It happens. You get an iPod used and you need to determine which iPod model you have. You can tell what kind of iPod you are dealing with by examining the external features of the device. For some models, you may have to look at the video display in order to determine which iPod model you have.
Instructions
1. Is the iPod colorful? Only the iPod nano comes in a range of colors. The older iPods are white or black, and the iPod Shuffle has a brushed aluminum finish. This is a fast start to determining which model of iPod you have.
2. Check the iPod for any sign of a video screen. When the iPod does not have a video screen, then you have an iPod Shuffle. Now, look at the iPod Shuffle. If you can see a belt clip on the back, you have the most recent model of iPod. The older model features a built-in USB connector.
3. Look at the top edge of the unknown iPod. If the top edge has only a single control, a 'Hold" control, then you have an iPod nano. The iPod nano also has an offset Dock Connection port and a headphone jack on the bottom edge of the device.
4. Examine the connection ports and controls on the top edge of the device. Older model standard iPods have the headphone jack in the center of the top edge, in between the FireWire jack and the "Hold" switch. When there is no FireWire port on the top edge of the device, and you are sure that you do not have a nano or a Shuffle, you have a newer standard iPod. These iPods have a redesigned "Hold" button that looks a bit like an oval-shaped pill and the headphone jack that is not centered.
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