Initial Impressions: New iPod Shuffle

Well the nearby Mac Store just got in their first shipment of the new iPod Shuffle. This thing really is amazing — 1GB of storage, extremely tiny, and has a cool little clip to attach to your shirt. Loading music on the iPod was easy, I just set it to Sync To Fit, and it put on a total of 263 songs — a little bit more then the 240 that Apple says will fit on the device.

I took it to the gym last night to run with it, and surprisingly the clip held up very well while running — never sliding off my shirt during the entire 25 minutes run. The only thing I wish they could have figured out was a longer battery life. While 12 hours is a long time for something so small, it would have been nice to have a 20-24 hour life like the larger iPod’s. I am also not a big fan of the fact that it has to be docked on the little station to sync. I liked my old shuffle since I could just plug it in anytime, I didn’t have to have a cable. I do understand there is a company coming out with a usb adapter for this that will be able to do that.

Specifications:

Size and weight

* Height: 1.07 inches
* Width: 1.62 inches
* Depth: 0.41 inch (including clip)
* Weight: 0.55 ounce
* Volume: 0.5 cubic inch (not including volume under clip)

In the box

* iPod shuffle
* Earphones
* Dock
* Quick Start guide

Capacity

* 1GB USB flash drive(1)
* Holds up to 240 songs in 128-Kbps AAC format(2)
* Stores data via USB flash drive

Audio

* Skip-free playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), WAV, and AIFF

Headphones

* Earphones
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Impedance: 32 ohms

Mac system requirements

* Macintosh computer with USB port
* Mac OS X v10.3.9 and later
* iTunes 7.0.2 or later(3)

Windows system requirements

* PC with USB port
* Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
* iTunes 7.0.2 or later(3)

Environmental requirements

* Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
* Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
* Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
* Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Input and output

* 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack

Shuffle Dock
Power and battery(4)

* Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery
* Playtime: Up to 12 hours when fully charged
* Charging via included USB dock
o Full-charge time: about 4 hours