'Talking' iPod Shuffle spills guts
Player disassembled in pictures
Want to see the inside of Apple's new iPod Shuffle? Those crazy take-everything-to-bits guys at iFixit.com have pulled one apart to satisfy your curiosity.
The bundled USB cable shows just how small the new Shuffle is
Images courtesy iFixit.com
The disassembly reveals that most of the Shuffle's innards is battery. It's no surprise, that, since that was also the case with the 2G Shuffle. Once again, the battery's cable is soldered to the motherboard.
Cracking the case
The data on the battery reveal it's a 73mAh job - the smallest Apple's put into an iPod, iFixit says, and the reason why the new Shuffle has a shorter runtime than its predecessor: ten hours to the 2G's 12 hours.
The business end of the Shuffle comprises a single chip package that contains an ARM processor, a small amount of Ram and the player's 4GB of song-storing Flash.
All the parts, laid bare
You can see the full set of piccies at iFixit.com here. ®
COMMENTS
@ EFF is full of it
You can argue symantics all you like, but it is still an attempt by Apple to lock people into using their hardware only (or approved hardware). Sure there's a bit of media spin, saying that it will protect the consumer from shonky quality gear, bears and paedophiles, but at what price? The standard gear is rubbish, the aftermarket is better, but will cost even more once licencing fees are paid to apple.
Out of the box you get a music player that is tied to 1 PC, using 1 software package, and can only be listened to using 1 set of headphones. What if I simply want to plug it into an amp/speakers/car head unit?
So much for the old Apple catch cry of "It just works"
@Eff is full of it
"It's a rather simple scheme where two contacts (iPhone uses these for the mic) are bridged with a resistor if yo push a button. Simple to replicate by any 3rd party, as has already been done numerous times for the iPhone kit."
I don't believe you, I do believe the iLounge people because Apple has done this repeatedly with the docks and because of my personal bad bad bad experience with the Touch and it's damn iTunes lock.
Apple and it's chips are why this video cable costs $40:
http://www.techfresh.net/ezgear-releases-video-cable-for-new-ipods/
Also because the same socket supports USB and so I assume it is digital.
Myself I hope this is a big flop, $80 for a device that can't plug into speakers, has no screen and will cost an extra $30 to simply buy a cable with an authentication chip in it to let you plug it into speakers, or a car MP3 player or an amp? Am I supposed to carry this cable everywhere too, or do they expect me to 3 or 4 and leave them in my car/speakers/amp???
What a piece of junk.
EFF is full of it
@AC: There is nothing 'digital' about the remotes in recent Apple headphone cords. EFF is talking absolute nonsene. The "authentication chip" is completely made up by an iLounge editor who really should know better; in any case he could have had he taken an Ohmmeter to the device.
It's a rather simple scheme where two contacts (iPhone uses these for the mic) are bridged with a resistor if yo push a button. Simple to replicate by any 3rd party, as has already been done numerous times for the iPhone kit.
There is nothing Digital, and nor Rights/Restrictions Management about these things. Pplenty to complain about in the new Nano but not this.
Eff is complaining
Apparently it's not a simple control either, it needs a special security chip:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/03/apple-adds-still-more-drm-ipod-shuffle
So this would be the first MP3 player that you need to buy special kit to plug it into any amplifier, any car MP3 plug, any speakers.
I own an iPod Touch and it's a nightmare. It only works through iTunes, iTunes is constantly upgraded, installs all manner of USB drivers and network drivers, your iPod needs to be matched to the version of iTunes you use, so when you try to get your files off it, you find you cannot.
It's a DRM disaster! By the sound of this, this shuffle is a new low in DRM locking. DO NOT BUY IT. What use is an iPod that cannot be plugged into an audio system?
