Quote from the article:
“Apple’s care is obvious in the appearance of the components, and innovations to improve how the unit feels when you use it. The firm didn’t hesitate to use expensive components when required.
The USB memory engineer was especially impressed with the sturdiness of the case: it doesn’t depress from the outside, and the headphone jack doesn’t wobble. Apple eliminated design features that made it look “cheap” and stressed solidity and strength. The iPod shuffle main board shows the same design philosophy in a number of places, such as the fact that the main board dimensions are extremely close to the interior size of the case. In fact, they are so close that it is difficult to pull out the main board. Achieving this requires precise control of tolerances for case and parts, and that naturally costs money.”
