Features and Design

As previously mentioned, the new 2nd gen iPod shuffle is small. It is approximately 1/3 the size of the recently released 2nd gen iPod nano. It’s thinner, narrower and weighs only a fraction of the nano. In comparison to the 1st gen shuffle, the new version comes in a sleek, brushed silver look – similar to the new iPod nano and the MacBook Pro. This conversion from the blanched white “stick of gum” design of the old shuffle is quite an improvement.

As with most products that Apple designs, the 2nd gen iPod shuffle is an engineering feat. Not only is the design gorgeous, it is a very functional device. Similarly sized MP3 players do exist, but I don’t feel they have the overall quality or the universal appeal that the iPod line has earned.

The buttons on the iPod shuffle are just about the right size. My fingers are a bit larger than average, and I was able to use each of the buttons without feeling ham-handed. The controls somehow feel just as suitable for a 9-year-old as they do for this 30-something writer.

The Top of the Apple iPod Shuffle

What’s up Dock?

One of the significant changes in design between the 1st and 2nd generation shuffles is the loss of the embedded USB connector. The 1st gen shuffles could act as portable USB memory keys, or be quickly plugged into a road-warrior’s laptop for charging or iTunes syncing with no external cables or docks. The 2nd gen shuffle cannot, because it has been reverse-gendered. The 2nd gen shuffle requires a tiny dock-dongle (included) to charge and synchronize music.

I have to give the dock-dongle a thumbs-down. When I first learned that the 2nd gen shuffle required the use of a dock-dongle, I was pretty disappointed. How terribly hard is it for Apple to use a female mini-USB port in the shuffle for data transfers and charging? Even my RAZR phone handles that. After receiving the shuffle by FedEx and personally seeing the dock-dongle, I can say that I am not quite as disappointed, but I am certainly not pleased. Now whenever I travel, I’ll have to bring the dock-dongle with me. What a pain. And if the dock-dongle gets lost or damaged? A potential $20 or $30 down the tubes. As of this writing, Apple store employees I spoke to are not aware of the availability of replacement dock-dongles.

The new shuffle can still be used as a memory device for storing important files, but one would have to carry the dock-dongle in order to access those files. I tested the data transfer rate of the shuffle by moving a 117MB video file from my iMac to the shuffle. It took 25 seconds. A 4MB file took 1 second. Not fantastic, but nothing to complain about.

Apple iPod Shuffle and the Dock-Dongle