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> Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle M9724LL/A Pros and Cons
Welcome to the
Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle M9724LL/A Pros and Cons page:
Pros of the iPod
Shuffle:
1. Price - The iPod Shuffle is cheaper than most flash-based
MP3 players having the same amount of memory.
2. The famous iPod elegance
and simplicity - all iPods are designed so well, are easy to learn and a joy to
use.
3. Size/weight - even compared to other flash-based players, the
iPod shuffle is small and very, very light.
4. Plays AAC files - This
is the real selling point for people who already own iPods and have a substantial
library of music already in AAC format. You might not feel too comfortable bringing
your $300, 6-ounce iPod to the gym, with its delicate hard drive and other moving
parts. Now you can load 6 or more workouts' worth of tunes onto a device that
weighs less than 1 ounce and has no moving parts. While there are many such flash-based
players on the market, the iPod shuffle is the only one that can play tunes from
your existing collection of iPod-friendly AAC files.
5. Amazing sound
quality for such a tiny device - I've done careful A/B comparisons between my
iPod shuffle and my "big" iPod (which has awesome sound quality), and it's extremely
hard to detect any difference in sound quality.
Cons of the iPod Shuffle:
1. No LCD display to help you navigate among the songs on the player.
In my view, this will be the deal-killer for many people who would otherwise buy
an iPod shuffle in a heart-beat. Say you load 100 songs on your iPod shuffle.
Once you unplug it from your computer, the only way you have to navigate to a
specific song is to keep forwarding to the next song until you find the one you
want. What a pain! Those clever Apple marketing folks have tried to put a positive
spin on this, saying "Random is the new order" and calling the player "the iPod
shuffle." But people aren't stupid. Anyone familiar with flash-based players knows
that almost all of them have displays to help people quickly navigate among the
tunes on their player.
2. No FM tuner or voice recorder. Many other flash-based
MP3 players have these features (though none as inexpensive as the iPod shuffle).
3. Battery life rated at "up to 12 hours" is low for flash-based MP3 players.
Competitors typically achieve 15-20 hours. However, to be fair to the iPod shuffle,
the competing models usually require you to use AA or AAA batteries, which adds
to the weight of the device.
Buy the Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle M9724LL/A
