iLounge

Company: XtremeMac

Website: www.XtremeMac.com

Model: SuperClip

Price: $14.95

Compatible: iPod shuffle

XtremeMac SuperClip

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By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Friday, April 22, 2005
Category: Clips and Guards - iPod shuffle

Pros: A simple iPod shuffle belt clip.

Cons: Can only be positioned horizontally. Pricey for such a simple piece of plastic, given competing options, can’t be used with an encased shuffle.

If you’re one of the people who think that the iPod shuffle is “disposable,” XtremeMac’s new SuperClip ($14.95) might be right for your needs. It offers a simple way to attach your iPod shuffle to clothes or a bag without offering protection or other features in the process.

SuperClip is a lightweight but reasonably resilient single piece of white glossy plastic that clips onto your shuffle with a rectangular mount, then onto your clothes or bag with an integrated rounded clip. The plasic is accented only by two gray rubber interior pads to prevent scuffing or slippage of your shuffle, and some small extruded white lines on the inside of its clip and outside surface that grip whatever else it’s attached to.

The good news is that it works. SuperClip is easy enough to attach and remove to an unencased shuffle, but once snapped in place, your shuffle won’t slide around or risk falling out. You have full access to the iPod’s rear controls when it’s attached, if it’s positioned properly, which is to say a little off-center. And though the one-piece clothes clip is very simplistic, most notably lacking the hinge found in several iPod shuffle clips, it’s not easy to break and does a fine job of staying put on typical fabrics.

Our only issues are obvious ones. SuperClip’s design only mounts your iPod horizontally rather than vertically, an orientation we’ve also seen in DLO’s Action Jacket clip and Bruddy’s ShuffleMate, both of which can also be turned and positioned vertically. And at $14.95, the simple SuperClip tests the limits of what iPod shuffle owners will be willing to pay for a single piece of white plastic with some rubber pads. It’s a hint cheaper than Bruddy’s competing ShuffleMate, but it’s a lot simpler.

The SuperClip is a classic B- product - just shy of our recommendation, but people who are willing to pay the price and live with its functional limitations will like it. In this case, there’s nothing seriously wrong with XtremeMac’s design, but we’ve seen other comparably priced options and pack-ins to cases that we ‘ve liked more.