The new Apple iPod Shuffle

In a cut-throat competitive market, its not a surprise to see a number of music players in the market. Cheap,claiming-to-be-reliable etc.etc.Ask any customer using the chinese gadgets, and you are sure to get raised 'brows.Agreed,there are quite decent products also in the market like the Creative Zen,Sandisk, Sony and the likes.But the most halo-ed player in this segment is no-doubt Apple.A company whose name is synonymous with quality and technological-advancement. And Apple surely banks on its Personal Music Players(PMPs) to do the trick.Whenever launched, the Apple PMPs are the ones creating the most buzz. There's a range of these players for anyone who is willing to shell out some decent bucks.The iPod shuffle is Apple's largest selling product for the simple reason that it the snob value and the experience of the marquee at a fraction of the cost.The second generation iPod was launched in late 2006. I bought mine almost 2 months late. Going by the first looks of the packaging...its looks Apple have hit the bull's eye.The iPod comes in an uber-cool transparent package which includes the iPod machine,3.5mm earphone,the cool charging dock and a small quick-start guide. The shuffle is available in 1GB and 2GB models and four colours,viz. silver,green,blue, and pink. Upon handling the machine, one instantly feels on another level as compared to other PMP users.The most prominent part of the model is the large dial which is very functional for controlling the flow of songs and volume. The central play/pause buttons also serves the function of 'hold' on pressing for three seconds.Apple seems to have sorted out the problem of slippery on/off switch of the first version and the one on the new model worked perfectly.As the name(shuffle) goes, a switch is further provided in the iPod to select the playing sequence of the songs-random or in sequence. The iPod is charged through a dock provided which connects to the 3.5mm earphone jack.But on-the flip side, this hampers the USB connectivity of the iPod as you now have to carry the wired dock for all data transfers. The iPod takes around 3 hours to fully charge.But 80% of the battery can be charged in around 1.5hours itself. Apple claims a battery life of 12hours which is more or less true.Amazing.This one's going to last all your work-outs and journeys.Moving on to the sound quality-its amazing.As was expected from Apple. Though the bass is not huge but the clarity of sound surely makes up for it and provides a satisfying experience.But the best part of the ipod,at least for me, is the in-built clip.Its so useful and functional that it instantly gives a feeling of 'why didn't I think of it'.The clip surely justifies Apple's tag line-THE WORLD'S MOST WEARABLE iPOD.The iPod can be clipped on almost any cloth-your sleeves,collars,pockets,etc.Brilliant.The ear-buds provided by the company are bang-for-the-buck.They fit into the ear perfectly,unlike most other ear buds.The 1GB model holds roughly 250 songs while the 2GB one holds just double.Weighing just .55 ounce ,the shuffle is probably also the lightest iPod around.The iPod comes a indicating light to indicate charge-left.Currently the iPod is available in India for Rs. 2600 for the 1 GB model and Rs. 3600 for the 2 GB model.
Final Word
I would say that Apple has definitely justified its position as the epitome of music by dishing a genuinely applaudable effort in the form of the second generation iPod shuffle.The iPod feels overly priced at first but soon the sound quality and the little tits-bits mentioned above start to grow on you.Though the bass could have been better and the USB connectivity is a pinch sometimes but still this machine has lots of positives for the customer. Beginners and those graduating from cheap Chinese ones are never going to complain.Hats off to Apple to rolling out one of the most revered products of the 21st century.

Why go for it?
-You want something better(and more reliable) than the local ones
-The clip feature is to-die-for
-Marvelous sound quality
-Snob value/bragging rights

Why not go for it?
-You have a budget of more than 7k
-You wanna watch movies,read e-books,surf the net on your ipod.
-You love to party hard and eant something with more bass

KD rating---8.5/10(Very Good)