iPod Shuffle Second Generation Review.

I recently succumbed to my gadget lust and bought my self a shiny new second-generation iPod shuffle. This is the 5th iPod that I have owned and my second iPod shuffle. I was initially attracted to it by the idea of just being able to clip it on your jacket or bag strap. I find that when I go out taking photos I often don’t bother bringing my full size iPod because it’s just too much hassle and the lanyard on my first generation shuffle often gets tangled up with my camera strap. With this new model though, I figured I could just clip it onto the strap on my camera bag.

The first thing you notice, as with most iPods is the quality of the packaging. It comes very cleverly packed into a hard plastic shell secured by a thin plastic invisible strap to a plastic backing plate that sits over a second chamber formed by cardboard containing the headphones and miniature dock. It seems simple but it really is a well-designed way of packing the iPod. Once out of it’s packing shell the first thing that strikes you about the diminutive player is not the size but the quality. It feels like a solid chunk of metal in your hand and surprisingly heavier that you would expect for the size of the thing. It’s not that it’s heavy per se, but the weight gives it a feeling of being one solid piece of gadgetry. The aluminium shell has a slightly rough textured feel that is quite pleasant to touch, and every thing is very well finished. The little round buttons are solid and feel of an equally high quality.

The miniature dock that comes with the shuffle is interesting too. I was concerned that the connection, which is basically a headphone jack with an extra ring would be too tight for the weight of the tiny dock, and that you would have to pick the dock up and physically pull the two apart, but the fit is just right. It’s not too tight or too loose and slips back out of the dock with a slight pull. Connecting to iTunes is a pretty basic affair and no different from any other iPod model. Actually, if there were one fault I would have in the whole package it’s that it does not come with iTunes. Now this is not really an issue if you have a broadband connection but many people don’t and not everyone is savvy enough to realise that the software required to use the iPod is not in the box. It won’t be a problem for technology literate users but I wonder how many crying children there were on Christmas morning when they couldn’t use their shiny new iPods straight away. Perhaps I’m over reacting, but very simply including an iTunes installer actually on the iPod so that when you first plug it in it mounts as a drive and you install iTunes off that could have solved the problem.

iPod Shuffle and iPod Radio Remote

In use there’s not really that much to say about the new shuffle. The functionality is the same as the previous generation model. The main buttons on the front control the transport; i.e. play, fast foreword rewind etc. On the bottom of the player there are two round metallic switches. One for power, and one to switch from shuffle mode to straight playback mode. Pressing and holding the play pause button on the front of the shuffle functions as a control lock, much like the lock on the full size iPod, for preventing accidental button presses. The sound quality is superb as always. The slight hiss that has been reported elsewhere was nowhere to be heard on my unit. There was a barely perceptible analogue hiss when volume is turned up high that is common on all music players. It this is what people are complaining about then they really need to lighten up.

I did discover some interesting things while using my new shuffle for the past week though. Firstly, when it’s cold out the player gets very cold to the touch. This seems obvious in hindsight, but it still comes as a surprise when you first come in out of the cold and touch the metal. Another thing I noticed is how easy it is to forget to unclip it from your coat when you take your coat off. As for the build quality, I did manage to give it a minor scratch by hitting it off the tripod shoe that was still attached to the bottom of my camera when I went out taking photographs. The tripod shoe is essentially a big chunk of metal and the two did hit each other fairly hard. It wasn’t a bad scratch, more of a mark really. Rather than take a class action lawsuit against Apple though, I think I’ll just be a little more careful from now on. My theory of clipping it onto my camera strap worked flawlessly though, and really does manage to get the player out of your way while you listen to your music.

iPod Shuffle first and Second generation with the Apple infra red remote

Overall the new shuffle is an excellent little player. It is incredibly well made and functions flawlessly. Its tiny design makes the first generation shuffle look bulky and dated by comparison. You won’t be disappointed by the quality or the functionality. I heartily recommend it for anyone considering an iPod purchase.

Apple.com/ipodshuffle