iPod shuffle now "world's smallest MP3 player"
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Sep 12th 2006 12:58PM
posted Sep 12th 2006 12:58PM
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please somebody help me! i downloaded some songs in it but i can't play them, i don't know why. please help me. all songs are mp3 format.
woah thats nice... its something i wouldnt mind spendin $80
i don't know about a mp3 player you can actual swallow by accident.
looks great, but I think they took out one inportant key feature the integrated usb (that's the important part of portability)
I don't understand how this syncs/charges? Is there a usb port like the earlier generation or a dock? The pictures on the apple site don't show anything.
Yes, there is a dock to conncet the unit to computer for sync music and charging.
Yep, the stereo jack doubles as a USB port. Pretty clever -- but what can take the new iPod shuffle to a even a higher level of coolness? Ah yes, a completely waterproof -- yes, I said WATERPROOF 2nd gen iPod Shuffle. While other versions of the iPod have waterproof cases, I haven't heard of a waterproof case for the 2nd generation iPod Shuffle. However, the great news is that there is a WATERPROOF 2nd generation iPod Shuffle sold on the web by SWIMMAN at http://www.swimman.com. It's sold along with their excellent waterproof headset that has been rated on the web as being the best waterproof headset on the market. I have used it and now won't go in the water or do laps without it. The iPod shuffle is now light years ahead of everything else out there. It has become a true "go anywhere, do anything" digital audio player.
i wonder if i can play bejeled on it
@vector
it has a very small dock for charging
That is on heck of a price, for an attractive, yet SIMPLE player.
i am fascinated by this thing and can't stop looking at it.
if only i had $79 to burn - this would be much better than clipping my 3G iPod to my shorts while working out. ;)
@Vector,
From the pictures it looks like they have to dock through the headphone jack. That's the only hole in the thing.
So, besides being audio, the headphone socket can now do power and data. That's a sweet piece of engineering.
Great...will the battery die in less than a year, like the previous version of the Shuffle?
hmmm looks like they just sh0oved a 1 gig sandisk memcard in there. world's smallest my a$$! Atleast now you can wear it on your ballcap and keep the earbud tangles out of your way. I see a whole bunch of new clothing that will support these. Hell even I have designed the iCap.
"I don't understand how this syncs/charges?"
it uses the headphone jack for charging and syncing.
This thing has no screen therefore its worthless to me.
Jeff
Who cares if the battery dies? Hell, for $79 you can toss it out and take a new one out of the pack
I wish the clip part was removable
Well, theere is an mp3 player called Clip by Sansa with a removable clip. is costs as much as the iPod shuffle, and is about the same size, except it has 8gb and a screen. so i'd get the Sansa
the Mobiblu is still the world's smallest mp3 player.
http://www.mobibluamerica.com/dah1500.html
The only fault is that it still doesnt have a "HOLD" switch. The old shuffle controls would get accidentally pressed when in my jacket pocket when I was snowboarding, so I got a nano as that had a hold switch..
oh well.
B
it does, you hold down the play button for 3 seconds
I was about to say, that looks like a stale cracker someone spraypainted. MobiBLU still has the most attractive, smallest MP3 player.
no USB connection?
disapointing.
More importantly, did they keep the same amplifier circuitry as the previous model?
Its been well documented (http://www.machrone.net/mt/archives/2010/05/bass_performanc.html#more and http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1777890,00.asp) that the Shuffle has a superior amplifier, particularly noticeable in its bass reproduction. In fact, its the only reason I suffer a mere 1GB and no display.
My earphones are about twice the cost of the Shuffle, so its not about cheaping out.
Wow. This would work great as a money clip as well.
steve lied to the world!
THAT B@ST@RRSDFASTRLAUFFSDDDDDD
I HATE THE TRASH HE SELLS
why cant apple just make replaceable batteries for once? greedy b@AST@#R$ARDDDASFDSDDS
Mobiblu is larger. Volume-wise and weight-wise. Outside of that, it's smaller than the shuffle
the Mobiblu is 0.830584 cubic inches, and the Shuffle is 0.710694.
Is that inlcuding the size of the large clip on the back? ;)
My ideal device:
*FLAC support
*Ogg Vorbis support
*native drag-n-drop
*removable battery
*removable flash cards would be a very big plus - why even be limited to 1GB if you don't want? Why be limited to one device?
Of course this'll never happen, since:
1) embedded batteries (that die after 500 charges) and cannot easil be switched have somehow taken over
2) embedded flash that cannot be upgraded, replaced or used in other devices is 'cool'
3) bloated, impractical software dependence to transfer music is 'in'
I can dream, though.
All in all, good design for what it is (no doubt it will be emulated by many now). Though not practical enough for me. Clip was a nice touch.
I'm wondering how easy it is to snap on an USB connector as an accessory (the combo will probably still be smaller than the original Shuffle).
Just ordered mine. Its disposable at 79... so if i hate it.. chuck it.. but looks sexy. Have to give it that.
yeah i love to lose my new electronics.
akp: the new shuffle volumetrically speaking is smaller than the mobiBLU. The shuffle is .67 in^3 and the mobiBLU comes in at .83 in^3.
The shuffle must be inductively charge as well as data transferred. Not such a bad idea really, with where this is going a exposed dock or even mini-usb connector would get full of crud in an instant, not to mention take up valuable real estate inside the player.
i can't believe you guys think $79 is a fair price for a 1GB player. And this is soooo not the smallest mp3 player ever. I just got back from Japan and I think I might have a couple of them under my fingernails.
Anyway, it looks cool, but 1 GB won't even fit enough for a daytrip. On the upside though, it "looks" pretty scratch resistant, pretty attractive, and might fit on a keychain.
*yawn* it all a remake of the same old same old. Nanos with colours? Been there. Bigger storage space: expected. Games? Trivial. and the ipod shuffle is just the same thing that looks different and different is better. Until Steve ALLOWS us to have the video ipod obviously everyone wants, he's just playing with our wallets. I still haven't bought an iPod because I don't buy what isn't 1) what I want and 2) isn't what it could be. Touchscreens and bluetooth and four inch screens and lets-get-rid-of-all-the-gizmos-and-put-it-all-into-one-device-kind-of-thinking is thinking different and is techonologically possible. Sadly Steve is only catering to one consumer type, those under 25. Sure I want all the media stuff he is currently giving, but as a 30 year old, I also want and need some other stuff too, and small screens and no quickly Apple-smart integration with other aspects of my life just makes the iPod another thing to make me carry around. Sorry Steve, you're just reinventing what you've already done. That sounds to me like: Thinking Same.
I have a Samsung player that does everything this thing does and more. It's tiny, has a clip, has a screen, does FM radio, voice recording, charges and transfers through the headphone jack, plays mp3, ogg, and some other formats I'll never use. It's rounder too.
Hmm, it sure looks nice, but for $7 more, I can get a Creative Zen V 1GB that has a color screen with photo capability, voice and line-in recording, photo playback, and compatibility with subscription WMA tracks. Plus, Creative devices tend to have better sound quality than Apple's. The Shuffle 2.0 is only good if you absolutely NEED the smallest possible player. Is that worth everything that you lose?
That thing is hot. I think that I could scale sown my collection enough to get everything I want on there. I guess now I have something for my Christmas list this year.
Can't be sync'd to the car stereo...useless to me.
But it does mean the ebay prices on the old ones are going to go WAY down!! Whoo-Hoo!
Wow, the size of the thing is so tempting, just for use in the gym. However, I think that cell phones have already advanced enough to replace the 1 GB DAP market.
@tekdroid
Except from the part of flac/ogg support (i also dream about it :)) there is a mp3 player from Foston that is basically what you're thinking: Mp4 Foston FS 88 1GB - SD (http://www.snetcommerce1.com.br/ecommerce_site/index.php?pg=t1_ex_prod&codprd=43685&cd=ihibfa10DXijk&cat=gfmfcZ5;CVhhi&cdgc=njnfgf6;[Re&sid=nv02nv2o8pk8l9sla855r26el0-1158096601)
it's very nice and popular here in the so called "3rd world". it costs aprox. USD 140.
As a Gen-1 iPod Shuffle owner myself, I'd get one of these (http://www.sunconnection.jp/product/scmp001w/index.html) before I got another embedded memory, LCD-less mp3 player. Granted, one of the main reasons I love my Shuffle is so I can use it as a memory stick (USB connector on it) so this new version doesn't do anything for me. Since I have a PPC-6700, I use MiniSD cards like crazy for audio and video playback on my phone ('House, M.D.' Season 2, anyone?) :-p
The old Shuffle had superior hardware that bumped the sound quality significantly above the other, larger iPod lines. At least that was true when it was released, I don't know where things stand now.
I don't think personally that a 1GB music player needs a screen, especially if it's primarily for working out. If you listen to a lot of whole albums maybe, but for a 1GB or even 2GB mix, a hierarchical interface is not what I would choose for picking out a song. It would be almost as fast to keep skipping songs until it reached the one you wanted.
Also, it's obviously a lot safer to use when you're driving. There's no temptation at all to sit there and surf through some menus.
Finally, this is obviously something you could mount on headphones, for that 70s vibe.
@ Sean Shrum: I too have a PPC-6700, with a 2GB MiniSD card, bought in the hopes of consuming audio on this wicked little PPC phone.
Unfortunately, the 1G Shuffle has spoiled me with its amplifier.
Try it out with better headphones, back to back, with the phone ... the phone has a passable amp. Sound reproduction is recognizable but far from life-like. Its my only let-down with the PPC-6700, by the way. I'm not a hater. It rocks everywhere else.
The only other portable device I've used with a meaty amp has been two different ThinkPads. I'm the kind of portable audio nutter that has used an in-line amp, self-powered, between player and earphones.
The Shuffle is the first device that has freed me from that extra wad in my pocket (but I was happy to see you, honest.)
If only these gadget blogs actually had audiophiles at the helm, these reviews wouldn't be so superficially preoccupied with silly BS like size, colour, bundled software, etc.
Its about AUDIO, kids. What part of that is so hard to understand?
With a 1G Shuffle, and a pair of mid-level Shure earphones, I have the best audio experience next to my office-bound Klipsch, but on the go and nary detectable to observers.
Screw you all and your conspicuous consumption: expensive metallic mp3 player and absolutely disposable garbage earbuds -- but oh MY can people tell by looking that you've got an iPod.
Quality suffers when you bozos forget what its all about: audio.
Even if many of you can't hear too well, maybe you can read: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1777890,00.asp
(As always, a warning to fanboys: facts, figures and graphs may be threatning.)
@ me -- forgot to add: the only thing I really want out of my Shuffle is more storage.
1GB really gets tight when you're into lossless or 256kbps minimum encoding.
So for the new device to still only sport 1GB max memory, and potentially have a crappy capacitance amplifier like the rest of the line, I can't get too excited.
Sadly, newer products in the line could inherit the same wicked mini amp in the 1G Shuffle, but none of you features-dorks or self-style tech bloggers will notice.
Fortunately, an old crank like Bill Machrone (who actually appreciates the quality of his music gear and has the gear to measure it objectively) took the time ONCE to measure a few popular players on the market.
These tech blogs have about as much acumen for measuring sound quality as my dog. Actually, probably a lot less. They're just gifted with thumbs. Oooo -- SCORE!
@ me: ... and I'm not an Apple fanboy.
First thing I did was to install the Shuffle hack ... sweet little Python script to rebuild the internal database from whatever .mp3 files it finds on the device.
No more iTunes. A wicked little amp in a device that otherwise acts like a 1GB USB drive.
I only miss a display the few times I am not enjoying the MUSIC while I do something else.
If I need to masturbate to a GUI, I'll fire up Vista or OSX.
I don't know about you, but I need to engage my EYES just about never when it comes to what I am listening to.
Do any of you know your cornhole from your elbows?
I've got a sony mp3 player that also plays ogg, vog, smog and grog.
it records voice and animal noises at the zoo.
it has built in am, fm and pm.
it looks smaller than this but is actually BIGGER so I wont lose it or swallow it.
it connects to my peecee via USB1 so it will work on even old peecees.
it doesn't use iTunes cos iTunes sux big times.
I can drag and drop cos thats much easier than that auto iTunes sync crap and I never could get what sync is supposed to do.
it has a 1cm screen and can play back Microsoft's WMV OPEN standard.
it has 3.7% better sound quality tested and analysed by a famous HiFi magazine using a spectroscope, a stethoscope and a periscope.
Oh yeah an its NOT Apple cos Apple sux an they just want yor money.
A happy sony user
http://www.waddo.net/
I've got a sony mp3 player that also plays ogg, vog, smog and grog.
it records voice and animal noises at the zoo.
it has built in am, fm and pm.
it looks smaller than this but is actually BIGGER so I wont lose it or swallow it.
it connects to my peecee via USB1 so it will work on even old peecees.
it doesn't use iTunes cos iTunes sux big times.
I can drag and drop cos thats much easier than that auto iTunes sync crap and I never could get what sync is supposed to do.
it has a 1cm screen and can play back Microsoft's WMV OPEN standard.
it has 3.7% better sound quality tested and analysed by a famous HiFi magazine using a spectroscope, a stethoscope and a periscope.
Oh yeah an its NOT Apple cos Apple sux an they just want yor money.
A happy sony user
http://www.waddo.net/
Really great mp3 player, I think it will become more popular now.
that one SNL skit is coming true
iPod invsi here we come!!
Kinda humorous no improvements other than design. Still a good little player, its disposible at the price and now it will be more durable. Great for kids who just arent ready for a screen and batteries.
Now i wonder if i can break my old half gig and get a new one.
So far so good. I just love apple for it stlylist design on its gadgets. Just like windows, keep changing the face but the product is still the same.
No, the mobiblu is "bigger" in all ways (not just volume & mass)... there is a 2GB version available. It's volume is 0.12" (cubic inches) bigger, and it's mass is 0.8oz more. In exchange you get twice as much space, though. Plus a display (very useful, though small), a "hold" switch, a slightly more convenient cable setup (through the audio jack), radio (which is great when your 2GB of high-bitrate mp3's run out). And you lose out on... oh, right... FREE LASER ENGRAVING!!
And, well, an hour or two on your battery, but it's easy to charge up via USB (I do this from public kiosks, or my favorite trick... some of those big plasma screens at the airport have USB ports! just grab a newspaper and sit on the floor while your mobiblu charging, hanging from the screen like some wierd decoration...)
If you want to save that volume and mass, get a haircut and clip your fingernails. Oh, and don't forget to load up half as much music as the person sitting next to you with their mobiblu (yeah, that chick with the spiffy haircut)
The hand holding up the iPod has absolutely no hair. It upsets me that male models would even shave their hands.
Damn, there are some haters here!
Some of you don't understand what Apple is about. They aren't about cramming every single conceivable feature into a device so that some hater can't say it doesn't have an FM tuner, or voice recorder, or whatever other feature that most people would never use.
These less-likely-to-be-used features only bring clutter to what is supposed to be an elegant, simple and pure design. And yes, design is important to Apple and to apparently 60+ million iPod owners.
If design isn't important to you or you just need to be able to say that you have the swiss army knife of mp3 players (you know, something that does everything, but nothing well), then there are plenty of choices on the market for you that don't come from Apple. Buy those and stop hating. How does Apple's iPod keep you from buying a unit from Creative or any other company? It doesn't.
Small is beautiful. there is a featured comparison graphic at http://www.sizeasy.com/page/featured. Yes it really is smaller than a box of matches
guys (?)
this is hot for a measly $79 bucks, want more features ie: screen, more storage, "audiophile" sound quality (in any mp3 player? pahleeese) Look elsewhere, spend more and get over yourselves
My wife's had her 512Mb Shuffle for 16 months and it's never had a battery problem! This one looks sweet!
I love my current 1 GB iPod shuffle. I'm listening to it right now. :-)
When I saw the new one yesterday, I put in an order immediately. October can't come soon enough.
""The only fault is that it still doesnt have a "HOLD" switch. The old shuffle controls would get accidentally pressed when in my jacket pocket when I was snowboarding, so I got a nano as that had a hold switch..
oh well. ""
the old shuffle, and i suppose the new one also, has a "hold" option that can be turned on/off by pressing the play button for 3 seconds
hey what happens to you guys? ipod is the best of the best...the new Shuffle in only one world (design) and thats it. $79.00 wowwwww. perfect. i can't wait
I've noticed the Shuffle is the one more criticized and blamed of the new iPods.
To my knowledge, this is the exact simptom that this tiny thing will blow away every competitor in the market, and even richer iPods.
When Apple goes the right way, flamers always cames along in mass. Many enemies, more friends, they say.
Ipod Shuffle is 1.62 inches wide and can only play music, if it works like my 512 shuffle, it probably is good for 3 months (maybe)
the Mobiblu is is 0.94" on all sides isn't slim on features, sporting a 1" OLED screen, 2GB NAND, FM tuner and voice recorder.
Um... let's see, which device is more impressive??
Would be great if Apple could make a universal product that actually has the features people want.
the Mobiblu is 0.830584 cubic inches, and the Shuffle is 0.710694.
"When Apple goes the right way, flamers always cames along in mass. Many enemies, more friends, they say."
Is this why less than 5% of the world bothers to use their computers?
More first gen crap from apple that won't work. Yippee!
@FogDooD
"Its about AUDIO, kids. What part of that is so hard to understand?"
Haha! This is funny because of what you say next.
"With a 1G Shuffle, and a pair of mid-level Shure earphones, I have the best audio experience next to my office-bound Klipsch, but on the go and nary detectable to observers."
OK, since when did Shuffle's start playing WAV or FLAC or SHN? Surely if you're claiming to be an audio snob your not really listening to compressed media right?
"Screw you all and your conspicuous consumption: expensive metallic mp3 player and absolutely disposable garbage earbuds -- but oh MY can people tell by looking that you've got an iPod."
OK, I like the spirit of what your saying, because, well, iPod's are boring and lame, but what does this have to do with it being "about the audio"?
"Quality suffers when you bozos forget what its all about: audio."
Then why aren't you posting about what players will support lossless formats?
OH yeah, all the people who are saying "it's disposable at this price" are absolute morons. Really? 80 Bucks is disposable? 80 bucks for a 1GB is really that cheap you can consider it disposable?
eh?
I know for a fact that there is a tiny 1GB mp3 player by some Japanese tech company. It's like 1cm cubed I think.
Yes, but i like a display on my MP3 for less money than the ipod.
check this out for $60.
http://stores.superduperdvd.com/Categories.bok?category=MP3+players
Yeah, right. We're supposed to be able to read a screen this small??!!
The Shuffle does what it does very well. If you don't like it, but something else. No one is forcing anyone to buy it. It's called a free market. Just don't start calling other people name because of their choice. Next you might be seeing a little Calvin character peeing on an iPod. Oh grow up, people!
peeps..it is really a COOL iPod..u know cauze i already have it..very cute...less weight..nice volomn...really cool iPod shuffle..
blackberry pearl BIATCH!
I don't own any version of the iPod. The ones I've seen have screens so that you can see the names of songs while you're scrolling. If the new $79 Shuffle has no screen, wouldn't it be a big pain to find a song, even if the device holds only a mere 240 songs? I don't get it at all. I think I would want at least a iPod Nano, which has a screen, even if I only *50* songs on it? Hey, the Shuffle looks rellly cool, certainly. But would someone explain why the Shuffle is so cool--other than the very small size?
please help. if mp3 shuffle becomes unresponsive to usb, is there a way to fix it? maybe reboot?
I just received one of these as an unexpected gift. I did not open it or try it as I suspected it would not be useful. Based on reading many reviews and the technical specifications, I have decided to return it. My phone is a better option.
It is always with me, so I have one device instead of two.
It has a screen so I can select the track that I want.
I can couple the phone to the car stereo. I could not do this with the Shuffle.
I can charge the phone from the car cradle or household curent--do not need a computer. And, I have two batteries for the phone
I can easily change the flash memory card in the phone
Am I missing something?