Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB Silver (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL

I've been buying mp3 players ever since my first player, an Intel audio player, back in 2002. I bought a first gen Ipod shuffle when they came out and hated it. The thing locked up and the firmware went dead within the first month. Not a good introduction to Apple ipods.

But I decided to give the Shuffle one more try after getting a Nano, so I picked up one. These second generation Shuffles are a big step up from the first ones released, and at a decent price.

Pros:
1 gig is at the lower end of storage, but you can still carry around a ton of songs with it.

Shuffle mix option should be a must for all players. Who wants to have to scroll through every song in the list every time?

Audio quality is improved from the first gen models.

Small and even more compact than most other mp3 players, plus the belt clip is a nice addition.

The price is great for a ipod model, even if it is only the size of a quarter.

Cons:
As with all Shuffles, there is no LCD screen, no way to SEE what song is listed or use volume meters. That also means no video, no photos, no games. But considering its size, it's too much to ask for a unit this small.

A few minor volume issues. It's difficult to set the volume properly before you plug in the headphones, so in case you somehow set the volume level really loud the last time you used it, you really won't know how loud it is the next time until you plug in the phones and listen, which can be disturbing when you're expecting a nice quiet tune and it comes blasting out into your ears.

Itunes. Period. My Nano was compatible with several 3rd party transfer programs, but for some reason Itunes is the only one that seems to work for the Shuffle. Itunes has horrible sync rates and I just don't like the settings or really anything about Itunes. But this is more a gripe about Apple's software rather than the player itself.

Overall the second gen Shuffles are a very decent entry into the ipod family. Good sound, good price, good size, and so far it's been very reliable with no firmware or hardware troubles. Very recommended for the casual user or even as a backup for the bigger, badder units.
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