iPod Shuffle or Mini???

[zflauaus]

I am a student (Middle School) who wants to get an MP3 player for field trips and other things like that so I don't have to take my current 20GB iPod along and risk it being stolen. I am planning to get rid of my 2 CD players (eBay? ) some time soon. I am just wondering, which do you like better? The 1GB iPod Shuffle or the 4GB iPod Mini? Thanks

 

[James Philp]

I am a student (Middle School) who wants to get an MP3 player for field trips and other things like that so I don't have to take my current 20GB iPod along and risk it being stolen. I am planning to get rid of my 2 CD players (eBay? ) some time soon. I am just wondering, which do you like better? The iPod Shuffle or the iPod Mini? Thanks

I have a 15GB 3G ipod, a mini 1G and a shuffle 1GB.
The mini is a lot more useful in general than the Shuffle, but very similar to the original iPod.
From the specifications you've listed (risk of theft) i'd go with the shuffle, but if you need a screen, obviously that isn't going to be a good option! If you generally listen on "Shuffle Songs" then you may use the shuffle, but I use mine mainly as a memory stick (which it is very useful for!).

I keep my ipod in my front jean pocket - aint no fool gonna get it out of there!

 

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says....since you already have a 20GB iPod and are just looking for something for field trips and other occasional use I would say that the shuffle is probably just what you need.....oh yeah!

 

[zflauaus]

Thanks so much for your help guys. I think I will get the Shuffle. I will hopefully get it soon for next year's field trips and other small trips.

 

[flyfish29]

I have a question- somewhat different take on the same topic I guess- I searched for my answer and couldn't find it in this forum or apple.

I have a Shuffle and hooked it up the cassette adaptor I used to use in my Jeep for my CD player. With the Shuffle it sounds really tingy and very poor. Is this the adaptor's fault or output on the Shuffle? Would a mini work any better with a cassette adaptor?

thanks,

 

[Tamer Brad]

What's the point of having an iPod if you're too afraid to take it anywhere?

 

[Jschultz]

What's the point of having an iPod if you're too afraid to take it anywhere?

Because he'd be around middle schoolers which are are more likely to steal anything they see.

To the original poster, good use of linguistics and language mechanics for your age. As an education/literature major it makes me happy to see some kids speaking the language right. You'd be surprised how many fully grown people come onto the forums and spout gibberish.

Anywho, I like the 1 gig for portability for trips..but the economist in me says "no! the cost/benefit for the 4 gig is much higher!"

So, 4 gig it is.

 

[Chrispy]

I am a student (Middle School) who wants to get an MP3 player for field trips and other things like that so I don't have to take my current 20GB iPod along and risk it being stolen. I am planning to get rid of my 2 CD players (eBay? ) some time soon. I am just wondering, which do you like better? The 1GB iPod Shuffle or the 4GB iPod Mini? Thanks

I say go for the suffle. It will be more rugged and less of a loss if it was to get lost or stolen. Also, for a middle school student, I commend your spelling and grammar as it is better than some of the adult members . Good luck on your purchase.

 

[Tamer Brad]

Because he'd be around middle schoolers which are are more likely to steal anything they see.

To the original poster, good use of linguistics and language mechanics for your age. As an education/literature major it makes me happy to see some kids speaking the language right. You'd be surprised how many fully grown people come onto the forums and spout gibberish.

Anywho, I like the 1 gig for portability for trips..but the economist in me says "no! the cost/benefit for the 4 gig is much higher!"

So, 4 gig it is.

Just keep an eye on it and it will be fine, honestly. Wear it around your neck under your clothes.

 

[anubis]

I have a 4gig iPod mini that I bought when they first came out, and to be honest, 99% of the time all I'm doing is listening to one playlist on it with about 50 songs that I really want to hear, on shuffle.

When they announced the iPod shuffle, my first thought was "that's so retarded!", until I realized that I could use an iPod shuffle to do the exact same thing I was doing with my more expensive mini 99% of the time.

 

[joecool85]

I have a 4gig iPod mini that I bought when they first came out, and to be honest, 99% of the time all I'm doing is listening to one playlist on it with about 50 songs that I really want to hear, on shuffle.

When they announced the iPod shuffle, my first thought was "that's so retarded!", until I realized that I could use an iPod shuffle to do the exact same thing I was doing with my more expensive mini 99% of the time.

haha, thats exactly what I thought. I have a 512 shuffle and it does great! To tell you the truth, you can't tell that it doesn't have a couple thousand songs on it...I have 137 songs on mine right now and I update it every other week or so and its great, I only have the same songs play maybe 2-3 times in the whole week.

 

[mcmav37]

I have a question- somewhat different take on the same topic I guess- I searched for my answer and couldn't find it in this forum or apple.

I have a Shuffle and hooked it up the cassette adaptor I used to use in my Jeep for my CD player. With the Shuffle it sounds really tingy and very poor. Is this the adaptor's fault or output on the Shuffle? Would a mini work any better with a cassette adaptor?

thanks,

My guess is that it is the adaptor. A lot of people feel that the Shuffle has as good if not better sound quality than the other iPods.

 

[minimax]

I had to make the exact same choice to some extent. Only I didnt have an ipod but mp3 cdplayer. The fragility and lack of portability of the cd player in effect only makes it usable for me when I go on holidays and want some music with me. For train trips, work etc. it just wasnt fit. Also, I missed the option of transferring files in an easy fashion but didnt want to spend money on just an USBstick. So, for me the 1GB Shuffle seemed perfect.
But in the store, side to side with the €/$ 50 more expensive iPod mini, with it's amazing metallic finish, LCDscreen and 4GB HDD, it seemed blatantly overprized. But then I figured: if I take the mini it will REPLACE my cdman, and it will not be as portable as the shuffle, which you can put into your pocket next to your keys without worrying it will scratch the metal finish and without noticing it's in your pocket. A second factor for me was the flashmemory versus an HDD. We all know how fragile HDD's are and how they tend to be the first component to break down in a laptop.
The shuffle, without any problem, can fall from your hands on the street while the mini will not only risk the HDD but will likely face some nasty scratches as a reminder to your little accident.
In a day to day use I think it's safe to say the shuffle beats the mini handsdown.

 

[TheMasin9]

Wierd

I have a question- somewhat different take on the same topic I guess- I searched for my answer and couldn't find it in this forum or apple.

I have a Shuffle and hooked it up the cassette adaptor I used to use in my Jeep for my CD player. With the Shuffle it sounds really tingy and very poor. Is this the adaptor's fault or output on the Shuffle? Would a mini work any better with a cassette adaptor?

thanks,

The shuffle is actually supposed to have a better audio circuit than the ipod or the ipod mini. try adjusting the volume on both your car and the ipod, there should be a happy medium without much crackling, but there are several different cassete things that have good quality.

 

[weldon]

I think the shuffle is a good choice for school because you can also use it as an USB drive. There will be times when you are working on a paper in middle school or high school and you need to bring it back and forth between home and school because you are given class time to work in the computer lab, want to print it out on the laser printer at school, etc.

The only other choice for most kids is to save their paper to a floppy, and floppies are completely unreliable. I've seen a lot of good papers ruined in the bottom of a backpack because the floppy is thrown in there without any cover or anything.

 

[2Sticky]

I would go for the shuffle, won't have to take as much care with it as with a iPod.

 

[zflauaus]

Because he'd be around middle schoolers which are are more likely to steal anything they see.

To the original poster, good use of linguistics and language mechanics for your age. As an education/literature major it makes me happy to see some kids speaking the language right. You'd be surprised how many fully grown people come onto the forums and spout gibberish.

Anywho, I like the 1 gig for portability for trips..but the economist in me says "no! the cost/benefit for the 4 gig is much higher!"

So, 4 gig it is.

Thanks for the praise. People always say, "Why do you have to be so perfect?" I'm like, "Because I was raised that way. What else can I say?"

On to the real part. I am thinking about the Shuffle but then again I have around 1.37GB of music and I like to have my entire collection around with me. But the sad thing is, I only listen to about 1/3 of my collection. I don't really know what to do. If I get the extra money I will definitely buy the Mini because I absolutely love my 3G 20GB iPod. Thanks for all the help everybody. I forgot to mention, my dad is bringing one of his friend's computer home tomorrow because it won't boot Windows (go figure, and I am sadly a Windows user too, although OS X ALL THE WAY!) so I might earn some money from that. Wish me luck!