Forums >Gears and Wears>My ipods Shuffle(s) suck!
jfa
I had a 1st generation shuffle for over a year and a half and it worked great. Went through a bunch of earbuds of course,but my shuffle went on and on.Eventually the on/off switch wore out so time to upgrade.
Went and bought a new 3rd gen (4gb) Shuffle.Loved the size but after only one month it stopped working.Had to make an appointment with a "Genius" at the Apple store for them to tell me what I already knew,the product was crap.They replaced it with a new one but I don't wear it running.It's got all the controls on the earbud wire and it flaps around when I run.In the meantime I bought a 2nd gen Shuffle to hold me over. After only a couple of runs, it stopped working.Replaced it at SprawlMart where I bought it, and now after only 2 weeks,the replacement stopped working. I should be able to get another replacement but this really pisses me off.
Anyone else run into this? I know Apple's got some great products,maybe it's just the Shuffle that's going downhill.
Anyone else recommend some other brand of MP3 player?
12-week layoff
I went through Eight... count 'em eight iPOD shuffle gen 2 in a span of 7 months. They simply stopped working. I only wrecked my warranty when number 8 broke down on a long run and I put it in my shorts poket then put it through the wash. Otherwise I probably would have made it to at least 12 iPODs under 1 warranty.
I had some last 1 month and two of them lasted less than 1 week. I think it was from the sweat. But it never set off the moisture sensor according to the "genius" I talked with each time. I started wearing my running hat inside out and reverse. Then I clipped the iPOD to the top of the brim where it would stay relatively dry. I looked like an idiot (even more than usual) but they tended to last longer that way. But even that was... well not very long.
I'm also interested in another brand that is more hardy. I'm done with iPODs.
Lazy idiot
Just to sit on the other side of this fence:
I've had a 2nd gen Shuffle for over two years now, wear it 2-3 times per week running, and I've not had a bit of trouble.
Sorry you guys have had less luck. Sounds like these really are hit or miss.
Tick tock
For what it's worth, I have run and biked with a 2nd Gen ipod shuffle for over a year. I have not been kind to it, and it has given me absolutely no problems.
Creator of RunForth | @robraux | shodless.com
I do have to give a thumbs up to the service bar. It's just that I can't afford the time to make the trip to the Apple store every 3-6 weeks.
I do realize I'm the far end of the bell curve. Nobody I know has had it as bad as me.
I had a first gen shuffle for FOUR years! Auctually, I used it for two, then gave it to a friend who bikes, who used it until just last Christmas. So you can have good luck. Two shuffles I bought since then have lasted less than a year. I still love my ipod, I just go with the Nano, since shuffles seem to be unreliable. I don't live near an Apple store, so returning to Apple was a headache.
I use and love the 8 GB Sansa Clip. Got mine at WalMart for $59, but looks like they no longer carry them and everyone else has them at $79+.
Pros:
Approximate size and "clipability" of the shuffle, but with a nice menu, playlist support etc.
Mine has been very durable in terms of sweat, rain, and the occasional drop
Con:
Doesn't work with the iTunes file format. Not a big deal for me as I use mp3's but a deal killer for many.
Good luck!
Do you know the feeling I know? When your legs have disappeared, and there is only your heart, your lungs, and your eyes skimming disembodied through the air? - Jeff
Imminent Catastrophe
I guess I'm another lucky one. I've had mine (2G) a couple of years now, being profusely sweated on and even dropped in a hot tub. It's still going strong.
Note: If it's not responding, you might try the iPod reset utility available from Apple. I've used that twice when I thought the shuffle was dead.
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
I guess I'm another lucky one. I've had mine (2G) a couple of years now, being profusely sweated on and even dropped in a hot tub. It's still going strong. Note: If it's not responding, you might try the iPod reset utility available from Apple. I've used that twice when I thought the shuffle was dead.
it was tried every time I took mine in. those genius guys are pretty smart (). They tried everything they could think of before giving me a new one. Yet six times in six months they gave me new ones for free.
I have an iPod touch that I used for running until my 1st one collected sweat in the charger slot even though it was in my running belt clip. I got that fixed under warranty somehow, I knew it was from sweat damage but they didn't see any signs of water damage so it was replaced within 24 hours which was NICE! But then I bought a 2gb clip, the way you upload music is great and all but I'm too used to iTunes.. I had to use the go-list playlist function every time I wanted to make a new one and that was annoying. It broke in my bedroom while I was in Mexico. I came home and somehow it broke while just sitting on my desk for 10 days. I just got a 3g shuffle and love it, been using it for about a month. I would've gotten the 4g but it didn't appeal to me for the extra money, since ear buds are too big for my ears.
mp3 players just seem to be hit and miss altogether. If you look up reviews for the Clip, so many are about how they just randomly break, and then there's plenty of people that say it's been going strong for years.
I think wearing my iPod today saved my life. I was running by a boat ramp when some dude loading his boat asked me to bring a paddle from his car to him. I didn't know what to say primarily because I didn't understand him so I just nodded, waved, and gave him a smile. Then I think he yelled something like "thanks for nothing" but I couldn't hear him because I was rocking out to some Flo Rida.
Obviously he was going to kill me with the paddle. Whew.
"Good-looking people have no spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter." - Lester Bangs
They said they wouldn't replace them anymore because they have the newer model out.
For me, they seem to break all the time.
I have a Sansa disk, too. But don't plug that up to an iMac. It isn't just that it won't play the iTunes format. The iMac breaks the device so that a PC won't recognize it anymore! FM radio still works, but you can't add or remove any songs.