Life is not so Random

In November, I wanted a pure RAM-based MP3 player (the iPod mini has a tiny-tiny hard drive) so that I could run with it. I had tried using my iPod, but it kept conking out on me about 10-15 minutes into my run (which is very annoying if you're out for 45-60 minutes).

So when Apple announced the iPod shuffle in January, I knew I wanted one. Luckily, I was able to pick one up that week at the San Francisco Apple Store. I was a bit reluctant about the whole "no screen" thing, but all the players were pretty bad and I was hoping Apple's user-interface skills would come through.

The short story is that basically they have made an incredible product. I don't miss the screen from my iPod, in fact, I don't really miss my iPod that much. You put on your favorite music and just play it. Best of all, throw it into shuffle mode and it will shuffle the songs around for you.

Apple's ad states is "Life is Random".

Well -- not quite so Random. I've got 267 songs on my iPod shuffle and keep it in shuffle mode when it is on. What I've noticed is that the same songs seem to be repeating themselves. Now, I'm no math expert, but I'm thinking hearing the same pattern after 40-50 songs is not "random".