• The smallest iPod model became even smaller in its second generation. The shuffle is the first iPod to use flash memory, which means that it is easily erasable and reprogrammable. The shuffle is the only iPod to have neither a display nor a scroll wheel. Its size, simplicity and durability make the shuffle the perfect iPod to accompany you on a job or on the go.
  
  

Size and Physical Design

• The second-generation iPod shuffle is easily distinguishable from the third-generation model by its rectangular shape and a round white circle on the right-hand side, which features all the navigation and volume buttons, including play, pause, forward, and backward. The third-generation iPod resembles the longer rectangular shape of the first shuffle but is lighter, thinner and smaller than the second-generation model. The third-generation shuffle has no buttons on it. You navigate through your music library with the controls on the headphones. Because of this new design, you can only use headphones that have the kind of buttons that come with the shuffle. The third-generation model also has a sturdy, mirror-polished steel clip with an Apple logo on it. Both come in a variety of colors and in metallic, but the third generation is the first to come in black.
  
  

Music Storage and Navigation

• The now-discontinued second generation came in both 1GB and 2GB sizes, which could hold approximately 250 and 500 songs respectively, depending upon the size of the song files. The third-generation iPod shuffle has twice the space and comes in either 2GB or 4GB size, with a capacity of up to 1,000 songs, depending upon the file size. Unlike the second generation, the third generation has voice-over technology that when activated will tell you the name of the song and artist that is playing at the time. You can also use it to tell you the title of the playlists you could sample. You can activate voice-over with your headphones without having to turn your head from whatever task you are doing. Because of its new features, the third-generation shuffle can play for 10 hours continuously, while the second-generation model can play for 12 hours.
  
  

Docking

• Neither the second- nor the third-generation iPod shuffle plugs directly into the USB plug the way that the first-generation shuffles did. Because of their smaller size, the second- and third-generation shuffles connect to your computer with USB cords that attach to the devices through the headphone jack. The second generation has a cradle within which it sits that connects to your computer through a USB port. The third generation just connects directly from the jack to the USB port.