As listed here at the online Apple Store. Is this a good buy? I've never owned any kind of MP3 device, and with my new Mac Mini arriving in another week, I'm looking at getting more toys 
Refurbished iPod Shuffle
- Thread starter John Picard
- Start date
Interesting. Thanks for the info.
You can get non-Apple MP3 players with more capacity for less elsewhere. And, those will have more features, such as some sort of display. The Shuffle will play whatever music is on the device, and it can play it either in order, or shuffled. That's it, it doesn't do any more than that. For the same price, you can get a 4GB media player with an LCD that also supports pictures, video, playlists, etc. The other issue about iPods that I don't like is that iTunes is the only way to interface with it. I really prefer being able to see the device in Windows Explorer and adding or removing files as if it's a normal drive.
That Apple logo is very expensive.
That Apple logo is very expensive.
A friend of mine works at a college and said he'd keep his eyes open for a unit for me. Seems some of those spoiled college kids "have to have" the newest and greatest after the Keynote.
Farmkid -- I've had it with PC crap. I'm going Mac now. My next purchase will be a Mac notebook of some type.
Farmkid -- I've had it with PC crap. I'm going Mac now. My next purchase will be a Mac notebook of some type.
Even if you use a Mac, what I said still applies. My wife has an iPod Shuffle that I won in a raffle and we have 5 other MP3 players. Of the six, the Shuffle has the highest shelf price but the fewest abilities and lowest value. In fact, I can't think of another MP3 player with as few capabilities as the Shuffle. It works fine, but in my opinion, the Apple logo isn't worth the extra cost. The fact that you have to use iTunes, which keeps reinstalling components that I don't want or need whenever I get rid of them (I don't have an iPhone, why do I want software that only has a function if I have an iPhone and runs all the time?) and comes along with Bonjour (Why do I want that?) and Quicktime (a decent piece of video software, if it weren't so parasitic) is just the icing on the cake in my own decision to not ever want an iPod.
$40 is a decent price for a Shuffle, but not for an MP3 player with the capabilities of the shuffle. The iPod isn't the only MP3 player that works with a Mac.
Thanks for setting me straight, farmkid. That gives me more to think about.
If a shuffle is your only player, you may be let down. They are fantastic second players, or players that you only carry around with you in certain situations. Their pluses is that they are extremely small and well designed. If you lost one, it wouldn't be too big a deal.
But if you don't have any other MP3 player, I would suggest a Nano. You're going to want the screen on your first mp3 player IMO.
40 bucks is a great price for a shuffle, and shuffles are fantastic players - I would have to disagree with farmkid's points. If you buy an apple mp3 player and use it on a mac with itunes it is a SEAMLESS, worry free, elegant solution. It's 99% hassle free and with the amazing industrial design, it is completely worth it.
Sure you can get a cheaper player. You can get a cheaper computer. But for something that I spend the majority of my day touching and staring at, I go with the one that has the UI of OSX.
But if you don't have any other MP3 player, I would suggest a Nano. You're going to want the screen on your first mp3 player IMO.
40 bucks is a great price for a shuffle, and shuffles are fantastic players - I would have to disagree with farmkid's points. If you buy an apple mp3 player and use it on a mac with itunes it is a SEAMLESS, worry free, elegant solution. It's 99% hassle free and with the amazing industrial design, it is completely worth it.
Sure you can get a cheaper player. You can get a cheaper computer. But for something that I spend the majority of my day touching and staring at, I go with the one that has the UI of OSX.
S
Stone_Cold_Sisko
Guest
I dunno if the Shuffle is the best. Not a lot of space and a serious lack of features, and no screen to navigate, you basically shuffle or rely on computer playlists.
I think, the reason to get the iPods over others are basically the design and the UI and interface... the shuffle has neither of those... the clickwheel system of the iPod nano and Classic are by far the best "physical" navigation interfaces, beating out (the multi-touch of ipod touch and iphone are pretty awesome too but it sounds like those are more higher end than what you're looking for)
I'd suggest the "low end" iPod Nano, great physical design, best navigation interface, really nice size, $150 new for 8GB... probably cheaper refurbished.
I think, the reason to get the iPods over others are basically the design and the UI and interface... the shuffle has neither of those... the clickwheel system of the iPod nano and Classic are by far the best "physical" navigation interfaces, beating out (the multi-touch of ipod touch and iphone are pretty awesome too but it sounds like those are more higher end than what you're looking for)
I'd suggest the "low end" iPod Nano, great physical design, best navigation interface, really nice size, $150 new for 8GB... probably cheaper refurbished.
These are valid points if you are using a PC (I guess, I tend to find that PC software is constantly interferring and installing extraneous crap with my windows machine from all vendors, but when I installed iTunes I didn't see this problem)...but the guy is using a mac. These issues won't apply.
Edited to add this: Now that I re-read what you wrote I feel the need to say this: If you are trying to deliberately take away the iPhone support or bonjour then you are creating problems for yourself. iPhone support is part of iTunes just as much as iPod support is. If someone plugs in an iPhone, it has to be able to work - why you would complain about a feature of iTunes or try to dismantle one part of it, and then complain about it hogging resources is kind of silly. No offense...that's like trying to take the PS2 compatabilty out of your PS3 because "you'll never play PS2 games."
And quicktime is fantastic video software, how is it "parasitic"? What is it sucking on? Which resources are it constantly leeching?
Depends what you do with it really - I had a 30gb full-size player and give it to my niece when I noticed that I was always using my shuffle instead. When I'm out and about I don't want to play with screen, think about selection - I just want to hit play and see what sync randomly loaded on for me. There's no messing around, I just clip it inside my overcoat and away I go.
It's a zen player I think (rather than a creative zen player)
Oh and you don't have to use itunes, I use my shuffle with wmp11 and don't even have itunes installed. There are various bits of software that will make the two talk to each other.
You could get a creative stone but I find that they feel cheap and plastic like - I got one for my niece, she loves it but it's got no clip so no good for me.
It's a zen player I think (rather than a creative zen player)
Oh and you don't have to use itunes, I use my shuffle with wmp11 and don't even have itunes installed. There are various bits of software that will make the two talk to each other.
You could get a creative stone but I find that they feel cheap and plastic like - I got one for my niece, she loves it but it's got no clip so no good for me.
Apple is certainly not the only vendor that installs other extraneous crap with their software. And you're right about it not being such an issue for him because he is already using a Mac. I was really only explaining my own objections to it.
But I don't have an iPhone and never will. Why would I want a service running all the time that will only ever be used if I plug in an iPhone? Why not ask the user if they want iPhone support? Or, install add the support the first time it's plugged in?
I stopped using Quicktime years ago when I found Quicktime Alternative, a much smaller and just as capable .mov player. I hate how Quicktime took over all media formats and it was quite a wrestling match with the computer to make other players the default for everything but .mov files and keep it that way. Quicktime, as well as iTunes, installs a few services that run all the time. I shut them down and disable them from starting automatically, and even uninstall the ones that are not necessary for my installation, and the next time I turn on the computer, they are back, even the ones I uninstalled. Everything worked fine for the short time those services were gone, so they aren't necessary, but they come back anyway. That's what I mean by parasitic.
I want software that does just what you want it to do, and doesn't try to do everything for you. I don't want iTunes creating a library so that if I delete or move a file some other way than through iTunes the library gets messed up. If I like some other program for a particular media type, then I want other programs to leave my preference alone and not try to take the file association back. Maybe Quicktime doesn't do that anymore, but it used to and I quit using it because of that. RealPlayer met the same fate for the same reason.
I have an iPhone and an iPod shuffle. The shuffle is great when you're working out because it's small and doesn't get too much in the way. I also use my iPhone as a media player (music and vid) but it's too bulky when it comes to the gym. Even on the treadmill the damn thing can fly off (as it has for me).
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