Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

peterauch21 · Nov 3, 2006, 09:33 AM

What are your experiances so far using the 2G shuffle.. Is the sound quality as good as the other iPods? Have you had any issues with getting iTunes to work? Any other issues? Just curious as the feel of it. Does it feel cheap or is it sturdy? Any other info you could give would be great!

WOPR · Nov 3, 2006, 10:47 AM

iLounge has a big review of it.

Simon · Nov 3, 2006, 12:47 PM

I just got mine today. I'm not sure if the music quality is better, but it's certainly not worse than on the 1G shuffle.

I'm stunned by the new shuffle. It's so small yet it still seems sturdy and the clip is very firm. I'm really glad I bought it. It's a clear winner.

Now, all I'd like to see is some company make a tiny dongle that will let me use it as a USB memory stick w/o using the actual dock. The dock is nice as a dock (they even put a weight in it so that it sits firm on the table - nice!), but it's not something I want to carry around with me when I'm on the road.

peterauch21 · Nov 3, 2006, 01:32 PM

Wow. The iLounge did have a really large review on it. Thanks for that info WOPR. Hmm the iLounge review said that the quality isnt as good as the 1G but it is hard to notice. Hmm Simon does it hold well on your sleeve? Does it look like it would resist sweat? I want to use it running and not worry about it slipping off or ruining it with a little sweat. Thanks for your input!

HercPilot · Nov 3, 2006, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

I just got mine today. I'm not sure if the music quality is better, but it's certainly not worse than on the 1G shuffle.

I'm stunned by the new shuffle. It's so small yet it still seems sturdy and the clip is very firm. I'm really glad I bought it. It's a clear winner.

Now, all I'd like to see is some company make a tiny dongle that will let me use it as a USB memory stick w/o using the actual dock. The dock is nice as a dock (they even put a weight in it so that it sits firm on the table - nice!), but it's not something I want to carry around with me when I'm on the road.

How about these:
USB<->minijack

MobiBLU Mini Jack

USB/minijack cable

CUBE USB/Charger Cable

Haven't tried them, but MAY...

Simon · Nov 3, 2006, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by peterauch21

Hmm Simon does it hold well on your sleeve?

It held up very well so far. I can't agree with iLounge when it comes to the clip and build quality. I got the impression it's very solid and the clip seems strong and firm to me. I will definitely use it when I'm jogging.

Simon · Nov 3, 2006, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by HercPilot

How about these:
USB<->minijack

The MobiBLU looks just like what I want. Unfortunately you can only order them in the US and Canada.

scaught · Nov 4, 2006, 10:21 AM

x-post from another messageboard:

This thing is beautiful. An absolutely tiny chunk of music rocking aluminium. Feels very sturdy, the clip has a very nice "action" to it. Feels like it should hold up for a good long time. It actually comes with a little dock (connects via the headphone jack), the top of the line models forgot about that long ago. The packaging is spectacular, as can be expected of apple. A nice little plastic box, the printed inset piece wraps around under where all the cables and dock are hiding and folds on top for that "opening an ipod experience" that apple has mastered. Theres a little collected bunch of papers, a tiny manual, some smaller apple stickers (an inch and 3/4ths tall) and a little plastic card with the light schemes on it that dictate what the little flashing light means. It says "listen responsibly" but no mentions of "don't steal music". Interesting. The shuffle is the music pirate's best friend, apparently.

I got it for straight up gym purposes, so it will always contain a brutal concoction of ripping fast tempo heavy as **** hardcore tracks. This is funny to me as it's so small and cute it seems like it should be playing J-pop tracks all day long. I'm pleased.

Other things I've noticed: the copy speed is slow. I bet faster than USB 1.1, but definitely not 2.0 speeds. Also, you can't copy music directly to the shuffle like you can with a normal ipod. It has to come from your library. Kind of an inconvenience for me.

Anyone know software to copy from one ipod to another? That would be a nice thing for me to have.

dlefebvre · Nov 4, 2006, 01:59 PM

I bought mine strictly for the gym. I didn't want to carry my gigantic 3rd gen iPod to the gym.
I was skeptical before I got it, but as soon asI tried it, I was convinced. I only use my Shuffle now. I like the simplicity, I like the controls, I like the clip design. It feels solid and I'm glad I can just clip it to my sleeve and go. It sounds good an to my suprise it was a much better investment then when I bought my 3rd gen iPod.
Eventually, I'll replace my 3rd gen, but I'm waiting for a more video oriented iPod.

Simon · Nov 5, 2006, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by scaught

Other things I've noticed: the copy speed is slow. I bet faster than USB 1.1, but definitely not 2.0 speeds.

FWIW I haven't seen any difference in copy speed between the 1G and 2G shuffles. They're both not exactly speed daemons.

macfan05 · Nov 12, 2006, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by peterauch21

Wow. The iLounge did have a really large review on it. Thanks for that info WOPR. Hmm the iLounge review said that the quality isnt as good as the 1G but it is hard to notice. Hmm Simon does it hold well on your sleeve? Does it look like it would resist sweat? I want to use it running and not worry about it slipping off or ruining it with a little sweat. Thanks for your input!

be careful.. I ran the NYC marathon with the 2g shuffle attached to my watch..no problems. Then yesterday I ran with it for about 5 minutes and apparently sweat got into it and it died. Cant get it to come back to life.. will take it back-- I will exchange it for a new one.. but will be very careful to keep sweat away from it.. I think it seeped into the earphone jack or the click wheel

ink · Nov 12, 2006, 09:28 PM

I've gone running with mine 5 or 6 times now, no issues. The audio quality is the same as any other ipod (good). Time will tell if it's as durable as the Rio s35s that it's replacing (it's been going strong for 3 years now).

First complaint: If you sync with it, it loses its place on a track, which is annoying for podcasts.

My second complaint is actually with iTunes: I want all the most recent podcasts to automatically sync to my shuffle. If I want to listen to any back-episodes, I would copy them manually. I have to pick each one manually now.

peterauch21 · Nov 13, 2006, 11:29 AM

I picked up a new 2G shuffle a week ago. I ran with it a few times and havent had any issues with it. Are there any cases that can protect it from sweat yet? Anyone have any good links?