iPod shuffle is a digital audio player for iPod designed and sold by Apple Computer. It was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005, using the slogan “life is random.” Instead of storing data on a hard drive, it was the first iPod to use flash memory (the newer iPod nano also uses this form of memory). It weighs 22 grams (0.78 ounces).
General description
The back of an iPod shuffle iPod shuffle is designed to easily load a selection of songs and play them in random order. It was found that existing iPod owners had often left music selection to “shuffle,” and the new iPod shuffle was a way to implement that in a much more cost-effective way. It is based on the use of an “autocomplete” feature in iTunes, which can randomly select songs from a user’s music library (or a specific playlist) and copy as many as will fit into iPod shuffle’s memory. It can store up to 240 songs (1GB model, according to Apple’s estimate, four minutes per song and 128kbit / s AAC encoding).
It lacks the trademark display, scroll wheel, playlist management features, games, address book, calendar, and memo capabilities of older iPods, and cannot be used with iSync. Also, it is unable to play Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files, unlike other iPod models due to its lower processing power. Interestingly, iPod shuffle has better bass sound quality than its larger iPod types, according to a review. Also, unlike all other iPods, it cannot be used with two separate iTunes libraries.
iTunes offers some new features for iPod shuffle. One is the ability to lower the song bit rate to 128 kbit / s AAC. The conversion is done automatically, with the original file untouched on the computer and the smallest (lowest bit rate) file sent to iPod shuffle. iTunes also allows you to view and change an iPod shuffle playlist while the unit is not connected; The next time the unit is connected, you can update it with the modified playlist.
iPod shuffle without the cover to show the USB connector. The cap fits onto the unit. IPod shuffle comes with a second cap on a lanyard that the user can wear around their neck. The front of iPod shuffle has buttons for Play / Pause, Next Song / Fast Forward, Previous Song / Fast Backward, and volume up and down 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 randomly. It connects directly to a computer’s USB port (1.1 or 2.0), through which it also recharges its battery, which has an estimated lifespan of around 12 hours between charges. The USB plug is hidden under a cover. The unit also comes with a lanyard that connects to iPod shuffle through an attached cap and this allows the user to wear iPod shuffle around their neck.
IPod shuffle can also be used as a USB flash drive. iTunes allows the user to set how much of the drive will be allowed to store files and how much will be used to store music.
iPod shuffle size
Accessories
Speck Products iPod shuffle Case (Green) Both Apple and other manufacturers offer a variety of accessories for iPod shuffle. Apple offers things like armband accessories (so it can be worn on the arm), a sports case that protects iPod shuffle from the elements, and an iPod shuffle dock that allows for an easier connection to a computer, similar to docking units. Dock available for normal iPod and iPod mini. Third-party manufacturers offer things like protective and decorative sleeves for iPod shuffle, belt clips, AC and DC power plugs, headphones, and FM transmitters.
software
The main program that iPod shuffle supports is iTunes, which is included with the product and can be updated from the Apple website.
Users can download music from an online music store and use iTunes software to load it onto the device.
Impact
The iPod shuffle was announced at the same time as the Mac mini. Like iPod shuffle, Mac mini is a small product that has been introduced at a lower price. These two products together can be seen as a conscious effort by Apple’s management to target a low-end market and increase visibility in the mass market. Previously, the success of the Apple iPod and especially the iPod mini had been undermining the market for inexpensive flash players, causing flash players in early 2005 to account for less than half the market share they had in 2004. However, the original and the mini iPods were expensive and the shuffle was intended to make the iPod accessible to the general audience.
By April 2005, at the end of Apple’s fiscal second quarter, the iPod shuffle had already proven to be a successful product for its manufacturer. Although Apple has chosen not to specify how many iPod shuffles were sold in the first three months of the product’s existence, analysts at Piper Jaffray estimated that 1.8 million of the 5.3 million iPods sold in the second quarter were random. NPD estimates that iPod shuffle captured 43% of the flash-based music player market in February 2005, after only its second month of existence.
Chew and eat
Due to its small size (8.38 × 2.49 × 0.84 cm or 3.3 × 0.98 × 0.33 inches), the Apple website declared iPod shuffle “smaller than a pack of gum and much more fun, “with the footnote on his American website:” Don’t eat iPod shuffle. ” As of September 29, 2005, the footnote has disappeared from the US website; however, it remains on several international sites.
The UK and Ireland site had a slightly modified version: “Do not chew iPod shuffle”, while some other versions of the site, such as the Canadian, French and German versions, did not mention this. These warnings have since been removed.
Critics
PC World was the first to report an issue with iPod shuffles inexplicably stopping working normally, only to flash orange and green lights and become unmountable. However, there has yet to be an official acknowledgment of the problem by Apple.
“Super shuffle”
“Super Shuffle” by Luxpro. In March 2005, at the CeBIT trade show, a Taiwanese company called Luxpro launched Super Shuffle, which is strikingly similar to iPod shuffle. Luxpro also released promotional and commercial shots identical to Apple’s ad campaign to promote its player, which includes a voice recorder and FM tuner and is slightly thicker. According to some individual reports, Apple tried to prevent Super Shuffle from being shown on display by forcing legal pressure on Luxpro. Since the CeBIT event, various media outlets have claimed that the Super Shuffle demo was a publicity stunt designed by Luxpro to “harness the media attention created by Apple for their benefit.” Engadget claims that Luxpro never intended to manufacture the knockoff iPod shuffle, but rather hoped that the attention of the Super Shuffle and Apple’s inevitable legal challenge would help sell the company’s electronic circuitry for digital music players. Luxpro has since replaced its website on the Super Shuffle with a description of a new model, called the Super Tangent, which is identical to the Super Shuffle, except for a few cosmetic changes. Still, the Super Tangent generated so much controversy that CNET Asia published a shootout between the iPod shuffle and its infamous copycat cousin.