Apple released iPod shuffle Reset Utility 1.0.1 Update

The iPod shuffle Reset Utility 1.0.1 is available for download from this Apple Web page. It restores the first generation white "gum pack" iPod shuffle. Restoring an iPod deletes all music and data and reinstalls the latest software, v1.1.5 in the case of the white iPod shuffle.

According to Apple, the Reset Utility is used to fix the following problems:

• With the iPod shuffle switched on, pressing the Play button will cause amber and green LEDs to flash for a few seconds, and the unit will not play any music, nor can you sync music to it from iTunes.
  
• On a Mac, the unit will only be recognized in Apple System Profiler under Hardware -> USB and will not appear or mount in the Finder.
  
• When attempting to restore, the unit may not be recognized at all. However, if it is recognized, the restore may fail with an error dialog "Firmware update failure. Disk write error" or another error. It may take 3 restore attempts before the error appears. Note: iPod shuffle may take several minutes to be recognized.

More details are available on this Apple Web page.

Our white iPod shuffle continues to work great, including getting excellent battery life, so we have not applied this updated utility to it. [Bill Fox]