iPod iPod Shuffle - My fleet is back in action!!

[turbineseaplane]

At first I thought it was my inner luddite coming out, but after a few days of usage I can say that it's more than that.

Even in 2024, for me and my gym usages, my two iPod Shuffles (final gen versions) are simply staggeringly SO GOOD for what they are built to do.

I was doing some cleaning and pulled them out, loaded them up with iTunes (yes, I still use iTunes even on Sonoma -- thx Retroactive!!) and grabbed one of my sets of Bang & Olufsen EarSets (I still have a few, including one BNIB) .... and it's totally replaced my AirPods + iPhone for the gym.

I'd been looking at ways to get rid of the phone in my gym situation as it's too much to tote around along with my workout sheet clipboard and water bottle.

I tried Apple Watches, but it only served to show me how and why I'm so committed to my Garmin watch ... and I'd thought of going to a Garmin Watch with onboard music, but I really prefer the Instinct line which doesn't have that feature.

I've also been using one of my iPhone SE1's along with the Airpods and that works well to reduce size and weight, but it's still toting around an iPhone.

You know what's better?

My B&O EarSets + iPod Shuffles

So light and out of the way I can't even tell I'm wearing it at all
Instant, easy, access to volume tweaks and track changes both on my waist or on the cord controller

I thought I'd be more annoyed by wires again, but I'm not -- they go under my shirt and are mostly just "not there".

The iPod Shuffle is an ALL TIME great Apple product.

They really should consider making a new one to work with Apple Music playlists offline -- like the Mighty 3 does for Spotify/Amazon

It's an example of what great products really are ... super tightly focused on doing what they do ... really really well.

 

[turbineseaplane]

So..
An update today

My "holy grail" Gym Setup just got ... more "holy"

I've added the thinnest and lightest BT transmitter I could find on Amazon and this .. is .. epic

I clip the shuffle on my waist and run the cable & BT transmitter down into my left pocket and it's like it's not even there. A touch more noticeable than the Shuffle + wired headphones, but just barely so, and in exchange I get no wires going up behind my shirt and to my ears.

This is so great.

God I love the Shuffle
Such a shame they nuked it

I would kill for a new Shuffle with Bluetooth -- even if it got a touch bigger (for more battery for sure)

 

[turbineseaplane]

Just bought another Shuffle today!

The fleet grows!

 

[MBAir2010]

i have a blue 1GB that i use for cycling, mostly around 30-40 mile rides since 2007.
i'm still amazed by the size, ease and longevity of the battery.
enjoy you new ipod shuffle!

 

[turbineseaplane]

The Shuffle fleet has grown once more, this time to include a Blue 4GB 3rd generation.

It's a perfect companion for one of my B&O EarSets that have the requisite controls on the cable!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The Shuffle fleet has grown once more, this time to include a Blue 4GB 3rd generation.

It's a perfect companion for one of my B&O EarSets that have the requisite controls on the cable!

View attachment 2396239

Gorgeous.

This was a stunning - much loved, reliable, easy to use, and looked great - product.

I'm abroad at the moment (have been for the past six weeks) accompanied by my trusty iPod classic, and some rather nice (they use wood, a natural material, which looks good and sounds great) House of Marley Jacob Smile earbuds.

 

[SnowPenguin]

I am a fan of the bigger iPod Nano. I bought a used one off eBay last year, only to discover that it's hard to replace the battery, it's still useable though... I also owned the very first iPod shuffle back when it was released (the one that looks & work like a USB drive), and I used it until it broke years later. How is the battery life in the ones you own?

 

[Andy_2341]

Hey! I’ve recently learned of the shuffles too and got a 4th gen in product red like yours. I’ve got a question though. How do I rip music from a cd into iTunes and have it save as music? It kept saving mine as audiobooks and then duplicating them about 5 times each. Love the shuffle though. I’ve only used it for one album I bought off iTunes and podcasts so far but it has been great.

 

[Moukee]

So..
An update today

My "holy grail" Gym Setup just got ... more "holy"

I've added the thinnest and lightest BT transmitter I could find on Amazon and this .. is .. epic

I clip the shuffle on my waist and run the cable & BT transmitter down into my left pocket and it's like it's not even there. A touch more noticeable than the Shuffle + wired headphones, but just barely so, and in exchange I get no wires going up behind my shirt and to my ears.

This is so great.

God I love the Shuffle
Such a shame they nuked it

I would kill for a new Shuffle with Bluetooth -- even if it got a touch bigger (for more battery for sure)

View attachment 2384242View attachment 2384243

The 7th generation iPod nano has Bluetooth built-in. This guy:

Surely more compact than the Shuffle with the Bluetooth dongle attached.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The 7th generation iPod nano has Bluetooth built-in. This guy:

Surely more compact than the Shuffle with the Bluetooth dongle attached.

Less than ideal actually - I tried this exact solution

Battery life isn't amazing on Nanos, especially as they are old now, and the weight/size and durability of them is a downgrade vs a hyperlight shuffle and cheap mostly indestructible plastic BT dongle I use

I have two of those dongles - one white/one black - that I have paired to separate AirPods

One time I went to the gym and had a device with a low battery and it ruined my workout that day so I now keep a fully redundant setup with me at all times in my gym bag.

But back to Nano vs Shuffle:

Having the shuffle physical controls on my waist is absolute A+ for my gym/fitness usages

Nano is an ok solution if just needing BT, but Shuffle+dongle is far better for fitness/gym usage where battery life, usability (volume/track change without even looking) and durability are top priorities