On Saturday, my family left bedrock and entered the cool world of the iPod. Yes, we are no longer chasing the Joneses down the street flailing our arms, but are now the tech savvy owners of the not just cool, but ultra cool iPod shuffle (note we did not shell out the modest $79 but all the employees at my husband’s company were the beneficiaries of the owners generosity – exceptionally enjoyable Christmas party and nifty present). Now this is not just the “world’s smallest mp3/music player,” it’s an uber hip accessory that makes you feel cool (and perhaps a bit idolatrous). If you believe Apple’s marketing campaign, it truly is an article of clothing, something you would dare not be caught without.
Okay, enough sillyness, does it do the job? For the record I use these things only when I run. You will not find me “plugged in” at the grocery store, walking the mall (never go there anyhow), picking up my kids or otherwise in public. I do not wear these at home either. The one exception is laundry day when I treat myself to a Tim Kellar (a couple are free the rest are $2.50 per) sermon or an episode of the White Horse Inn (free). Sound quality is good – that’s all I need when I run. My Q phone (forthcoming top 10 reasons why I love this phone) has better quality of sound. But that’s okay. The headphones that ship with it could be a bit longer (the commercials are not quite accurate on this point). But that’s okay too. It clips nicely anywhere on your clothes and weighing in at approximately 0 ozs., it is a runners best companion. But beware of clipping it on the bottom of your jacket or vest, it could fall off. But that’s okay too because it’s the size of a stamp and weighs nothing, so if it becomes detached from your clothing, it will remain attached to the earplugs and not crash to the ground.
I have to hand it to apple, they do not release a single gadget that is not elegantly designed both inside and out. The shuffle has all the necessary features packaged in one smooth and sleek housing. There is no comparison to other devices. Driving an apple is like driving a BMW Z4; the rest are just Dodge Caravans (btw- I own a caravan, not a Z4).
The only real gotcha is that I have to live in the PC world and my regular jogging companion will be my Q. So buying music to run on both players is a pain. Also the necessary upgrade to iTunes 7.0.2 was rather slow last night so by the time I hit the road to take my cute little shuffle for a spin around the block (a.k.a. run the 3.5 mile route around my immediate neighborhood) it was getting dark and cold.
Problems aside – this is a nifty device at a decent price point – love it.
PS. Yes, technically the iPod belongs to my husband, but I’m the geek of the family. So I tend to confiscate cool gadgets. But he’ll be rewarded with a nice running/workout playlist.
Update: My husband is enjoying the iPod a little too enthusiastically. His rendition of Boston’s – It’s Been Such a Long Time is well…
