Digital Trends

iPod shuffle 1GB November 2nd, 2006 | by Jason Tomczak

Conclusion

Despite my minor irritation with the shuffle’s dock-dongle, I am excited to give this new product an enthusiastic and vigorous ‘two thumbs up’. The design of the shuffle itself is fantastic. The sound quality is stunning, so long as you use good third-party headphones. The $79 price is awesome. Actually, the $79 price is much lower than I’d expect for something this enjoyable. The new shuffle is the kind of product I’d feel comfortable buying as a Christmas (or anytime) gift for my friends, family and clients. With the new Shuffle, the dollar-to-fun ratio is heavily stacked in the consumer’s favor.

I highly recommend buying one or more 2nd gen iPod shuffles. If you’re inherently skeptical, go down to an Apple store or other hip retailer and test the shuffle for a while. You’ll like what you hear.


Pros:

• Amazing size & sound
• Ultimate portability
• Very low $79 price

Cons:

• Dock-dongle required
• Blah-quality previous-gen headphones included