i got a shuffle!

Yes, I have a 512 MB iPod Shuffle. I'm going to do a small review on it, (a) because it's pretty small and most of you know everything about it and (b) because some of you haven't, so I'll humor you.

Sadly, the seemingly imminent release or update of the iPod Shuffle was not announced today, contrary to most rumors. I visited the Macworld Expo today, from about 2:30 - 5:00. I have to be honest, it was pretty boring this year. Last year they were demoing Tiger and released the iPod shuffle and yada yada yada--the whole place was "aglow" with excitement. But this year, just some boring processor updates (significant, mind you, but boring). Not to mention the fact that nearly every other booth was selling IPOD CASES and IPOD CAR ADAPTERS and IPOD THIS and IPOD THAT. No fun:(. Last year was fun, because there were many companies with innovative technologies and interesting displays. This year it was one iPod accessory stand after another. There were some cool booths though, and the gaming section was pretty sweet (yes, Macs CAN do games, of course they were all PowerMac G5's, but they were playing some sweet games nonetheless). iWeb looks like an interesting feature, and I am thinking of getting it with the remaining balance on the Apple giftcard I haven't used yet, possibly to publish my very own blog that's completely customized and controlled by me.

Anyways, after unsuccessfully trying to pay for an iPod Shuffle at the Macally stand using my Apple gift card (really classy on my part), my dad and I grew discouraged and decided to leave. We then went to the Apple store at Stonestown, and I bought a Shuffle there using my gift card. But it doesn't stop there! There's more to the saga of John Mark's iPod Shuffle!

After coming home from a long, boring expo, I excitedly de-packaged the iPod and attempted to connect it to my eMac. PROBLEM. All of the ports on the eMac are located on the side, but they are all in an indentation that is "only so wide", and my iPod shuffle did not fit through it (this picture might give you a clearer understanding of what I'm talking about).

After a small temper tantrum, I decided to call Apple. Inside information for you eMac owners; think twice before buying one.
The lady on the phone "mmhmmed" after I finished, and I can tell she's encountered my problem before. She reminded me that there are usb ports on the Apple keyboard that I could use. She said it's impossible to connect it to the eMac, but that I could buy the stand for twenty bucks. The only catch when connecting it to the keyboard is that it won't charge through that. Thanks, I told her. I also said that my wall adapter is USB, so I could just use that to charge it. She affirmed my suggestion and said that it would work. In a good mood, I hung up.

So no, I can't charge my Shuffle through my eMac, but that's okay. I got some songs on there and it works just fine. Thank heavens the Apple keyboard has usb's on it (they are meant for connecting a mouse, so that only one usb slot is taken up).

As far as the actual iPod goes, I like it. It looks cool, it feels nice in my hand, and it's very lightweight and feels fine hanging around my neck with the lanyard thingy it came with. My primary use for the Shuffle will be to run with (my regular iPod is ok, but it skips from time to time and I have to hold it in my sweaty, nasty running hands, so that it's all sticky and gross when I pick it up to use it later. Plus it's no fun to have to hold on to something the whole time you're running. Called me spoiled if you want, I call it Macintosh;). The Shuffle is NOT for control freaks, because it has no screen. It's almost uncomfortable using it, or getting it to play at first, because there are hardly any indicators that it's alive. When I press play, I just have to trust that it's about to play something, instead of being able to watch it's progress on a screen. I'll get used to it, and I don't plan on having very many songs on it anyways (which is why I got 512 MB rather than 1 GB, who needs that much space on something that doesn't even have a screen for navigation? Storage purposes would be the only reason, or someone who is just really trying hard to get rid of all that "pesky money"). So I give it an A-, because I still haven't gotten used to no screen. Also because Stevie didn't make sure it was COMPATIBLE WITH HIS OWN COMPUTERS!!!! Geez. I'm still getting over that bit.