New iPod Shuffle Dissected: First Look at Its Tiny Innards

When I first saw how tiny the new iPod Shuffle was, I couldn't imagine how on earth could parts fit inside. The folks at iFixit have opened up the new Apple iPod Shuffle and spread out its tiny guts like a quail on a butterfly board. What is a surprise is that there is just one screw holding the whole thing together. Other interesting points are that the shiny, mirror-finish clip weighs as much as the rest of the iPod put together and that the battery is tiny. Really tiny, giving less than half the juice of the battery in the older shuffle (now just 73 mAh). That Apple managed to only drop 17% of battery life (12 hours down to 10 hours) shows that this new shuffle has some serious power management going on.



The final surprise is the weight, proving that simile is indeed a great way to make us understand things. With case removed, the battery and electronics inside weigh only 4 grams, or less than a sheet of paper. Even more fascinating — the headphone cord is the exact same length as a piece of string. Amazing!