iPod Shuffle - Testing

There are not a whole lot of tests that you can perform on a MP3 player, but I will touch on a few different areas.

One of the most important features of a music player is the sound quality. The Shuffle isn’t a high end MP3 player, but its overall sound quality was above par. I let different people compare the sound quality between the iPod and iPod Shuffle, and a majority said that the iPod Shuffle had overall better quality. I agreed with them; it seems to have a slightly better base and richer tones. Unfortunately, the Shuffle doesn’t have any preset equalizers, but given the size and lack of screen, it isn’t surprising -- adding one in would hinder the size and weight of this player.

Battery Life

The short fall of the original iPod is its battery life. In the iPod, the battery is quite big. The Shuffle has no room for a big battery; however, it doesn’t require as much juice to play as the iPod. Apple rates the battery life at 12 hours, which is the same as my iPod --which doesn’t last for 12 hours. The tests will show what you can really expect.

I let it charge in the USB port for a day not docked. Apple doesn’t include any charger with the Shuffle, but you can buy one, or just charge it via the USB port. The top level on green battery indicator lasted 13 hours on its own. The next level was orange, which lasted two hours, and the red lasted 1.5 before dying out. For an estimated 12 hour battery life, the iPod Shuffle gets 16.5 hours. This is very good indeed. I was very surprised; Apple has done their homework on power for the Shuffle, and the results reflect this.

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