Welcome to a life less orderly. As official soundtrack to the random revolution, the iPod Shuffle Songs setting takes you on a unique journey through your music collection — you never know what’s around the next tune. Meet your new ride. More roadster than Rolls, iPod shuffle rejects routine by serving up your favorite songs in a different order every time. Just plug iPod shuffle into your computer’s USB port, let iTunes Autofill it with up to 240 songs(2) and get a new experience with every connection. The trail you run every day looks different with an iPod shuffle. Daily gridlock feels less mundane when you don’t know what song will play next. iPod shuffle adds musical spontaneity to your life. Lose control. Love it.
Review by PC Magazine
Minimalism has always been a guiding principle at Apple, and the new iPod shuffle is an outstanding example. The slim white shell encases a 512MB or 1GB flash-based player, with nothing more than a four-way rocker ring and play/pause button on the front and a power switch and battery-check button on the back. You pull off one end of the 0.8-ounce player to expose the USB plug. The shuffle has no display to tell you what song you’re listening to, no playlists, and no EQ settings. Instead, you get a new version of iTunes that can randomly load the shuffle with songs; two positions on the power switch let you play them in order or randomly. The big idea here, such as it is, is that shuffle owners want to be continually surprised at which songs pop up from their music collections.
Review by The Gadgeteer
I know I shouldn’t really condemn the Shuffle for not having an LCD. It functions just fine as a basic player for those you that don’t need to know artists and song titles. It’s tiny. It will go with you anywhere and everywhere. Battery life is very good. Price isn’t too terribly bad… I mean we’re talking Apple here ya know. My opinion is that the Shuffle is great for runners, joggers, or anyone else that is really active. It’s not so good for someone in their car, or at the office because they might want to see the song info and there’s no where to see it on this little player.
Review by Macworld
To appreciate the iPod shuffle you must abandon some notions of what a music player must be. For example, if you demand that you be able to pick exactly the song you want to hear when you want to hear it, the iPod shuffle isn’t for you. Instead, the iPod shuffle is akin to a radio station that you’ve chosen because you appreciate the style of music it plays. You are the shuffle’s programmer and if you don’t care for what you hear, it’s because you haven’t programmed it properly. Unlike with other iPods, this means that you must put some thought into your playlists. Some people will find this burdensome and for those who do, Apple offers a load of other iPods that provide far greater freedom of musical choice. But I imagine that there are a lot of potential and current iPod owners who will appreciate the convenience of being able to easily throw a subset of their music collection on a $99 or $149 device that doesn’t skip, sounds good, and plays their favorite tunes with the press of a single button.
Review by Designtechnica Reviews
Apple’s iPod Shuffle is an audio player meant for anyone that wants a single purpose; to simply play music. If you are a serious audio enthusiast and want a player that has multiple roles, then we suggest that you look at offerings from iRiver and Samsung. A lot of people will most likely purchase the iPod Shuffle to complement a hard drive based audio player. You can use the iPod Shuffle in environments that are not suitable for the larger players such as working out.
Review by CNET
Minimal as can be, the Shuffle weighs less than an ounce, has no LCD, includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface, and comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities for the supercompetitive prices of $99 and $149, respectively. While other companies are packing their flash players with a boatload of features, Apple has created a device that stands on two concepts: affordability and simplicity. Turn it on, press play, and do the iPod Shuffle. However, it’s not the right MP3 player for everyone. And it’s certainly neither the first sub-$100 512MB nor LCD-less player we’ve seen.
Review by TrustedReviews
Ultimately if you’re in the market for a flash based player, what makes or breaks the deal on the shuffle is whether you feel you’ll miss having a screen or not. The absence of one will certainly put off anyone who wants to have control of their music, but by going down this path Apple has been able to offer a serious amount of storage for the price and as ever, the integration with iTunes gives it a step-up over other players. So while it may not appeal to a more demanding user, if you want a second player for the gym or something relatively inexpensive and easy to use for the kids, the iPod shuffle is a good choice. But control freaks need not apply.
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