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Posted: Mon, July 18, 2005
Using an iPod Shuffle for data storageby Sali Earls
The Shuffle works with the latest version of Apple's iTunes, and the ease of download, and sound quality are faultless. Although for 79p per track, the range of music available in the online Music Store is perhaps a little too tempting! But this is an itwales.com review, so while the iPod Shuffle is a top notch music player, I want to know how it works as a removable USB drive. Before using the iPod Shuffle with the computer, the first thing to do is install the iTunes software, and that process is straightforward and self-explanatory. Once complete, and with the computer restarted, you can use the iPod. The iPod Shuffle is basically a USB stick with playback features, so can be attached via the computer's USB connection, or via one of several Apple accessories. As soon as the iPod Shuffle is attached, the iTunes software launches automatically providing access to the stored music library, the online Music Store, and the removable drive capabilities. By connecting the iPod Shuffle to the computer, you are also charging its' battery, which has a life of at least 10 hours. Once the software has launched, you are automatically directed to the Music Store. Selecting the iPod from the Source List will then display the contents of the iPod, and allow you to access all the options associated with that iPod. 
The default setting of the iPod Shuffle means that the USB drive capability is disabled, but this preference can easily be edited, as can be seen below. 
We're looking at the options of the iPod, and you can see an option entitled "Enable Disk Use." Once ticked, the iPod automatically updates and you are able to use the allocated portion for data storage. This also means that the iPod Shuffle will appear in Windows Explorer (or Mac equivalent) as a removable drive. The slider below the tick box instructs iTunes how much space to leave empty for data when filling the iPod. This is a 1GB iPod Shuffle, which hold around 240 songs, and I've allowed space for 210 songs, leaving 124MB for data. 
Opening "My Computer" now shows the iPod as a removable drive, and you can drag and drop files to the iPod as you would with any other removable drive. Here you can see this article and some of the images saved to the iPod. 
I've now moved from home to the office, and will try the iPod with my office PC to see if I can access the files. The first thing that happens is that iTunes launches, and brings up the following window: 
The iPod is linked to iTunes on my home PC, and to use it with this PC for audio files would require removing all the files, which is something I don't want to do. However, checking "My Computer" shows the iPod as a removable drive, and from there I can access the files I stored at home. 
If using the iPod Shuffle for audio only, it can be removed once the audio files have been saved; but using as a removable drive requires ejecting it (on a Windows PC, this means clicking the Safely Remove Hardware icon, as with other removable drives) to avoid damaging the files. 
Once you decide that you would rather not use the iPod as a removable drive, simply return to iTunes on the associated computer and untick the "Enable Disk Use" box.
While the iPod Shuffle's predecessors have considerably higher capacities, the Shuffle is more adaptable to work for music and data. Unlike other iPods, the Shuffle does not require connection cables, and works equally well with Macs and PCs without the need for drivers or reformatting. However, using iTunes on one computer only does have its limitations. Being cheaper, smaller and more user friendly than other iPods (although more expensive per MB of storage), the iPod Shuffle is the most obviously adaptable of the iPod family for work and play. However, with data security being in the news constantly there are some serious considerations. 1GB of storage on a device no larger than a packet of chewing gum is a headache for business owners and CIOs, as disgruntled employees can easily take critical information from the organisation undetected. Devices like iPods are great fun, and the iPod Shuffle works extremely well in the audio and data storage functions, but businesses now need to incorporate the use of removable media by employees into their security policies, and ensure that all staff understand the implications, in order to protect the business and the critical data. For further information about Apple iPod Shuffle please visit www.apple.com/uk/ipodshuffle. |
The iPod Shuffle from Apple is a thing of beauty. Primarily an audio player, the Shuffle
is minimalist in the extreme, lacking the song display of it's bigger predecessors, instead simply boasting a play
/ pause button and four way button ring to select tracks and volume.|
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