Thurrott reviews Apple’s 2G iPod Shuffle: ‘a wonder of size, weight, and usability – I love it’

“Like the iPod 5G and iPod nano, the new iPod shuffle is nearly perfect, an exhilarating combination of portability and usability. I love it,” Paul Thurrott writes for Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows.

“I was a huge fan of the first generation iPod shuffle… I ended up purchasing two versions of the original shuffle, a 1GB version and a 512 MB version, the latter of which I gave to my wife,” Thurrott writes.

Thurrott writes, “The second generation iPod shuffle is almost comically small…. the sound quality is stunning, though I tested the iPod shuffle with the nicer headphones Apple ships with its other new iPods. Apple rates the battery life at up to 12 hours.”

“The iPod shuffle 2G requires Apple iTunes 7.0.2 or newer, which is a free download from the Apple Web site. (The iPod shuffle packaging is too small to include an install CD.) This is just fine with me, as iTunes is the best digital media jukebox out there anyway, and the software provides you with access to Apple’s market leading iTunes Store online service. As with the other new iPods, iTunes 7 is also used to manage the iPod shuffle, via a nice graphical interface,” Thurrott writes.

Thurrott writes, “Apple’s new iPod shuffle is a wonder of size, weight, and usability, and the perfect companion for music lovers who don’t want their portable audio player to get in the way. If you need something more sophisticated–say a device with more storage or a screen–then Apple’s got you covered with the new iPod nano. And naturally, those with even more dramatic requirements will find the new iPod 5G to be the best portable audio player of them all. How Apple is able to keep hitting them out of the park is unclear, but they do. The iPod shuffle is cute, wearable, durable, and features great battery life and excellent sound. There’s no such thing as perfect, of course, but the new iPod shuffle comes pretty close. Highly recommended.”

Full review here.
Thurrott has come a long, long, long way: Apple Computer’s tenuous hold on the portable audio-player market might soon fall thanks to a predictable foe, Dell, whose Dell Digital Jukebox (Dell DJ) is off to a strong start. The Dell unit is a bit bigger than Apple’s elegant iPod, but it features a more intuitive scrolling navigation wheel and support for Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, which all online music services except Apple use.. The Dell DJ also features dramatically better battery life than the iPod, lower prices, a built-in audio recorder, and–gasp–a simpler interface than the iPod. As the owner of two iPods, I’ve long expected the PC world to catch up with–and surpass–Apple’s entry. My only surprise is that it’s taken this long. – Paul Thurrott, Connected Home Media, December 5, 2003 (source)

Related articles:
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell’s ‘DJ Ditty’ flash-based MP3 player is dead – August 22, 2006
Dell dumps line of hard drive-based MP3 players, nobody notices for over a month – February 06, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell dumps ‘DJ’ hard-drive MP3 player line – February 04, 2006

Apple 2G iPod Shuffle disassembly guide – November 03, 2006
Reg Hardware reviews 2G Apple iPod shuffle: ‘great grab-and-go gadget for music on the move’ – November 03, 2006
Steve Jobs gives Apple employees new 2G iPod shuffles – November 03, 2006
First 2G iPod shuffle unpacking photos – November 01, 2006
Apple’s new 2G iPod shuffle available worldwide this Friday – October 31, 2006
Apple now shipping 2G iPod shuffle orders – October 30, 2006
AP: Apple’s new iPod, iPod nano, iPod shuffle ‘clearly worth the wait’ – October 19, 2006
Apple unveils new iPod shuffle: world’s smallest digital music player – September 12, 2006