Apple 1 GB iPod Shuffle MP3 Player $149.99 pre-order!

[metalmania]

Originally posted by: Bmott
I swear none of you are looking at all the advantages of this.

- Small (and i mean really small)
- Flash based (won't skip, faster seeking)
- No LCD (longer battery life)
- Hot Syncs with itunes (for creating easy 512mb or 1gb playlists)

I need an mp3 player to take snowboarding with me and for when i work out. I own a 4g 40gb ipod which is way too big for these activities and runs out of buffer 30 minutes into my run.

i recently purchased a 256mb mushkin flash drive / mp3 player, no software you just drag and drop songs onto it. i have had the hardest time choosing what songs to download and making sure i don't listen to the same thing too much. While it was only $40 with an lcd screen, it was a wast of money for me.

Where as with my 40GB ipod i have all my music on it at once, this is not possible with a flash based mp3 player. The mushkin mp3 player just didn't fit the bill. I would KILL for a small flash based mp3 player to sync with my i-tunes library.

Finally apple answered my wishes. The IPOD SHUFFLE. With itunes you can create smart playlists of a certain size (512MB or 1GB for Ex) of your currently most played tracks on your home computer or your top rated songs or a just a random chunk of your music collection.

The hassle of not have to hand select files will save me hours.

-Small. yeah, lots of mp3 players are that small.

-Flash based, no skip. ok, Micro HDD based mp3 players also don't skip at all!

-No LCD, longer battery life. Ok, other flash based mp3 player with LCD usually have over 12 hrs battery life. Even Micro HDD based Muvo2 (with LCD) has over 16 hrs battery life.

-itunes sync. To create playlist? do we have to use itunes to do that? come on, I have been using winamp for years and it's so easy to create playlist.

 

[aceO07]

Originally posted by: Bmott
I swear none of you are looking at all the advantages of this.

- Small (and i mean really small)
- Flash based (won't skip, faster seeking)
- No LCD (longer battery life)
- Hot Syncs with itunes (for creating easy 512mb or 1gb playlists)

I need an mp3 player to take snowboarding with me and for when i work out. I own a 4g 40gb ipod which is way too big for these activities and runs out of buffer 30 minutes into my run.

i recently purchased a 256mb mushkin flash drive / mp3 player, no software you just drag and drop songs onto it. i have had the hardest time choosing what songs to download and making sure i don't listen to the same thing too much. While it was only $40 with an lcd screen, it was a wast of money for me.

Where as with my 40GB ipod i have all my music on it at once, this is not possible with a flash based mp3 player. The mushkin mp3 player just didn't fit the bill. I would KILL for a small flash based mp3 player to sync with my i-tunes library.

Finally apple answered my wishes. The IPOD SHUFFLE. With itunes you can create smart playlists of a certain size (512MB or 1GB for Ex) of your currently most played tracks on your home computer or your top rated songs or a just a random chunk of your music collection.

The hassle of not have to hand select files will save me hours.

The other MP3 players aren't that big either. You're probably thinking of the big bulky drive based players.. I'm referring to the smaller/slimmer flash players.. Not as small as iPod shuffle, but not as big as you think either..

I think MOST sub 4GB mp3 players ARE flash based, and that was what I was talking about.

LCD does NOT take much power as you might think. Also, as others have pointed out, other mp3 players (flash based..etc) run longer than the iPod shuffle.

I haven't used iTunes, so no comment. I haven't use the iPod shuffle either, but I'm talking about listed features.

So if I add in iTunes.. the benefits of iPod shuffle are 1. smaller size, 2. iTunes (though there might be an alternative). Still this doesn't compare to the list I constructed for the other mp3 players.

 

[pxc]

Originally posted by: Bmott
I swear none of you are looking at all the advantages of this.

- Small (and i mean really small)

get a bigger purse that holds both your lipstick and an MP3 player.

 

[mchammer187]

Plug-and-Playlists

iPod shuffle makes syncing a piece of cake. Cupcake, even. Use the optional Dock to connect to your computer or
just plug iPod shuffle directly into a USB port on any computer(4).
Then drag and drop individual songs , Autofill your favorite playlists or
Autofill your iPod shuffle with a random sampling from your music library.
Since iPod shuffle automatically charges while syncing, it stays ready for your next adventure.


You do not need itunes people

learn to read

if you want to do a random sampling of music from your library yes
but otherwise you can use windows explorer to drag and drop songs in

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: mchammer187
Plug-and-Playlists

iPod shuffle makes syncing a piece of cake. Cupcake, even. Use the optional Dock to connect to your computer or
just plug iPod shuffle directly into a USB port on any computer(4).
Then drag and drop individual songs , Autofill your favorite playlists or
Autofill your iPod shuffle with a random sampling from your music library.
Since iPod shuffle automatically charges while syncing, it stays ready for your next adventure.


You do not need itunes people

learn to read

if you want to do a random sampling of music from your library yes
but otherwise you can use windows explorer to drag and drop songs in

Odd, I could have sworn I read somewhere's that you did need iTunes! I'm glad they didn't require it. The Shuffle is pretty good deal then, IMO.

 

[aceO07]

I don't have anything against the iPod Shuffle or the people who will buy it. I just won't be buying one. I think there are better alternatives that have more useful features. For me, the iPod shuffle = lack of features for more money.

 

[PCHPlayer]

No FM, no LCD, no armband or lanyard, no standard battery, no deal.
The least of the functions of the LCD is to display what song is playing. It is more important for showing the FM tuner, and performing all the configuration functions. My wife has a Creative TX FM and loves it.
On the other hand if all of the shortcomings of the Shuffle are not important to you, then the price/storage ratio is pretty good.

 

[vi edit]

- Small (and i mean really small)
- Flash based (won't skip, faster seeking)
- No LCD (longer battery life)
- Hot Syncs with itunes (for creating easy 512mb or 1gb playlists)

My MuVo TX w/ a backlit LCD gets an average of 23 hours of battery life per single AAA battery. It's small, really small, and is flash based and won't skip.

It does only have 256 megs though, which at the time I bought was the largest flash based one available under $150.

 

[konakona]

kudos for apple for finding a way to manufacture yet another overpriced product with a sterile look and barely adequte features. how do they manage achieving less battery life without LCD screen (and presumably worse sound quality to the point where it is definitely noticeable, judging by their track record) still remains a mystery.

 

[metalmania]

Originally posted by: VanillaH
kudos for apple for finding a way to manufacture yet another overpriced product with a sterile look and barely adequte features. how do they manage achieving less battery life without LCD screen (and presumably worse sound quality to the point where it is definitely noticeable, judging by their track record) still remains a mystery.

the truth is out there.

 

[Bmott]

Ok im comparing this to say,

Mushkin 512MB MP3 Player/Flash Drive/Voice Recorder

while it may be small, its definately bigger and a more awkward shape then the apple one.

Also HDD based flash drives do skip. ( ie the microdrive)... i know this because i have ran with a Muvo2 4gb and it skipped. i then took it out to replace it with a solid state 1gb card.

And no im not talking about itunes playlists, you can create a playlist in any program, but i have all my music stored in folders organize. So if you want a playlist of songs onto your mp3 player you have to hand select each song and drag and drop them onto your player. With itunes you don't have to do this, and its handy for those that already have everything managed in itunes with their ipod.

I can't thing of any other software that can create "smart" playlists that are certain size, and update automatically based on your listening both at home and on your mp3 player

However its also nice to have the fliexibily to drag and drop a new song or two onto your ipod shuffle if per say you were on something elses computer

I have owned almost 20 mp3 players in my life starting with my first D-link 32mb with a slot for a smart media card that i got off this forum for $40 @ BEst Buy woohoo. now 5 years later, i have owned/used pretty much all of the creative and apple mp3 playersand have tried many irivers and now this mushkin one, i think the apple is perfect for a second mp3 player / active mp3 player.

I don't think there is a huge market for people that would be using this as their main player, but for an active lifestyle i think its pefect.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: metalmania

Originally posted by: VanillaH
kudos for apple for finding a way to manufacture yet another overpriced product with a sterile look and barely adequte features. how do they manage achieving less battery life without LCD screen (and presumably worse sound quality to the point where it is definitely noticeable, judging by their track record) still remains a mystery.

the truth is out there.

really? less battery life then what? if your talking about players using aaa batteries or whatnot..thats because they are BIGGER!!! seems many are not understanding just how thin and small the thing is.

 

[konakona]

Also HDD based flash drives do skip. ( ie the microdrive)... i know this because i have ran with a Muvo2 4gb and it skipped. i then took it out to replace it with a solid state 1gb card.

granted, my iriver is flash based. but when i borrowed muvo, it did not skip while jogging with it, and others on this board can attest to it. could it be possibly the way you run? if there is too much lateral movement, chances are you arent jogging right. in case you use it for sprinting, you arent cocentrating enough on your excercise

really? less battery life then what? if your talking about players using aaa batteries or whatnot..thats because they are BIGGER!!! seems many are not understanding just how thin and small the thing is.

well, to each his own. i find my ireaver more than small enough for everything i do.. in fact i wouldnt mind if it was slightly bigger with added benefit of improved sound or some useful feature. if it were any smaller, i could lose it in my pocket; i want something fitting snugly that i could easily control with one hand.

 

[RaDragon]

That $10 off $100 is sweet. TY OP!

 

[MJGunn]

Does anyone know, can you only have 1 playlist on this, or can you have more than that?

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: MetalMat
Kind of overpriced for 1gb no?

iRiver iFP-799/899: $220+, ideal.
Muvo n200: $200, still not out in number, and only reads 1 directory deep, making it difficult to use (everything I listen to will be 2 folders deep).

$150 is CHEAP for a 1GB. That's the main reason it is an interesting product. If it were a comparable price, I'd look at it, think it looked like a bar of soap and no redeeming features, and move on. However, it's 2/3 the price of players with similar space.

I would never use the shuffle feature, but since 1GB won't hold more than 8 albums (assuming best-case scenario of old records, ~45min), not having a screen isn't a big deal...I never needed the screen on my MP3-CD player, and 1GB isn't much bigger.

I'd still like clarification as to whether or not it is a UMS device, as iTunes only works on two platforms, and Debian is tempting me next time I need to format.

 

[aceO07]

1GB(flash) sandisk audio player, with lcd (backlight), eq, shuffle modes, repeat modes, fm radio.. etc.. is only $140

 

[imported_TheGuy]

Originally posted by: MJGunn
Does anyone know, can you only have 1 playlist on this, or can you have more than that?

I was at MacWorld and asked that. There is NEVER a playlist on the Shuffle. You can make a playlist in iTunes and the songs are transferred in that order. The Shuffle will play the songs in the order they are transferred over when not in shuffle mode.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: aceO07
1GB(flash) sandisk audio player, with lcd (backlight), eq, shuffle modes, repeat modes, fm radio.. etc.. is only $140

If it has the same quality as previous Sandisk players, that doesn't look too good.

 

[aceO07]

Originally posted by: Cerb

Originally posted by: aceO07
1GB(flash) sandisk audio player, with lcd (backlight), eq, shuffle modes, repeat modes, fm radio.. etc.. is only $140

If it has the same quality as previous Sandisk players, that doesn't look too good.

What's wrong with it? I've tried it

 

[straubs]

Originally posted by: aceO07
There are things that are nice about the rest of the MP3 players currently out:
4. FM radio
5. Voice recording, FM recording

When people talk about MP3 players, someone ALWAYS mentions "Oh noes! It doesn't have an FM Radio!" When you have a freaking gig or 40 GIGS of your own, hand picked music, why the HELL would you want to listen to commericial-filled, cookie cutter modern radio?

And the ONLY answer that makes any sense is for the news and other talk radio. Well guess what, you can probably buy an FM radio for about $5 for those times you want to listen to talk radio.

I have never, I repeat, never seen someone use voice recording on their phone. And just about all cell phones can do that now.

I'm convinced some people just mentally rack up points for "feature count" no matter if they will use it or not.

 

[aceO07]

Originally posted by: straubs

Originally posted by: aceO07
There are things that are nice about the rest of the MP3 players currently out:
4. FM radio
5. Voice recording, FM recording

When people talk about MP3 players, someone ALWAYS mentions "Oh noes! It doesn't have an FM Radio!" When you have a freaking gig or 40 GIGS of your own, hand picked music, why the HELL would you want to listen to commericial-filled, cookie cutter modern radio?

And the ONLY answer that makes any sense is for the news and other talk radio. Well guess what, you can probably buy an FM radio for about $5 for those times you want to listen to talk radio.

I have never, I repeat, never seen someone use voice recording on their phone. And just about all cell phones can do that now.

I'm convinced some people just mentally rack up points for "feature count" no matter if they will use it or not.

I don't have 40GB of music. I like the radio to hear new crappy songs I haven't heard.. yes, news and talk is good too. Who wants to carry around an extra radio?

Some people actually like to record messages to themselves, as reminders. I know of at least 3 people who do. Either with voice recorder or leaving voicemails to self. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it's not used.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: aceO07

Originally posted by: Cerb

Originally posted by: aceO07
1GB(flash) sandisk audio player, with lcd (backlight), eq, shuffle modes, repeat modes, fm radio.. etc.. is only $140

If it has the same quality as previous Sandisk players, that doesn't look too good.

What's wrong with it? I've tried it

Like Rios, much complaining of breaking after a few months.

 

[weepul]

i believe the name iShuffle is the whole reasoning behind the no lcd.

//krunk (^_^x)

 

[MogyBear]

I will never buy an Apple jukebox until they support Ogg Vorbis and WMA (I know WMA sucks, but I already have a bunch of music in that format). Ogg Vorbis is by far the best, and about half my collection is in that format. I can understand that Apple wants to protect its AAC format, but I think they are neglecting a huge portion of the potential market by not offering Ogg Vorbis support.