Dork with an Ipod

I bought one of these ishuffle things after scorning those around me that have had them. Their pompous smiles as they nod their heads to unknown music on the train make me crazy. Now I too place the iconic white earbuds in my head. It's only the size of a pack of gum, and weighs less. The controls are simple...very simple.

I love the stupid thing and it has quickly become a permanent fixture with me. Like my watch, my pda, and my wallet, i gotta have it with me. It's so easy to use, and the itunes software is written so well, that I cant help built gush guiltily about my purchase.

The sound quality is excellant, but the earphones slip out too much when I'm walking. I'm researching earphones with that metal band over your head. They sell an armband that will afix it to your arm so it wont get in the way when I lift ot jog. Despite marketing it as a random MP3 player, that is only a feature. It plays your music in the order you designate in your song list. I have the bottom rung version that still has an impressive 512MB of space. Typically it holds about 115 songs or so, which is 3x the music I need each day. Another nice thing is that after you turn it off it will pick up exactly where you left off, mid-song. This opens the door to 'books on tape'....another thing to obsess about.....

I'm already developing playlists for different moods, and downloading music every chance I get. My kids are trying to swindle it out of me but I gnash my teeth at them. They will have to scrounge their own $99 together for this purchase. I want them to invest their own dough so they will respect it and take care of it.

I'm a tech guy, and I have used a MAC for 15 years but have a PC as well. I dont however buy all of the BS that comes out of the Apple PR machine. The ishuffle however, it an elegant simple product, and finally at a resonable price. It's a gateway drug for a more robust ipod, and ipods are gateway drugs for Mac Computers. Apple is finally getting their shit together and will have some stability and Market Share for years to come.