What does an iPod Shuffle do?

no, because the shuffle can only play random songs from your collection

Do you have to have an ipod to have a shuffle?

I prefer the iPod shuffle to the iPod mini for the uses I have for it. Heck, I paid more than the iPod mini price for my 1GB shuffle.

It's disappointing in that it lacks a display and many features but my own requirements were merely weight and size in a player for my type of use (i.e. using it while playing basketball when a display is pointless and weight is everything).

You don't need another iPod to use the shuffle, but of course Apple forces you to use iTunes, instead of letting the user just load it up like a flash drive.

That part makes business sense for them but is a tremendous downside to the shuffle.

But Apple has good marketing and gets away with proprietary moves like that through marketing that has thus far succeeded in preventing many from realizing just how claustrophobic they like to keep things.