Christmas comes early at Apple: free shuffles for all!

Whichever way you slice him -- cold, calculating genius, or harmless, lovable fuzzball -- Steve Jobs is nothing if not a total Apple fanboy. In fact, he's so into his own dogfood, that he's sharing the love with every single employee of Apple by handing out free 2G iPod shuffles to all. Everybody from corporate on down to retail is getting their very own $79 mini-mini-DAP to have and hold, as Stevie J. recently revealed via a company-wide email. Apple gave away free copies of the original iPod shuffle as well, back in the day, and employees can expect the new version in the mail by the end of the month.

[Thanks, Caleb W.]

[Dave @ Nov 3rd 2006 11:57AM]

Can't wait for my Engadget Commercial Contest runner-up Shuffle prize! Will it have the Engadget logo on it? :o)

[Seth @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:11PM]

Is that their year end bonus? If so, I'd be really pissed!

[Loban @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:13PM]

It's better than my end-of-the-year bonus, which is a whole nothing.

[KeithP @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:21PM]

It is probably not their year end bonus. More likely advanced orders are much lower than expected so Steve decided to dump the extra stock on the employees as a "gift."

[shooterfan @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:16PM]

2 gig? I thought it was a 1 gig? what's going on? I just went to the site and it doesn't mention anything about a 2 gig. ERROR ALERT!

[tiuk @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:20PM]

2G as in, Second Generation. This seems to confuse a lot of people regarding the shuffles, but everyone gets it when they're talking about the 5G iPod.

I thought this was interesting: "Apple gave away free copies of the original iPod shuffle"

Copies of the iPod? ;)

Anyway, nice gesture. I'm sure most of these people already have iPods, but hey, they can give it away, use it as a flash drive (with cradle), or use it to prop up a short desk leg. Point is it's better than nothing.

[Barq @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:28PM]

Ok, all together now...

2G means "2nd Generation". 2 GB means 2 gigabytes.

[hughesy @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:25PM]

expect to see alot of shuffles on ebay next month!!!!

[Timothy @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:36PM]

@KeithP

Yeah, I seriously doubt advance orders are low in any sense of the word. As for these being year end bonuses, not a chance. I don't know if retail employees receive bonuses, but I can tell you right now corporate would receive a bit more than that.

[tekdroid @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:51PM]

the cynical would say this gesture pays for itself in free publicity of a new product 1,000 times over.

[Xavier Gill @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:56PM]

What about the poor bastages in Ipod city who have to make the damn things?

[everrette powell @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:56PM]

they did that last year!

[Christian Martin @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:58PM]

So, will they be taking them back in the event of layoffs?

[eflesher @ Nov 3rd 2006 2:15PM]

It's certainly better than the frozen turkey I'll be getting again this year.

[Ken @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:05PM]

I, for one, welcome our 2G-Shuffle-toting, Apple-Employee overlords...

[apeguero @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:09PM]

Christian Martin beat me to it. The first thing that to my mind was the story of that company that "gave" iPods to employees and then wanted them back because they were really loans for the then laid-off employees to listen to some crap about that company...I wonder if there is some company stuff on these shuffles so that Stevie J. can confiscate them later :p

[C. Baines @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:38PM]

Stevie J is also a hip hop producer, who had a hand in the popularity of Bad Boy and Puff Daddy.

[Dan @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:43PM]

tekdroid is right - it's for publicity. When I worked at Apple retail last year we were all given 1GB shuffles so that we'd wear them around. Before we had enough in stock to take home, they had 4 or 5 shuffles that we were suposed to wear in the store before we got our own.

[Clippy @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:43PM]

do you think all Payless empoloyees will get free flipflops this year? Get ready Al Bundy!

[James DeWinter @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:55PM]

My Shuffle 2G does not work and nor do the shuffles of thousands of message board posters at the Apple site. I will revert to borrowing my son's original shuffle which has worked perfectly since new.... Just a heads up!

[kansei @ Nov 3rd 2006 2:28PM]

my roommate got his a couple days ago (preordered it) and it works flawlessly. Did you update to iTunes 7.0.2.16?

[Mark @ Nov 3rd 2006 7:49PM]

7.0.2.16, WTF.

It's not version 6.0 then 7.0, but hey, let's come out with 7.0.1, then 7.0.1.01, then 7.0.1.02, then 7.0.1.03, etc.

What is up with the daily upgrades? I thought Apple was virus free and flawless? No? Let's try to not have so many daily upgrades and then I'll buy your product.

Reminds me of Adobe 7.0 and all their pointless updates, which is why I use FoxReader which works much better without the updates. Sometimes simple is better.

[Joe @ Nov 3rd 2006 2:49PM]

I got my shuffle yesterday and it also works flawlessly. My guess would be people haven't updated to the new itunes.

[PEZ @ Nov 3rd 2006 4:26PM]

Wow, that's pretty frigging generous!

[crackpipe @ Nov 3rd 2006 4:46PM]

I just updated my itunes to 7.0.2.16.23.42
A black smoke monster popped out of the dvd drive and gave me free crack cocaine. It was awesome.

[Mark @ Nov 3rd 2006 7:56PM]

LMAO, I upgraded to 7.0.2.16.32676.26 and it told me...aren't you glad we are virus free, upgrade tomorrow, don't buy XP cuz then you'll get a virus, oh wait, here's another update...7.0.2.16.32676.27. hahaha

[Tannia @ Nov 3rd 2006 4:52PM]

i sent this to my bf just now and he was jumping up and down for joy. he was gonna buy one anyway but now he doesnt have to.

[Ron @ Nov 3rd 2006 5:14PM]

Yeah, another prize. How awsome is that thing!!
Cant wait to get my hands on one. :)

[Pipper @ Nov 3rd 2006 5:38PM]

Apple's bonus is PAID thanksgiving week shutdown, and PAID Christmas Week shutdown(in US only I assume). That translate into 6 extra PAID vacation days.

[Cody @ Nov 3rd 2006 6:53PM]

I guess that means I'll be getting shuffles for everyone I know this Christmas for like, $3 a dozen on eBay. Hey, I think I'll just check the dumpster behind apple in a few weeks...

[ids @ Nov 6th 2006 1:41AM]

Find a flaw, fix it, release the fix it to the public.
I'm certainly cool with that. Keep 'em coming.

[Benjamin @ Nov 7th 2006 5:29PM]

Stupid Apple Why Dont They Give Everybody One For FREE!!!!!!

[mike @ Nov 8th 2006 1:24PM]

ipod cell phone more info http://www.getcellphoneplans.com/apple-ipod-cell_phones.html

[lorraine @ Nov 29th 2007 12:28PM]

i would love to get this for a christmas preasent then i would get it to my son for his birthday