the ipod shuffle

in the image the ipod shuffle 4g

First generation

Released on January 11, 2005, the first generation iPod Shuffle weighed 0.78 ounces (22 g) and was designed to be easily loaded with a selection of songs and to play them in random order. According to Apple, owners of existing iPods had often left the music selection to "shuffle", and the new iPod Shuffle was a way of implementing that in a much more cost-effective fashion. It relies on the use of an "autofill" feature in iTunes, which can select songs at random from a user's music library (or from a specific playlist) and copy as many as will fit into iPod Shuffle's memory. It can hold up to 240 songs (1 GB model, based on Apple's estimate, of four minutes per song and 128 kbit/s AAC encoding).

t lacks a display and the trademark scroll wheel, playlist management features, and is missing the games, address book, calendar, alarm, and notes capability of larger iPods; it cannot be used with iSync. Due to the codec not being ported, it is incapable of playing Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files.

The front of the iPod Shuffle has buttons for Play/Pause, Next Song/Fast Forward, Previous Song/Fast Reverse, and up and down volume adjustment. On the reverse, it has a battery level indicator light (activated by a button) and a three-position switch to turn the unit off or set it to play music in order or shuffled. It plugs directly into a computer's USB port (either 1.1 or 2.0), through which it also recharges its battery, which has an expected life of around 12 hours between charges. The USB plug is hidden beneath a cap. The unit also comes with a lanyard that attaches to the iPod Shuffle via an attached cap and this allows the user to wear the iPod Shuffle around his or her neck.


Second generation


A Second-generation iPod Shuffle in size-comparison to a Dell mouse.
On September 12, 2006, Apple announced the release of the second generation iPod Shuffle, calling it "the most wearable iPod ever". First shipments of the unit were slated for an October 2006 arrival, but actually started shipping on Friday, November 3, 2006. The new generation featured a lone 1 GB model in a silver brushed aluminum case similar to the second generation iPod Nano and the older iPod Mini.

On the second generation iPod Shuffle, USB connectivity is provided via an included piece of hardware which acts as a docking station for the transfer of data and the recharging of the iPod's internal battery through its headphone jack. The second generation iPod Shuffle is also able to act as a flash drive, just like the first generation iPod Shuffle. However, unlike the first generation iPod Shuffle, the second generation does not have a built-in USB connector. This means that the docking station is required for connection to a computer on the second generation model.
The second generation Shuffle can play MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), WAV and AIFF. Due to its low processing power the only iTunes-supported file format that the iPod does not support is Apple Lossless.[citation needed] Using large file sizes inherent of WAV or AIFF files will very quickly fill the device's low 1 GB capacity. iPod Shuffle cannot play music from music video files.

Third generation


A Third generation iPod Shuffle.

Wikinews has related news: Apple reveals new iPod shuffle with voice
The third generation iPod Shuffle was released on March 11, 2009 and is said by Apple to be "jaw-droppingly small" and "The first music player that talks to you" with dimensions of 45.2 x 17.5 x 7.8 mm (1.8 x 0.7 x 0.3 in). It is available with a silver or black brushed aluminum case similar to the second generation iPod Shuffle. This makes it the first iPod Shuffle that is available in black. It features VoiceOver technology that allows song names, artist names, album names and playlist contents and names to be spoken in 20 different languages using the Text-to-Speech incorporated in iTunes 8 and 9. It also has gained support for multiple playlists, in contrast to previous versions of the iPod Shuffle, which allowed only a single playlist.


A third generation iPod Shuffle with headphones.
The third generation iPod Shuffle features a polished steel attachment clip, adopting for the first time the polished steel finishing previously found only on the larger iPods, rather than the brushed aluminum used in the second-generation iPod Shuffle. It also no longer has volume or track controls on the device itself. Instead, the packaged iPod earbuds now include a three-button device on the right earbud cord. This adds the functions of changing between playlists, hearing the song title and artist of the track playing, as well as play/pause, track changes and volume control. It is not possible to change songs or volume with current third-party headphones, since they lack these controls. However, since the iPod Shuffle begins playing music automatically when it is turned on, third-party headphones may still be used in "autoplay" mode (with no volume or playback controls). Some future third-party headphones and headphone adapters will include full support for the iPod Shuffle. The official headphones contain a chip designed by Apple to control the device.

Fourth generation


iPod shuffle (fourth generation)
The fourth generation iPod Shuffle was announced on September 1, 2010. It features the return of clickable track and volume controls from the first two generations. The control pad is 18% larger than the second generation of iPod shuffle and the model also features VoiceOver from the third generation in twenty-five languages. It also features Genius and handles multiple playlists. They are currently being sold in 2 GB models with US pricing for the device announced to start at US$49. In the UK, the price is £39.

taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Shuffle