Kbase Article of the Week: Charging iPod shuffle on an iMac G3 and eMac →

While it’s easy to think Apple does oddball stuff with accessories and products today, it’s been that case for years. Here’s Apple Support discussing how to charge the original iPod shuffle:

Because of its design, iPod shuffle cannot be connected to the USB ports on the side of iMac G3 and eMac computers—it will not fit. You can connect iPod shuffle to your keyboard’s USB ports if your computer has Mac OS X 10.3.6 or later, however, iPod shuffle will not charge due to the keyboard’s low-power USB ports.

To charge iPod shuffle on an iMac G3 or eMac computer, you need an optional accessory to reach the port, such as the iPod shuffle Dock or a third-party USB extension cable, both of which must connect to a high-power USB port to charge (Note: the USB Keyboard Extender cable that came with some Macs will not work as the cable connector will not fit the iPod shuffle). You can also use a USB power adapter or a high-power USB hub to charge iPod shuffle. These are all available from the iPod Accessories area in the Apple Store.