Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
First-Generation iPod Shuffle Turns 14 Today
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That's bonkers there is no way to fit a decent sounding speaker into a shuffle (which is still smaller in volume than an Apple Watch) and keep the battery life up.
After watching the advertisement in the post above I felt a nostalgia for the “old apple”.. the apple that was passionate, driven, curios and inventive. And I’m not saying apple isn’t all of those things now, I’m just saying they’ve lost their spark. They’re not driven by reaction, by love for music or by their desire to make something new. Everything they make is driven by a desire to be the “first” or the “best”... they don’t do thing “just cuz they can” anymore. Think of the shuffle. Was it practice? Not really. Was it functional? Barely. I mean, you couldn’t see your songs, you couldn’t pick a song, you couldn’t even tell what song was being played. Literally all it did was serve up one song after the next in whatever order it chose, then gave you the option to replay or skip. It wasn’t made to be the best music player, or the best media device. It was made out of pure love of music and the desire to make it available for everyone to share that love of music.
I still have my original iPod shuffle in my desk. I usually bring it when I go backpacking to listen to music instead of draining my phones battery. I love that it has the USB port built in, so slick and straight forward. After that they got complicated and required docks and adapters.
I just found two of my old shuffles. Have the first gen somewhere...
Oh, how I miss the days when you could use your iPod as USB storage.
[doublepost=1547230637][/doublepost]
Oh, how I miss the days when you could use your iPod as USB storage.
[doublepost=1547230637][/doublepost]
The UBS was so simple. I had this one, and I also have the last one and the screen less one that clipped on which was the worst, because it had its own unique adapter cable. And no way in hell I'll ever find that thing now,
Recently gave all mine away to a colleague so that her kids could have music on the go without the need for an expensive device. They are still relevant today. Amazing devices.
Gotta agree with @AngerDanger, the First and Fourth Generations were the best.
Gotta agree with @AngerDanger, the First and Fourth Generations were the best.
I loved my first gen iPod Shuffle which replaced an iPod I had lost. It doubled as a USB stick for my school documents. The headphone jack eventually stopped working.
I like the 2nd over the 4th for the area for your thumb as well ✅
I was gifted a 3rd generation shuffle but never really used it as I found it confusing and I had a 4th generation nano that I loved and used all the time (and going just a bit smaller didn't seem to be much benefit). I'd say 2nd & 4th generation shuffles were probably the best designs though.
The fourth gen was my favorite. I mostly listen to music while running, so clipped that tiny thing to my hat with my sport headphone cable mostly tied up next to it. So convenient. Now I use my Apple Watch and the Aftershokz wireless headphones. Ideal combo for running! IMO of course. 
-----My family still has at least five or maybe six of the second-generation model in a couple different capacities that we all still use off and on.
Brilliant, I had the 2nd gen and 4th gen, loved them both. I only upgraded because I bent the headphone jack on the charging dock!
The 2nd and 4th gen were probably the best workout music devices I've ever owned. They were light and nearly indestructible. I could do bball shooting drills while wearing one. Bluetooth AirPods have replaced it in some scenarios.
I always liked the fourth gen's. It would have been perfect if memory was not a limitation back then, just as a standard audio player It wasan't without it's problems, but so is everthing they came out after it... Now, you have a display, weather you wanna use it, or not.
AAC/MP3 only players are a dying breed. I
AAC/MP3 only players are a dying breed.
II still have my first gen! Works great. My pre-teen lashed it up with a pair of headphones a while back. Now he just uses it when we won't let him use his phone. =P I'm looking at a fourth generation Shuffle right here! Needs a charging cable I think.
My son also turns 14 today. I'm not sure what's more difficult to comprehend - having a 14 year old son, or a 14 year old iPod shuffle that still works!!
The first gen shuffle was my first Apple device. Someone had gave it to me and I was in love with it’s simplicity immediately. After that a PowerBook and the rest is history.
The first generation iPod shuffle was my very first iPod. I used it for years until the headphone jack stopped working 100% of the time, and the charger port started to come loose! Still works otherwise, as far as I know, but I took it out of regular use at that time because it was so fragile.
Now, I've got all of the different shuffles. I think I like the 4th generation the best from a usability standpoint, but I do miss using my 1st generation shuffle a lot.
Now, I've got all of the different shuffles. I think I like the 4th generation the best from a usability standpoint, but I do miss using my 1st generation shuffle a lot.