Guide Note

The iPod Shuffle is a flash-based portable music player from Apple. It is a smaller, more affordable model of the regular iPod.

Fast Facts

1. Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
2. Models: First Generation - 512 MB, 1 GB. Second Generation - 1 GB
3. Price: $79.00
4. Colors: White, Silver, Pink, Green, Blue, and Orange
5. Connectivity: USB 2.0
6. Released: 2005
7. No display

The first generation iPod Shuffle came out on January 11, 2005. The device plays music at random and can store about 240 songs. It is shaped like a pack of gum, only smaller, and has no display or play list management features. It simply has buttons for Play/Pause, Next Song/Fast Forward, Previous Song/Fast Reverse, and volume control. Play can be set to go in order or to shuffle songs. The original price of the first generation was $99 for the 512 MB model and $149 for the 1 GB model.

The second generation iPod shuffle was released in late 2006. The new models were all 1 GB that sold for $79 in the United States. The new version was less than half the size of the first generation and could be clipped to clothing. The model comes with a USB dock to transfer data through a headphone jack.

Apple released a variety of colored iPod shuffles in September, 2007. The price of the second generation iPod Shuffle dropped to $49 in 2008. A 2 GB version was also released, retailing for $69.