Music in Your Hand: the iPod Shuffle

For many people, the word iPod is synonymous with portable music. This digital music device seems to be almost as prevalent as the Sony Walkman was in its heyday, and seems to have attracted people from social teens to middle-aged computer geeks. And though the popularity and recognition of the iPod name seem to be at an all-time high, some people have held back from purchasing the iPod. Of course, there’s little one can do to attract people that don’t like iPods for whatever reason, but if there are people that feel that the price-over $200 for Apple’s latest iPods, then there’s an iPod for them as well! For those who want a quality music player at a low price, the iPod shuffle provides it for much less cost than the traditional iPod.

Tiny Wonder

Those who see the iPod shuffle may wonder if its small size can really hold an adequate amount of music, but that’s certainly the case. The iPod shuffle can easily hold enough music to keep your toes tapping through a day trip or a day at work. And the iPod shuffle does this all in a machine about the size of a matchbook. The built in belt clip makes it ideal for those looking to exercise with music, since they can just hook the iPod shuffle on their belt or shirt collar and go for a run, and all without ever having to worry about the music skipping. The secret to both the skip-proof operation and the small size is the use of flash memory, which is more compact and durable than including a miniature hard drive in the machine.

Music and More

The iPod shuffle handles more than music, but can also carry other computer files wherever you go. Because Apple recognizes how convenient having portable data storage is, they’ve included software for you to transfer files to the iPod shuffle, and even determine just how much storage on the device is devoted to music and how much to other files. The older version of the iPod shuffle even resembled the USB storage drives that are as common today, about the same size and shape as a pack of gum. Be aware, though, that the current iPod shuffle can’t simply plug into a USB connector as the original can. You’ll have to use the dock that comes with it in order to transfer data. However, despite this limitation, it’s hard to beat the iPod shuffle for portability and convenience. Though it can’t play the latest television shows like the newest iPods, it’s a powerful little music player in a small package, compactness and convenience in one little package.