iPhone Info : User interface
The iPods with displays use high quality anti-aliased graphics and text, with sliding animation. These iPods have five buttons and newer generations have the buttons integrated underneath the scroll wheel, an innovation which confers an uncluttered, minimalistic interface. The buttons are:
- Menu - to traverse backwards through the menus, and toggle the backlight on older iPods
- Center - to select a menu item
- Play / Pause - this doubles as an off switch when held
- Fast Forward / Skip Forward
- Fast Reverse / Skip Backwards
The other operations such as scrolling through menu items and controlling the volume are handled by the scroll wheel in a rotational manner. A Hold switch on the top of the unit prevents accidental button presses.
The iPod shuffle has five buttons that function differently to the larger models. It has a Play / Pause button in the center, surrounded by four buttons: Volume Up / Down and Skip Forward / Backwards.
Newer iPods automatically pause playback when the headphones are unplugged from the headphone jack, but playback does not resume when the headphones are re-inserted. An iPod that has crashed or frozen can be reset by holding Menu and Center (Menu and Play on the 3G iPod) for 6 seconds.
