engineer the product with funky batteries, is it?

I have a plentiful stash of rechargeable AAA, AA, and C's at home. (The C's are for kids toys mainly.) If the proprietary battery cranked out unbelievable playtimes per ounce of weight I could see it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I usually use my rechargeables, but the AA/AAA are also easy to replace on the road without having to mess with recharging.

AAA, AA batteries would make the device big. It's probably not cheaper or easier to engineer for funky batteries, but it may allow for a more compact or complex design.

I remember the same debate when the Palm V first came out with sealed LiON batteries. There were many who just didn't understand why anyone would want a slim, compact, metal PDA, when they could get a cheaper, plastic model which does exactly the same thing.

Some people struggle with the same battery issue when looking at digital cameras. While the cameras that use special batteries tend to be lighter and more compact, there are still some that look for models that use AA batteries.

If the proprietary battery cranked out unbelievable playtimes per ounce of weight I could see it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Some would argue that's exactly the case here: the entire device is .75 oz (less weight than 4 US quarters), and it has a 12 hour battery life.

It's smaller than a pack of gum. The size and weight is an asset for runners, commuters, anyone active, even people on the road who have enough gadgets weighing down their carryons.

Many will prefer it. Some won't. That's the way it goes.

Having a rechargable battery pack is the only way it's possible to make a device that can be charged through the USB port.

Some people struggle with the same battery issue when looking at digital cameras. While the cameras that use special batteries tend to be lighter and more compact, there are still some that look for models that use AA batteries.

I definitely always have at least one camera that uses AA's. Right now, it's my backup digicam. Since a camera is inherently a mobile device, I want to be able to walk in to any newsagent or drugstore in a strange city and grab batteries for it. However, my primary digital camera uses a proprietary battery - it's other features were more important to me than the battery.

As for the iPod Shuffle, I get swise's point - this particular device isn't made for a three-week international journey: it's made for the morning commute or the weekend long run. I will always be around my home computer when I'm using it, so tiny battery recharged via USB is probably OK in this case.

My first MP3 player (the aformentioned piece of junk) ran on 1 AA battery. The size/weight wasn't a problem for me - the thing still weighed less than all of the Powergel, water bottles, cell phone, etc. I bring on my runs - but the connection itself was not good. The battery would sometimes "unseat" itself in the player, which was a major pain. So that's another advantage that a proprietary battery has - it's probably better designed to fit snugly in the player and not lose contact with the device.

Anyway, there will eventually be affordable options of both types, which is good...

Convert your iPod into an iPod Shuffle in three easy steps!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhusson/3253841/

;)

To update my earlier post, it appears any info about iPod shuffle not always being suitable for audiobooks is erroneous. This info piece on Apple.com puts that idea to rest. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300558 It looks like audiobook files get their own special treatment on this and all iPods, complete with that nifty "bookmark" feature. And fast forward and rewind are indeed supported.

I came across this (http://erasing.org/i_ate_ipod_shuffle/) tonight and thought it was worth sharing. :)

corny but cute.

I receive mine tomorrow, btw. :) :)

I've had mine for about a week now, along with new Shure E3c's. I'm waiting to get home to listen to it with my reference ER-6's and HD-580's. Right now the combination is tipped towards the shrill, brittle sound that makes it hard to listen to at significant volumes. I'll narrow it down to the player or the 'phones this weekend.

I will say that the form factor/ergonomics of the iPod are fine, but those of the Shures are a p.i.t.a.

We're all getting ours today. I got mine this morning.

So far, it's a cute little player. Very intuitive, of course. One would expect that with 5 buttons and a switch. But the iTunes integration is also very intuitive. iTunes, in a sense, has to take up the slack and make up for the fact that the Shuffle doesn't have a display. It does this well. You can choose to have an iPod Shuffle playlist in iTunes whether it's connected or not, so that it's easy to maintain the Shuffle's playlist. Auto-fill works well. Regular USB took a while to load it, but it wasn't too bad.

One feature I wasn't aware of or maybe forgot until reading the user guide was that iTunes offers you the option of converting your songs to 128 kbps AAC when importing to the Shuffle, so you can fit more on it. The files in iTunes stay whatever format they were, but as iTunes imports, it squishes the songs before plopping them on there. If using it at the gym or somewhere where sound quality doesn't matter (gasp! sacrilidge! sound quality not matter?!?:D), this would be handy.

One thing we're all concerned with is losing the cap when using it with the lanyard. It would be nice if someone came up with a lanyard that had a plug to attach the original cap for storage while wearing the shuffle around your neck: [original cap]->[lanyard cap]->[Shuffle]

Anyway, it's a fun little toy. :)