March 13th, 2009

iPod shuffle 3G dissected

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 6:56 am

Categories: Take Apart, iPod shuffle

Tags: Gram, Apple iPod, Shuffle, Battery, Apple iPod Shuffle, iFixIt.com, Engineering, 3G, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics

iFixIt.com has disassembled the iPod Shuffle 3rd generation and notes that while it’s not the most exciting device that Apple’s introduced recently, the photos unveil its inner beauty.

Interesting points:

• Normal headphones can be used without any adapters, except that the user cannot do anything except play music (no pause or volume control).
• The battery is extremely tiny — about the size of a dime — and consequently has a paltry capacity of 73 mAh. That’s less than half the size of the batteries used in previous shuffles.
• The weight of the entire shuffle is less than 11 grams, but the headphones add another 9 grams.
• The rear cover and clip weigh as much as the rest of the shuffle.
• With the casing removed, the electronics and battery weigh only 4 grams, less than the weight of a single sheet of paper.
• There is only one screw in the shuffle.
• The shuffle is not too challenging to open, but the rear cover can deform easily if the user is not careful while opening it.