 The five available colors of the iPod shuffle: Silver, Blue, Green, Red, Pink | |
| Developer | Apple |
|---|---|
| Generation | 2nd |
| Release date | September 12, 2006 |
| Introductory price | Varies |
| Discontinued | September 9, 2009 |
| Units sold | ---- |
| CPU | Apple did not publicly say which processor is used in this iPod. |
| Memory | ---- |
| Storage | 1GiB, 2GiB |
| Display | None |
| Successor | iPod shuffle (3rd Generation) |
| ARBL | 12 hours MP3/AAC playback |
| Battery | 450 mAh Li-Po |
| External Interface | 3.5mm Headphone Jack for Charging & Sync |
| Maximum capacity | This iPod has no(or at least no easy) option to upgrade the storage. |
On September 12th, 2006 Apple introduced the new second-generation iPod Shuffle. The iPod shuffle 2nd gen was a departure from the USB-style 1st generation design. This new iPod shuffle featured the clip-style look that would remain for the rest of the shuffle's lifespan. It also introduced the unique functionality of charging and syncing through the auxiliary port (AUX to USB). Apple called it the “Most wearable iPod ever” and “World’s smallest MP3-player”.
The very first model was a 1GB model in a silver (brushed) aluminum case, the same material used in the 2nd generation iPod Nano and the 1st- and 2nd generation of iPod Mini.
The iPod Shuffle 2nd generation was much smaller than it’s previous generation, being smaller than even half of the previous generation of iPod Shuffle.
The iPod Shuffle was also a first for Apple as it is the very first and last iPod to feature FAT32-support and defaulting to FAT32.
Iterations
The 2nd generation iPod shuffle had multiple iterations:
On January 30th, 2007, Apple announced the addition of four new colors to the iPod Shuffle line - pink, orange, green, and blue, in addition to the original silver color. This “update” to the lineup also brought new redesigned earphones which the previous models did not include.
On September 5th, 2007, Apple again refreshed the iPod Shuffle with four new colours. The new colors were lavender, mint green, turquoise, and (PRODUCT)RED. Apple discontinued all previous (colour) options.
On February 19th, 2008, Apple introduced a 2GB variant of the iPod shuffle. Everything else including color options stayed the same.
On September 9th, 2008, at the “Let’s Rock”-event, Apple introduced four new colours: blue, green, pink and (PRODUCT)RED. Apple has also discontinued all previous (colour) options yet again, making these colours the only ones available.
In June of 2009, Avon offered anyone who bought 2 ANEW skin care products a special edition gold iPod shuffle.
Shipping
The iPod shuffle 2nd generation was expected to ship in October 2006. Due to unknown reasons the iPod shuffle only started to ship on November 3rd, 2006.
Colors and pricing
The second generation iPod Shuffle had multiple iterations. Each new iteration had different colors (and different prices)available:
- Late 2006
-Silver
-($79, 1GiB)
- Early 2007
-Silver
-($79, 1GiB)
-Green
-($79, 1GiB)
-Blue
-($79, 1GiB)
-Pink
-($79, 1GiB)
-Orange
-($79, 1GiB)
- Late 2007
-Silver
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Light Blue
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Light Green
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Purple
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-(PRODUCT)RED
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
- Late 2008
-Silver
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Blue
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Green
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-Pink
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
-(PRODUCT)RED
-($49, 1GiB)
-($69, 2GiB)
Controls
The power/shuffle/no shuffle switch from the first-generation version was separated into two controls to avoid an accidentally selected mode of operation.
On the second-generation iPod Shuffle, USB connectivity is able to be used by an included docking station, charging the device and synchronising with iTunes which used the 3.5mm headphone jack. The 2nd iPod Shuffle was also able to act as a (flash) storage device, just like the original iPod Shuffle. However, unlike the original iPod Shuffle this model needed an extra cable or docking station to connect to a computerw
Audio formats
The 2nd generation Shuffle could play multiple audio formats such as: MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC, Audible (2, 3 and 4), WAV and AIFF. Due to the (underpowered) hardware, the iPod Shuffle cloudn’t play ALAC (Apple Lossless).
Discontinuation
The 2GB variant of the 2nd generation iPod Shuffle was discontinued on March 11th, 2009 while the 1GB version sticking around until September 9th, 2009.