Apple announced Tuesday that its second-generation iPod shuffle will be available in stores worldwide beginning Friday, Nov. 3, 2006. The tiny iPod shuffle holds 1GB of music and costs $79.
About half the size of the original, the new iPod shuffle is crafted from aluminum and measures about half a cubic inch in volume. It weighs one ounce and incorporates a built-in clip that lets you attach the iPod shuffle to a pocket or shirt.
With 1GB of storage, the iPod shuffle can store about 240 songs, according to Apple, and features about 12 hours of battery life per charge. Like the original, there’s no display on the new iPod shuffle. A switch lets you select play order or shuffle mode.
An included dock connects the iPod shuffle to the Mac or PC using USB 2.0, and the AutoFill feature in iTunes can automatically sync the iPod shuffle with new music each time you connect.
The news shouldn’t come as a surprise to many customers who pre-ordered the new shuffle from Apple — some of them have received e-mails from Apple notifying them that their iPod shuffles are shipping.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later, a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and iTunes 7.0.2 or later.