IPod Shuffle 2nd Gen -- Great design, awful ear buds.

Bought my first iPod. Decided to get the new 2nd gen Shuffle because of the size. 1GB capacity is fine for going out for a run or doing some other short-term activity.
There was great thought in the unit's design -- easy to operate on the street without having looking at the unit. But there seems to have been little thought about the ear buds.
First, the sound quality is not what it should be. Quite mediocre. Doesn't speak well for Apple, as substance doesn't follow form here. The ultimate purpose for this unit is listening to music, and using the ear buds provided is not an ultimate experience. Why Apple doesn't offer better quality buds is hard to understand, since they are 50% of the product. If I had the opportunity to listen to the device first, I probably would not have bought it.
Second, there is no clip to hold the upper end of the ear buds to your shirt. Try taking the buds off to talk to someone or do some other activity that requires unobstructed ears. There's no place for the buds to go or hang from. Stuffing them into your pocket or slinging them over your shoulder is hardly an elegant solution. Don't think anyone from Apple actually tried to use these things on the street. A small clip to hold them to your shirt would have been a sufficient solution. Apple could have easily put a small clip on the slider that keeps the wires untangled.
Looking through the forums, it seems that most iPod customers are resigned to buying third party ear buds to get an acceptable acoustic experience. And Apple seems content with this. Too bad.
Windows XP Pro
Windows XP Pro

this forum is for 1st gen shuffles. thou have never had problem with my earbuds. they sound great.

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I bought an ipod shuffle 2nd gen a few years ago. tried setting it up got bored and never tried again. really wat to use it now but i dont know how. any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I bought an ipod shuffle 2nd gen a few years back. i did try to set it up at the time but found it hard (i was young and impatient!!) got bored and never tried again. I really would love to start using it now, but i dont know how....please help!!!

Hello emmalemonjuice,
Why not take a look and make use of your iPod's User Guide?
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPod_shuffle_Features_Guide.pdf
B-rock

IPod Shuffle (2nd Gen) - All Appears Well, but No Music Plays through Buds

I recently purchased yet another iPod Shuffle (2nd Gen), after frying the 1st one. This one synched and played well for about a month. Recently during a run it stopped playing. I assumed it needed to be charged. I fully charged. iTunes recognizes it - and displayed all my music. However, it still wouldn't play any music through the ear buds. I tried the reset (toggle on / off hold) - didn't work. I put it back on iTunes and reset it back to factory settings, reloaded it with music, iTunes still recognizes it, yet still won't play. It appears to be functioning properly - except for the "playing of music" part. iTunes recognizes it, the music is displayed in iTunes. When I turn the shuffle on the light glows green, then goes out. When I push the volume up or down - the green light blinks once for each push. When I push the skip forward or back button the green light blinks once for each push. No orange lights anywhere. But no music plays. Please help!!

Just thought I'd post to say that I'm having the same problem.
Everything appears to be normal with my shuffle: iPod syncs, all the lights are doing what they're supposed to be doing, I can see the music I put on the shuffle.
I too went back to factory settings, reloaded tunes, etc. etc. I have also checked both the earbuds I'm using (they work) and tried the shuffle with other earbuds (earbuds I tested elsewhere and which also work)... no sound.
Is it possibly related to the recent iTunes software update 8.0.2 (20)? I ran it on Friday and things were fine on my shuffle immediately after. But the next time I tried to use it -- no sound.
That update is the only change I can think of that my shuffle experienced proximate to the problem.

Does the iPod Shuffle (2nd Gen) need to be fully charged...

Does the iPod Shuffle (2nd gen) need to be fully charged (green light) to appear in my iTunes. I just bought one on eBay... not sure if it works. It's plugged into the USB port and the light is orange (solid, not blinking).
Should I expect it to turn green before it will show up as a Device in my iTunes?

So, the issue on this one was that I was not plugged directly into my computer - I was using a usb hub. Once I removed the hub and put the ipod shuffle (2nd G) directly into my hard drive it opened up iTunes and I was able to synch. It never did show a green light, until I unplugged it and put the ear buds in, turned on the "on" switch and there was a green light. I hope this helps someone else.

My ipod shuffle 2nd gen suddenly stops playing music after 15-20 mins.First it flashes green light and then flashes red light rapidly. Any solution to this ?

My ipod shuffle 2nd gen suddenly stops playing music after 15-20 mins.First it flashes green light and then flashes red light rapidly. Any solution to this ?

A 2nd gen shuffle is about six year old at this point. The likely cause is a battery that is worn out, with greatly reduced capacity or inability to hold a charge. The initial green light shows a good charge. The red light means the battery is drained.
Since the shuffle still appears in iTunes, you can try doing a Restore in case the cause is related to corrupted software on the shuffle. The Restore button is on the shuffle's Settings screen in iTunes. This will erase the shuffle, re-install its software, and set it to default settings.
Also, when the light becomes red and the shuffle stops playing, try turning OFF the shuffle for at least ten seconds. Then, turn it back ON. This resets the shuffle. Does it play again? If it does, let it play until it no longer plays again. Repeat turning it OFF and ON until it no longer plays. Then, connect it to power and charge it to full. See if that makes any difference.
If that does not help, the solution is to replace the battery. If you have a repair shop do it, the cost is probably uneconomical, compared to the cost of a brand new 4th gen shuffle ($50) that has more features, and a new set of headphones, plus a one-year warranty.
If you are good at such things, this web site has repair guides
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_Shuffle

Will iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen work with 1st Gen USB Power Adapter?

Hi.
I have the iPod USB Power Adapter (M9837ZM/A) and was wondering if it will also work with the iPod shuffle 2nd Gen?
Mine only lists the original shuffle (naturally) and I just realized that Apple apparently re-designed the USB Power Adapter (MB051LL/A), which does list the 2nd Gen shuffle (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=E82 45892&nplm=MB051LL/A).
Does anyone know if I can use my power adapter with my new 2nd Gen shuffle?
Thanks!

Will I be still pleasantly surprised when my iPod is fried?
So, what you're saying is, that whatever happens, it cannot do harm to the iPod?
If that's so, i'll give it a try.

IPod shuffle(2nd gen) is not recognised by Windows XP

I instaled iTunes software from the website
and transfered the songs to the iPod.
When i unpluged the iPod and turned it ON, the green light on one side is glowing continuously.
I neither responded to any of the button press.
When I plugged it in again, the system was not able to recognise the device.
Do help me resolve the issue.
Thanks in advance
Einstine A J
iPod shuffle 2nd Gen Windows XP
Windows XP

Hello,
I had a similar problem. I posted my problem in this link:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=836301&tstart=0
Would you read that and see if it sounds like something you're experiencing? If so maybe we can both scream for help on here at the same time, and get some answers!

Ipod shuffle 2nd Gen- Not Recognised by Windows 8.1 Laptop

Hi All,
I have HP Laptop with .... Windows 8.1 / 4gb RAM / Intel i3 / 64-bit, i am trying to connect my Ipod shuffle (2nd gen) to laptop but its failed in Itunes (i got updated one) as well as in Windows..
at the same time, the same ipod i can connect and use at windows XP computer.
is anyone there to help me out.
Thanks in advance.
Regards
Rahul

Unfortunately, I use a Mac; I'm not a day-to-day Windows user... When you connect your USB flash drive, it should appear as a device in a Windows view, like the one you provided as a screenshot. When you connect your shuffle, if things are working normally, the shuffle should similarly appears as a device. Whether it is recognized as an iPod or not, it should appear as a device. If it does not, that means the USB (3.0) port (on your laptop) does not see that you have connected the shuffle. If it does (appear in Windows), that's good news. You may be able to trouble-shoot and fix the problem, using this document
iPod: Appears in Windows but not in iTunes - Apple Support
I suggested trying a self-powered USB 2.0 hub (if you have one), because the hub should be recognized as a device by Windows. In the screenshot, it looks like there are two hubs already connected ("Generic USB Hub"), unless that is something internal that is identified as a "hub." If a hub is older and works with the shuffle, then your laptop may be able to connect to the shuffle through the hub.
Here are two other things you can try.
(1) You said the shuffle still works with your older PC. Connect it to iTunes on that computer, and go to the shuffle's Settings screen (select shuffle in iTunes). There is a checkbox for Enable disk use. Check that box and Apply. With this setting enabled, the shuffle acts like a USB flash drive (to Windows). Maybe that will let Windows see it, and then iTunes will also see it (as an iPod). NOTE: When disk use is enabled, you need to Eject the iPod in iTunes before physically disconnecting it, because the iPod's disk is continuously mounted by the system.
(2) If the above does not help, connect it to iTunes on the older PC, and do a Restore on the shuffle. This will erase the iPod, reinstall its software, and set it to default settings.
Restoring iPod to factory settings - Apple Support
It's a long shot, but maybe there is some kind of odd data corruption on the shuffle's storage that is causing the laptop to not see it (even though the old PC can see it fine). After doing the Restore on the older PC, connect it to the laptop.

My ipod shuffle (2nd gen) doesn't appear to be charging anymore

my ipod shuffle (2nd gen) doesn't appear to be charging anymore. Have tried different usb ports, etc. The computer does not recognize it as being plugged in.

I just had that same problem. I also have my iPod touch but i also want to use this for many other reasons... SOMEBODY HELP!!!

Ipod shuffle 2nd gen in the colour GOLD ???

dear community, i´m just wondering about a shuffle 2nd gen in the colour GOLD. i bought it new and sealed in the usa via ebay but couldn´t find any information that apple ever produced the 2nd gen ipod shuffle in this colour. it isn´t gold plated but "gold coloured" (like the silver one but in gold ). can anyone tell me something about this item. thanks a lot thomas

These web pages show all the 2nd gen iPod shuffle colors
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ipod/specs/ipod-2nd-generation-shuffle-fiv e-colors-specs.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ipod/specs/ipod-2nd-generation-shuffle-col ors-late-2007-specs.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ipod/specs/ipod-2nd-generation-shuffle-col ors-late-2008-specs.html
The closest one to "gold" is the orange one on the first link above.
Edit: But I do see some when I search on "gold ipod shuffle 2nd gen" that look distinctly different from the orange one.

IPod Shuffle 2nd Gen overrides my playlist order

Goal: copy 8 (or whatever number) podcasts onto my iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen (silver, 1 Gig), in a specific order.
What actually happens: everything looks good, but when I eject the iPod and listen to the tracks, or when I reconnect the iPod, the tracks have been rearranged into a different specific order (it seems to be "album order" - that is, when I click on the Album Order column, the sort doesn't change).
The iPod's shuffle button is not in shuffle mode, nor is the shuffle button in iTunes. I've completely Reset the iPod using the latest update of iPod reset utility. I've tried copying songs onto the pod one at a time, or a whole bunch at a time, or using Autofill. With each method, I am able to copy all of the tracks onto the iPod, and have them show up in the right order. Inevitably, when I listen to them, or reconnect the iPod, they're back in the same wrong order that the iPod seems to prefer.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Rob Strong

Ok, my update: I figured out how to name every podcast in the Sort Name field, as suggested. I was able to enter numbers in each field. Problem #1: I numbered them 1-49 (49 podcasts). But, the field sorts all the 1s, then all the 2s, etc. So, I had to renumber 1-19 as 1-10, then 101, 102, etc. That solved that problem. In future, I will try 01, 02, etc.
And so, in my podcast playlist, they were organized in the order I wanted them, sorted on the Sort Name column by my numbers. Good. Then I tranferred them to the iPod. I also have music on the iPod, so the podcasts all appeared at the end of my list - #72 and on. I like putting them at the top of the list, so I know where they are and can find them, I dragged the whole 49 up to the top of the list. Everything looked fine.
But, just as Robert reports and as I have experienced over and over again, when I went to listen to the iPod, THE ORDER WAS REJIGGED AGAIN, according to whatever order it is that the iPod likes! (But only the podcasts were re-ordered, within themselves; the music files still started after podcast #49.)
Can anyone help?

Ipod Shuffle 2nd Gen won't turn on

Hey,
Just recently found my mom's unused Ipod Shuffle 2nd Gen, sealed, not opened and still in the box. So i wanted to check it out see if it works, it connected to the computer just fine, put all the music on, charged fully and the green light was on while it was connected to the computer, the problem is as soon as i unplugged the ipod from the computer it wont respond the the on and off switch, its suppose to give out a green light when its on right? i dont see any.
Can anyone tell me what the problem is here?
Thanks

Lithium-ion batteries, if left in a completely discharged state for an extended period, can become unable to hold a charge. That 2nd gen shuffle has been sitting in its unopened box for about five or six years. If that's the case here, it operates fine while getting power from the USB port, and appears to charge, but it is unable to hold that charge when disconnected from power. Therefore, nothing happens when you move the power switch. Here is a document from Apple about batteries
http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.html
(see Long Term Storage section)
You can try doing a Restore on the shuffle in iTunes, in case the problem is related to software. The Restore button is on the shuffle's Settings screen, when it is selected in iTunes.

IPod Shuffle 2nd gen and Mac problem/troubleshooting guide

Ok, warning this is going to be a little long...
The problem: Brand spanking new out of the box ipod shuffle 2nd gen won't play songs after ipod assistant setup. Flashing green/orange lights. Also will not update or restore (greyed out). Shows up as formatted for Windows. Software and Serial show up as "n/a".
System specs: Powerbook G4 17inch 1ghz, 1gb RAM, 10.4.9 running iTunes 7.1.1
Attempted solutions that have NOT worked:
1) mac retail store visit to genius bar. it restored on mactel machine. worked and played songs. unfortunately resyncing to my library caused ipod to return to problems above immediately.
2) another mac retail store visit to genius bar, this time with laptop to show them the problem. they told me it was my machine not the shuffle. i explained i am a mac sys admin and that is ridiculous...my machine though a few years old is completely up to date. we then deleted all receipts out of the Library dealing with iTunes and reinstalled iTunes via software update. same problem immediately after the setup assistant. no software version and no choice to update or restore ipod. downloaded the ipod reset utility for mac for 2nd gen shuffle and error message shows "the selected ipod is not supported by this utility". also shuffle icon shows up as generic white ipod. mac genius stumped so they swap out my brand new shuffle for another brand new shuffle.
3) 2nd shuffle in a week and same problems occur. will not update in iTunes. will not restore in iTunes. will not restore in ipod reset utility. icon shows generic white ipod. i can copy music to it but it will not play, lights flash green and orange.
4) tried to use disk utility to reformat. erase using MS-DOS, but it says FAT16 instead of FAT32. same problems as above.
*weird that I can't reformat to FAT32 when selecting the MS-DOS format. I only see FAT16 as a choice. Disk utility should do FAT32 but I can't seem to get it to work on shuffle and i don't have a spare hard drive to test it on. Anyone have any experience reformatting ipods via Disk Utility to windows format? Please share...
At this point I have access to a mactel book and will attempt to fix it on the newer machine. I will be very upset if it works because there is nothing saying that you need new hardware to use the new shuffle. i also get the usb 1.1 error message but again there is nothing saying you need usb 2.0 for shuffle use.
if anyone has tried anything different with good results please respond! from my experience this seems to be an issue specifically between older mac ppc machines and the new windows drivers installed on the shuffle. i use windows drives all the time with my mac and there are no problems. however a brand new ipod shuffle 2nd gen out of the box does not seem to like my older machine...even after two reinstalls of itunes! even the reset utility is not working as described....
any help with this is much appreciated!!!
Powerbook G4, 1ghz, 1gb RAM, usb 1.1, 17inch Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Ok here it is, my final post on thoughts on this issue...
Unfortunately, my guess was correct, there does seem to be a hardware issue related to iTunes 7.1.1 and whether it is on a mactel machine or an older ppc machine.
I can confirm this because the ipod settings screen on my older PPC powerbook is TOTALLY different than the screen I saw on the newer mactel macbooks, even though the software version says its EXACTLY THE SAME! (iTunes 7.1.1)
On a mactel macbook, I see the ipod shuffle settings such as "Autofill" etc with the correct icon and software version and serial number.
On my PPC powerbook, I see a generic white ipod icon (even though the finder shows the correct icon of my 2nd gen shuffle) and the settings tab for the ipod is completely different....the update and restore continued to be grayed out, there is no software version or serial number available as well. This is probably why I am not able to register my ipod shuffle from my machine.
I did not erase and resync the ipod shuffle to my PPC machine to see if that would allow it to continue working. So far so good. After unmounting, it still plays songs. However, I checked the "manage songs manually" option and added just one more song to the shuffle. I tried to then play that song but it would not play even though it was copied onto the shuffle...I could play it from the ipod via iTunes but not when I was just listening to the shuffle. I confirmed this with the application "PodWorks", the song I copied from my library does NOT show up in the list of songs on my ipod shuffle...however it DOES show up and play in iTunes.
So I feel pretty stuck right now...
I can have a working ipod shuffle but NOT from my ipod library. It seems I can only listen to songs off my friends newer machines because for whatever reason, the ipod shuffle DOES NOT WORK with a PPC Powerbook 17inch, 1ghz, 1gb RAM, 10.4.9 running the current latest version of iTunes 7.1.1.
***** to be me. Anyone else come to same conclusion?
If this is real then other users with older macs should not waste their money on the 2nd generation ipod shuffle. Please respond if you have any suggestions or thoughts on this matter.
Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Ipod shuffle 2nd gen won't play with headphones

need help fixing my lil girl's ipod shuffle 2nd gen.
seems to charge just fine. i can see the acct on the itunes page. green light there after charging on dock.
after removed from dock & plug in headphones....no light, no music
i have reset, restored & downloaded updates....nothing is getting this ipod to turn on - off the dock.
help?!? thank u.

frankly speaking....no one got ur question..
anyways u can have ur ipod checked in any store.. try there first

Ipod Shuffle 2nd gen

having major problems with my ipod shuffle 2nd gen. I installed i tunes 7.02, then installed my new shuffle. I checked the auto update of the ipod and the ipod then loaded all of the songs it could from my library onto the piod. I attempted to change the songs on the ipod and i was given a 50 error code and told that the ipod could not be written to or read from. I restarted the shuffle then restarted my pc. I tried to restore the ipod only to get the 1418 error, the ipod now has no songs on.
Please help???????

This problem pops up since the very first days of the 2G Shuffle and Apple continues to ignore it or does not know how to solve it. My educated guess is that it's got something to do with an older iTunes file that sits on your HD somewhere and prevents the Shuffle from working. I had the same 1418 and 50 error code problems with 3 different Shuffles (exchanged by Apple because they said it's a hardware problem) and worked through all these "helpful" Apple support documents and nothing solved the issue. The (I admit: very poor) solution I found is: a) using the Shuffle on a computer that never had iTunes installed before (uninstall and new install does not work) or, if you don't have access to any: b) do a clean installation (with HD formatting) of Windows and directly install the latest iTunes version 7.0.2.16 and SURPRISE SURPRISE - all 3 Shuffles worked without any problem.
Windows XP Pro

IPod Shuffle 2nd Gen -- Great design, awful ear buds.

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