The iPod shuffle is an iPod digital audio player which was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005, with the tagline "Life is random." It uses a flash drive instead of a hard drive, and weighs 0.78 ounces (22 grams).
Two models were initially made available:
- 512MB, for US$99
- 1GB, for US$149
The iPod shuffle can hold up to 240 songs (based on Apple's estimate, of 4 minutes per song and 128Kbps AAC encoding). It plugs directly into a computer's USB port so that iTunes can load it with music.
It lacks a display and the playlist management features of earlier iPods; it can be loaded with up to 240 songs (according to Apple's estimate) which it will play in random order. It has buttons for Play/Pause, Forward, and Back, and louder/softer volume adjustment.