Reviews for Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation 1GB Flash MP3 Player

Tiny and sleek

Strengths: Sleek aluminum body, tiny size

Weakness: No screen, so small - easy to lose or misplace, cant use as a USB memory card, unlike the last gen

Tiny little thing this is! One has to be careful that they don't sit on it - because if that clip in the back is bent, it wont sit in the dock - and the dock is the only way to connect to the computer to download songs. Overall, it is an improvement over the previous version in terms of size and feel, but the tiny size introduces its own set of problems. No screen, so importing songs could be a hassle. Fortunately the iTunes software is pretty good in terms of managing songs on the iPod, so its not that bad.

Overall - nice secondary iPod, good for exercising and outdoors activity, but would I not use it as my primary mp3 payer.

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Perfect companion

Strengths: Size, ease of use, no hassle charging, price

Weakness: Can lose it if you are not careful ! Earphones can be improved

I have used a lot of other mp3 players. 2nd generation ipod shuffle is the best for my use. I don't need a display nor a video screen, but like to listen to my favorite music when I commute to work. These days, I have also started to put on my ipod while at work. I never wanted a player which needed a battery. It is a hassle to replace batteries or charge them separately. Size of 1gb is ideal as I can listen to almost the entire playlist without break. When it is time to recharge, it is also time to change the songs! So it works perfectly - syncing the ipod and charging it - simultaneously.

This is a great product and a must buy for music lovers who intend only to listen to their favorite music

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Great compact iPod!

Strengths: So, so, so, so small!!; Easy iPod interface; includes dock; no need to buy accessories (armband, lanyard)

Weakness: Old headphones; compatibility problems with USB storage devices; expensive ($'s/MB)

I have been an iPod fan for years. While I don't think they provide great value for the dollar (competitors usually provide more features, and cost less), they are usually the best designs and are the easiest to use. I have had the first generation iPod shuffle since it first came out, and use it while I am jogging. It's perfect for this, as I don't need to mess with a screen. I select the songs ahead of time, then hit go! Only thing I have to do is make sure that it's fully charged, as it doesn't last all that long between charges. I used the iPod armband, which worked fine, but the cord would get tangled around my arm or neck at times, since the arm that had the armband would swing so much. In the meantime, Apple came out with the nano, which also uses an armband. The nano is so small, that I thought of picking one up for jogging (actually, I picked one up anyways, but not for running!), as I'd still be able to use an armband. However, I'm glad I waited, as this new Second Generation shuffle is just what I was wanting! No accessories are required, which saves me some money. I just clip it onto my shorts, and I'm off to the races! It's more convenient than the armband solution as it doesn't swing, and I can hit track-skip relatively easy.

My only knock is that I had compatibility on multiple computers when other USB hard drives were attached. I had to rename drive names to prevent conflicts. I had similar problems on the original shuffle, so evidently Apple has not worked out all of these compatibility issues.

Oh, sorry, one more knock! ;-) They included the old headphones, not the new ones that came out with the 5.5G video iPods or 2G nanos. Guess they are trying to clear out old stock...

Be sure and use the iTunes smart playlists to load it up! They work great!

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very cool product if you don't mind not having screen

Strengths: small size with clip, great built quailty, easy to install software

Weakness: $80 for 1G is not cheap. no direct USB connection. (have to use USB dock) long charging time.

bought this last Friday at Apple store. Not many people are interested in Shuffle. I like it because it's size. It is so tiny!!! weights like a few grams. the first time battery charging was 10+ hours.

Again, because it doesn't have a screen, you cannot browse what song to play. It's either continuous or shuffled, which I don't mind at all.

The only drawback is that you need a USB dock (comes in the box) to connect to a computer and/or charge the battery. This means you cannot use it as a flash memory unless you bring the dock with you. (no big deal, but the old 1st-gen shuffle can) but hell, it's smaller.

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By member: bluescreen - Nov 27, 2006

A very cool product

Strengths: Um, did I mention it's tiny?

Weakness: Old earbuds. Which suck.

Bought this as a jogging companion for my wife. It really boggles the mind to see how tiny it is. The lack of screen has been one of the minor points of contention surrounding this product, and yet this is ideal for a sports device. In addition, the lack of a screen results in a great battery life - around 11 or 12 hours. It seems that Apple is finally learning that it cannot charge 2-3 times the market value for a product simply because it has the Apple logo slapped on it. At $79, this is a great little device. Just make sure to pony-up some extra dough for a real pair of headphones. The earbuds are last-gen, and start to hurt after a couple of hrs.

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First MP3 Player I Will Keep For Long Time

Strengths: 1. Portability/size 2. Clip

Weakness: 1. Takes long time to charge the battery 2. No screen 3. Hard to navigate. You cannot jump from one CD to another. 4. Included ear buds are too big

This MP3 player is amazingly small. You can listen to songs while you commute, exercise, and etc. I really like the clip feature. For other compact MP3 players, you will have to purchase a special arm band to put it on for exercise. For this MP3 player, you just find a place to clip, and it stays there nicely during an exercise. Sound is reasonable. As long as you well manage a list of songs in the iTune, you won't be annoyed while navigating songs. This MP3 player is for someone who needs a very basic feature and portability. Battery life is reasonable, lasting 12 hours.

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Compact MP3, excellent product

Strengths: compact size, alluminum shell

Weakness: none

The new ipod shuffle is really small, 1.5 inches long and 1 inch wide. Compared with nano, it is a little thick, but that is because of the clip. Based on its size, 1GB capacity and 12hr battery life are not bad. The sound quality is as good as (or as bad as ^-^) regular ipod, but how much can you expect from such a portable device? Finally, I agree it is pricy, however, the design and the construction are worth that much.

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Fantastic convenience

Strengths: Style; size; weight

Weakness: fragile; can't choose order of songa.

This is a great successor to the original iPod shuffle. It's much more style, attractive, and practical. The clip-on mechanism works well to attach the device in many convenient places. 1GB of Flash is not a huge amount of memory these days, but it more than suffices given the convenience factor. I considered getting an iPod nano, but decided to go with the shuffle simply for the form factor. The built-in clip removes the need to buy a separate holder/arm-band/etc. to carry the unit around.

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it's so small!!! does work well, with a few...

Strengths: * size * construction * ease of use * earbuds

Weakness: * limited included charging options * need for dock limits portability/utility

The first thing I thought when I unpacked the shuffle is that it's so cute. It has it's own little dock that's actually quite a marvel - as it uses the headphone jack as a charging interface as well. I was surprised to find that it shipped with the new earbuds - I know originally they shipped with the old ones. The sound to my untrained ears was pretty good, especially with the new earbuds. It clip works quite well, though you want to be careful if you clip it on a jacket with a metal zipper as it may scratch the inner side of the shuffle.

Now, the shortcomings. I had a heck of a time trying to get it to charge with the computer off. I tried plugging it into a powered usb hub with no luck. The only way I could find to charge it was to plug it into the usb dock with the computer on, then turn the computer off. For some reason, if you just plug it in without turning the computer on, it will not charge. That is very frustrating as I don't want to have the computer running in order to charge this little shuffle. The other alternative is to buy a $30 usb ac adapter from apple (though you can probably get a similar one for much cheaper from a 3rd party). That seems kind of lame that you'd have to shell out more money just to charge your shuffle without the computer being on though. The other issue I have is that you have to bring the dock in order to sync it or use it as a usb flash drive. This is not as big of a gripe as I realized they had to sacrifice some utility to get it to be so small.

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Best $ value

Strengths: Sound quality, well developed full package, style, durability, great company in back

Weakness: Like to see a 2 gig model, but this one is just fine the way it is

I am in high end audio so I listen for sound quality to some extent. Apple's compression vs MP3 is not the same. Apple produces a better sound at a lower bit rate. Of course I would rather keep my music in lossless form, but for portability and sound quality for what it is, the iPod line is the best. This model is great. Just don't let leave it on your jeans when they get thrown into the wash.

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Great small MP3 player for running

Strengths: So small!

I've had a full-size iPod for a while, but I really wanted something for running. The size of the 2nd-gen Shuffle is just fantastic. The span of the built-in clip is perfect to go over the rear adjustment strap of my running hat(s), and it's basically weightless.

Given my usage, the lack of a screen is a non-issue. The tradeoff is right for me in order to make the player smaller and lighter.

Using the Shuffle with iTunes is very easy. With one button, you can just randomly fill the Shuffle with 1GB worth of songs from a playlist (I have one called "Exercise Music"). Or you can also push some more linear content, like podcasts or an audiobook. Basically, I find myself frequently changing out all the content on the Shuffle via iTunes.

If you're not one of those people that gets all up in arms about iPods being more $/MB, or wigs out about iTunes and Apple's business model, this is fantastic choice. I love it!

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i pod shuffle

Strengths: Small, great built in clip, does not skip,price

Weakness: Only holds 250 songs

This is a great little MP3 player. At under $100.00 you can't go wrong! Holds two hundred and fifty songs. It is so small, about the size of two money clips. Attaches to waist band, shirt or whatever you see fit with a built on clip. Does not skip so its great for working out. I would recommend this for any active individual!

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1st iPod I got

Strengths: compact size, light weight, great for gym

Weakness: no detail manual come w/ package, confusing blinking orange light

I bought this as a gift for my daughter, since the MP3 she had is too big and inconvenient for jogging. When I first got the package, I have no idea what to do. I wanted to download some songs and had it fully charged, so when I gave it to her, it's ready to go. I tried to drag and drop some songs to it and ended up with a on-going orange blinking light, cannot listen to any music. I was frustrated and remembered reading some comments about hard to drag and drop songs. Finally I got to Apple site, download iTunes and the detail manual. Now it's ready to go and it's actually pretty easy to manage. As long as you have the software to go with it.

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Reply by member: bluescreen
Jan 17, 2007

Good point about the manual being a bit cryptic. I think Apple assumes prior knowledge of the iTunes interface. Glad you found something more detailed on their site.

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Great for Working Out

Strengths: Small, compact, clip is strong and will hold up to running.

Weakness: Long charge time. Expensive for only 1GB.

I love this cute little Ipod. I love the fact that it clips. It's great for the gym where I don't want to bring my 60GB. The only drawback I've seen is that even though I have about 90 songs on it, the Ipod only shuffles through about 20 songs. I keep hearing the same songs over and over again. Even though it was a bit pricey, I do love this little piece of machinery!

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Great iPod

Strengths: Affordable and small, great for your pockets

Weakness: Lesser battery time

This is a great shuffle and looks cool on your body, the audio quality is great and it fits any pocket easily. The only down side is lesser battery time but considering the size of this thing, its pretty good.

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Reply by member: bluescreen
Nov 27, 2006

Lesser battery life? This thing goes for over 11 hours on a single charge! I only get about 4, maybe 5 hours from my 3rd generation iPod.

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OH...my.... notthing to complain about....

Strengths: Small, but it works. How did they make this thing!

Weakness: It cannot play wma file.

It cannot play wma file. Apple is not very generous. You have to convert it to ACC format (.m4a), and itune will do this for you right at the beginning. If not, you have to import (convert) one-by-one. Same file after conversion in .m4a if about 6 times as large as .wma. That is bad!

I am really not an ipod fan. Hate them because so many people use it. Now, I have to buy it for my mom since she requested it.

I have tried it before giving it to her. Man! It was great. itune 7.0 works great with this. I like to Autofill function that fill up you ipod with your prefered kinds of music. Sound quality is not so great, but it is acceptable. No equalizer or anything at all.

Nothing to complain about although I probably not gonna buy it myself since so many people use it, and I do not want to be like everybody else.

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warranty is terrible

Strengths: Small

Weakness: It's an Apple

BEWARE.....Apple does NOT honor the warranty on their products. Before you buy anything Apple think about if you accidently drop the item,will it survive? These are supposed to be made portable,instead the slightest bump will disable the unit and Apple will not honor the warranty.
Throw your money down the drain if you buy anything Apple.

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So far so good

Strengths: size, durability, delivers

Weakness: no screen

Apple ipod is nothing less than what you'd expect from this company - an excellent device that delivers what it promises and makes you wonder how in such a small package.

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Ipod shuffle

Strengths: Small

Weakness: Everything else

The thing just stops even though it is fully charged. The "Genius" at the apple store sent it out for repair. A month later I got it back. Two weeks later same problem, it just stops for no apparent reason. Worst player I've ever owned. Can't even be bothered taking it back for repair.

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I like it

Strengths: Small, but carries alot of information. Good battery time.

Weakness: The headphone cord it came with is too short.

What a great product, I bought one for me, one for my wife, and 2 for an office giveaway. I use it to run, and the low weight of the product does not weigh me down when I am on my road bike.

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must use itunes to load songs

Strengths: Long Battery Life, Compact, Easy to Use

Weakness: Can only charge battery from computer usb port, Must use itunes to copy songs to ipod

I have had several mp3 players in the past. I decided to get this ipod for my wife as she had requested it for Christmas. All the other mp3 players in the past acted like a removable storage device and I could copy directly from HD to the player using windows explorer. At first I tried doing as I had done in the past (copy and paste) but the ipod did not recognize that there were any songs loaded. Then using itunes, I had to manually import each song (would not let me do multiple songs)and THEN I could load the songs to the ipod. Because of this reason, I will NEVER purchase an apple product again.

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Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation 1GB Flash MP3...

Strengths: clip on no weight

Weakness: due to size screen not possible

ideal for workout, easy to use exactly what I wanted.Changing often the playlist to overcome the limited possibility of choosing songs with out screen. The sound quality and battery life is good.

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size matters

Strengths: excellent mp3 for biking, walking. no bells or whistles, just music-12 hrs worth.

Weakness: earbuds are uncomfortable.

this mp3 is perfect for most outdoor activities. I was looking for a player that was easy to use and this fits the bill. no extras, just music you download. DOWNLOAD ITUNES. invest in a charger. it powers up faster and costs 15.00 at Walmart. The next mp3 player i buy will be the shuffle with more room.

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one word: wow

Strengths: no lanyards needed. so small. great for exercising, running, walking, etc. especially coming from the armband walkman days......wow. great mp3 player. got it as a gift.

Weakness: be careful where you clip it on. you can forget and lean on it (on your desk, etc.)

The new shuffle is pretty good for the price. I got mine as a gift and cannot thank my wife enough. Now I don't have to have a radio strapped to my arm when I run. This tiny shuffle just clips and you go! Wow is the only word I have for it. I hope that others find it as fun as I have.

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