Q: I have a second-generation iPod shuffle. My dock broke, so I bought a third-generation shuffle charger as it was cheaper than the dock.
I figured the third-generation charger would be the same as the dock, minus the actual docking thing, but its
not connecting. Is the charger not compatible?
– Tony
A: Since both generations of iPod shuffle use a headphone-port based adapter, it is a reasonable assumption that the accessories should be compatible.
Sadly, however, they are not comaptible for either charging or syncing. With the headphone-based controls on the new 3G shuffle, it seems that Apple made some changes to the charging and syncing conections in the headphone port, rendering the accessories between the two generations incompatible.