Apple iPod shuffle 4 GB Silver (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $85.98 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $35.00 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod shuffle 4 GB Silver (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Teen appealing
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this ipod shuffle for my sixteen year old daughter. She really likes it. However, I think that I may have been better off saving up for a ipod nano. This ipod only came in black and silver. My daughter would have preferred a different color. Overall the quality is good but for $60 more you can get a ipod nano with a lot more features.Customer Review: iPod review
Summary: 4 Stars
Great product - I wish that it was clearer that the remote controls are on the headphones... I'm not a fan of the Apple headphones, but I don't have a choice in the matter at the moment.Customer Review: More "work-out" friendly, good as a 2nd player, not so happy about the proprietary headphones.
Summary: 3 Stars
You'll like the new shuffle if you're buying it expressly for your active workout sessions. For other occasions you would be better off with a player with a screen.
I loved the concept of the 1st gen shuffle and bought it right way. It was an MP3 player for an active lifestyle and made the iPod accessible to those who did not want to break the bank. Then they upped the game by creating an even tinier version with the 2nd gen shuffle. I thought that the clip was the best addition to the 2nd gen as I always had problems with the 1st gen falling out of my pocket.
Now that we have many, many lower price MP3 players in the market, the 2nd Gen shuffle was primarily used by me and many others (I would think) while on the move or exercising. So Apple has redesigned this 3rd gen shuffle to be friendlier for the active workout. Was this redesign really, really needed? Maybe not, or maybe even yes....depends on how you use it.
I have a couple of cheap 2 GB Sansas, an 8 GB Transcend, a 30 GB Zune and an 8GB iPhone - all with screens and many more features. Call me lazy, but now the MP3 players are so cheap, I almost use them like my CD folder I used to have to lug around. So I have classical music on one of them, "car music" on one I use in the car through the FM feature etc. etc.
So why would I buy the new shuffle? It's not just because I gave away my 2nd gen shuffle to a friend, but really because this player is more workout friendly - even more than the 2nd Gen Shuffle.
How is the new shuffle more work-out friendly for me?
- Larger capacity - from 2 GB to 4 GB means it holds many more songs to suit my mood. Having so many players (and most people probably have more than one) I don't really want to update them everyday, 4GB lets me put more workout friendly songs I want on there and update once in a while.
- No buttons on the player - At first I thought it was crazy (and it is a drawback if you want different headphones) but actually, this is what I really wanted. I used to keep clipping the 2nd gen shuffle on in different places and because the position of the buttons would change I would keep hitting the wrong buttons when not looking at the device, which was most often the case. Now Apple took away that problem by putting the controls on the headset. It creates an added problem of not being able to switch headsets but it allows me to put the shuffle out of the way and not have to look down at the buttons which is great if you're on the move.
The Controls? The tapping system of the controls on the headset is pretty intuitive actually once you get it. The left and right sides are for volume up and down and the middle toggle button is for all other navigation. I like it more than the clumsy "on player" navigation system of some of my devices. Tapping the headphone controls comes much more naturally if you're on the treadmill or on a trail - and a voice tells you the playlist. You need not look down and fumble with the player.
The power on/off and shuffle button is the same as before.
- Voice Over - This is a nice feature. My biggest problem with the first gen and 2nd gen shuffle was lack of navigational tools. The V/O helps navigate better although your playlist still has to be organized and you still have to know it.
- The Sound - I thought the 1st gen shuffle sounded better than the 2nd gen and now the 3rd gen seems to sound better than 2nd gen too.
- The Clip - This has always been a great feature and I am glad Apple retained it.
- Lighter and Smaller - I don't really care about this one, the earlier shuffle was small enough for me, but I do like the elongated design more than the square as the clip is longer.
Now for the bad -
- Not good as your only player - The new shuffle is designed for specific usage and in my opinion not a great choice as your only MP3 player. In this price range, you can find some much better players with screens, FM radio, Voice Recorders, even gaming capabilities.
- Controls on the headphone - The Apple headphones while not bad, are not the greatest. This means I have to now buy another specially designed accessory for this player. The Apple headphones keep falling out of my ears. This is why I lower this rating to 3 stars. While Apple solved some problems of 2nd Gen, I don't like having to spend more just to use this player effectively. But some companies are already building "adapters" which will allow you to circumvent using the Apple phone. Still, I hate having to shell out money for an "adapter" especially as I thought not having too many buttons was a good thing!
- Organized Playlists - The V/O feature on shuffle announces your playlists and allows you to go to a specific playlist, but it is still hard to jump to a specific song very quickly like on a device with a screen. You need to have organized playlists. It is slightly harder when you're dealing with international or offbeat Music. There is a little bit of GIGO (garbage in garbage out) going on here. I have an older collection of 4000+ songs that I imported into iTunes and a lot of the genre, artist, year etc. info is missing. To use the V/O feature more effectively, I need to have more organized playlists. I still haven't gotten around to putting my songs in playlists, maybe one fine day...
- Headphones - Apple headphones are ok as they come in terms of sound quality, much better than some others you get with devices in this price range. However, some other reviewers have said that their headphones started malfunctioning when exposed to sweat/moist climate. This was not a problem with on player controls but with headphone controls it is certain that they will be exposed more to the elements. I haven't put my headphones to the test but would hate to have them malfunction with the first raindrop! Also, it will take some learning before I know where the buttons are on the headphone and can tap them intuitively. Right now I keep fumbling to find them.
Overall, this new shuffle is still sleek, and if you like Apple headphones a nice player for your work-out/active usage.
Customer Review: Only Apple In Ear Headphones can be used. And what happens when your Headphones break? The iPod Shuffle is dead!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
Just came back from the Apple Store where i was about to buy the latest iPod Shuffle, i am one of those geeks who will buy ANYTHING as long as it has an Apple logo on it and i will buy the first day it's available for sale, one of the reasons is because i LOVE Apple gadgets, i own a Mac, Apple TV, Time Capsule and bought 5 iPods including 2 of the new generation iPod Touch and i love them!!!
I own a iPod Touch, Video and Nano, then i bought my Wife an iPod Touch and my Mom a iPod Nano.
iPod Touch is like a Laptop but much smaller and cheaper, it's an awesome piece of technology, having all those Apps is just the icing on the cake.
So...there i am in the Apple store checking out the new iPod Shuffle, they had one open and i am glad they did because i am looking at it and i do not see any buttons, just the switch to turn it on and shuffle, so i asked one of the associates who then told me that the controls are on the Apple headphones itself, so i say....
"Are you telling me that the Apple Headphones is my ONLY choice"
and the associates said yes.
So for the first time in more then 5 years i ended up not buying a new Apple product, here is why i didn't:
No buttons:
Once again, there are NO BUTTONS on this iPod Shuffle, you need to have Apple's Headphones in order to control the iPod Shuffle.
No Apple Headphones, no Music.
Apple Headphones:
Apple Headphones are among the worst headphones available on the market today, not only the sound quality is horrible but they can also easily be blown out.
Don't take my word for it, look at all of the reviews here on Amazon and other online retailers.
And guess what happens when your Apple Headphones break, yeap...you'll have to shell out $30 for another pair.
The worst part is that some people don't like in ear headphones, i myself prefer the clip on headphones since the in ear headphones fall out of my ears.
Do you like those DJ style over the ear headphones or maybe behind the neck ones?
Nope, can't have those either, you better start liking Apple's in ear headphones.
Controls:
Controlling the playback of the iPod Shuffle can be very frustrating, here's an example:
Fast Forward: Double click and hold the center button.
Rewind: Triple click and then hold the center button
Easy to loose:
Sure, the newest iPod Shuffle is the world's smallest MP3 player but that can be a bad thing and for one reason, it's easier to loose.
The ONLY good thing going for this iPod is it can tell you the name of the Artist, Song and the Playlist that's currently playing.
That's a nice feature IMO since there's no screen.
I would highly recommend the previous model over this model, it's just as nice and the best part is that get to use your own headphones and you're not forced to buy Apple's.
UPDATE:
I just found out that Apple will be selling an adapter that will allow to use headphones other then the Apple ones.
This is NOT an official word from Apple.
Selling, really?! Why not just include the adapter with the iPod Shuffle.
UPDATE 2:
Source: Engadget
iLounge is reporting that the new iPod shuffle can only be controlled by headphones with a special hardware authentication chip. That means that third parties will have to pay Apple for the privilege of making shuffle-compatible accessories, and you can bet they'll just pass that cost right on to consumers -- we wouldn't expect any cheap headphone adapters or inexpensive replacement headphones for the littlest iPod. iLounge calls this a "nightmare scenario" for iPod fans, and we're inclined to agree -- it's one thing for Apple to require the Made For iPod certification for accessories that interface with the dock connector, but trying to lock down headphones is a sad new low, and it makes the lack of physical controls on the shuffle seem even more ridiculous. Anyone still planning on buying this thing?
This is very shady of Apple.
Customer Review: Affordable, stylish, holds a ton of music, but what is the deal with the earbuds!?
Summary: 3 Stars
The new iPod shuffle is a marvel of design. Ultra tiny, ultra slim, and can easily be mistaken for a piece of chewing gum... ok it's not that small, but close. Weighing in at a mere 11 grams, this is definitely the can go anywhere, anytime, iPod.
And doubling up it's capacity to a whopping 4GB compared to the second gen Shuffle is great news. Yes most of our music libraries are well above 4GB, but this will allow you to carry most of your favorite songs (close to 1500 songs in some cases).
And the added VoiceOver feature is a HUGE feature that I think most music players need. With thousands of songs in our libraries, it's inevitable that there will be a song or two (or more) that we just don't recognize. So with a click of a button you are told who it is! It's just amazing and fun.
However with it's stylish new looks, longer battery life, cool new features, and environment friendly disposition it has a major flaw... the earbud controls.
While the controls on the earbuds cord are ingenious and fairly intuitive, the earbuds themselves are uncomfortable and don't have very good sound and I would seriously like the option to use my own headphones or earbuds like some Westone UM2s or ZAGG Z.buds. But Apple severely screws ya if you want to use any sort of different headphones/earbuds.
Now on the plus side, when any other brand of headphones or earbuds are plugged in the Shuffle will automatically play. You will loose the function of changing the volume, songs, and switching between playlists, but at least you can use different headphones/earbuds.
So at the end of the day the new iPod Shuffle is a great music player that allows you to go anywhere and do anything while listening to hours and hours of your favorite songs and audio books so long as you are willing to put up with Apple's earbuds.
Pros:
Small, allowing it to be clipped or shoved in the smallest of places.
Well constructed from strong materials (don't expect to break it just by sitting on it).
Long play time on a single charge.
Holds a lot of music, though I think they could easily up the capacity to 8GB or even 16GB.
Environmentally friendlily.
Cons:
Forced to use Apple's earbuds (I'm sure companies will start developing their own earbuds and headphones with controls specific for this shuffle... just watch).
On the verge of being too small. Small objects + my hands/thumbs/fingers = pressing of wrong buttons or multiple buttons at once.