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Shuffling Along
| 2.20.2005
Since the arrival of the iPod Shuffle, I've been carefully analyzing both its niche in the market place and its overlap in functionality to the traditional iPod. I fully understand its appeal as a lower price point, lower-tech, MP3 player. Somehow, I think there is more to the picture than just another more affordable portable music player. Will it eat into the profits of the traditional iPod? Wasn't the iPod mini suppose to be the lower cost, smaller sized brother (or sister) player? Is this strategic or just a shotgun approach to saturate the market with Apple Mp3 players? It feels similar to the Audi-VW relationship.
I already have an iPod (white 40gb) and am pretty happy with it. It's the second one I've owned and I consider it required gear for anyone in the creative industry. While I drive most days to work, it's indespensible on the MBTA (Boston Subway) for listening to music or pretending to listen to music while catching up on a great new read. I also use my iPod as a hard drive for backing up and transporting files. Given all these accolades, I still have some practical problems with my iPod. First, I barely consider it portable. It's pretty heavy (almost a pound) and too bulky to work out with. It's not bad if you have somewhere to place it while you're on an exercise machine but what if you're running outside or on your bike? Not only is it awkward but it also has the potential to skip as it's basically one big hard drive. Also, at the office, I listen to my iPod constantly. When I have to ask someone a question, I take out my headphone and walk over leaving the iPod at my desk. It's just ergonomically not the type of product you would intuitively carry around with you. Finally, there is the infamous battery life or lack of. Having that hard drive spinning all the time eats up the battery in about 1.5 hours at best. Far too soon if you're thinking about traveling with it.
So given the low price point and that fact that my son Rider loves to dance to headphone music, I decided to use my holiday gift card and pick up the iPod Shuffle. I know what you're all thinking..."Why did it take Scout so long to buy this!" or "He needs another electronic device like a whole in the head." Well you're probably all right but to justify it, I really needed something light weight to work out with and if it did prove a huge overlap with my current player, I could always give it to my kids to play with right before they destroy it.
I bought the 1GB version if the iPod shuffle, which holds 240 songs (measured at 4 minutes each, in the 128 Kbps AAC format). There is also a 512 MB version that holds 120 songs and is the same size and weight. It really is amazing that such a small device can hold so much music. While the size and weight of the iPod shuffle is pretty incredible, the sound quality is even more impressive. The output is crystal clear, and has a smooth frequency response from 20 to 20,000 Hz. The shuffle also includes a lanyard that attaches conveniently to the device so you can wear it around your neck. To me, this small detail along with it's small size is what makes the biggest difference between the usability of the iPod and the Shuffle. The former is an MP3 player that you take with you. The latter is an MP3 player that's part of you and what you do. It's analogous to having a built-in car phone and having a small clam shell phone that uses BlueTooth to communicate with an BlueTooth ear piece. It's about real portability and intuitive integration.
It can also be used to transfer other files from your computer, making it function just like a USB "keychain drive." The battery lasts up to 12 hours, but expect a few hours less if you like to crank you music really loud. The interface of the iPod shuffle is different than the other iPods mainly because, well, there is no screen. The front of the shuffle includes the familiar play/pause, previous and next, and volume up and down buttons. The volume can be controlled in surprisingly small increments, allowing for a very specific output level. On the back of the iPod, there is a flat switch that can be shifted to Off, Linear, or Shuffle. Linear mode allows you to play back songs in the order they were put on the device. This is great if you want to listen to an album with songs in the correct order or if you are listening to chapters in an audio book. Shuffle mode, of course, plays back the songs in random order. While the switch on the back is useful, it is hard to push back and forth since there is no grip on it. Fortunately, you don't have to move the switch very often, but when you do, you better not have sweaty hands.
Overall, the iPod shuffle is a well-designed music player with impressive sound. It certainly sounds better than the other flash-based music players I've tried. There is no equalizer on the shuffle, but please, it weighs less than an ounce. The headphone jack can be used to connect to any speaker system or to a tape adapter in the car, meaning you can play your shuffle's music just about anywhere. If you want a good quality, extra small music player that you won't even notice you're carrying, the iPod shuffle is the clear choice.
posted at 2:31 AM
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