Introduction
You don't need much imagination to see why so many people are so happy with their iPods, or why hundreds of millions of iPods have been sold as of this writing. Imagine no longer needing to take CDs or DVDs with you when you travel — your favorite music and videos fit right in your pocket, and you can leave your precious content library at home.
What’s more, this library is stored in electronic form (and is easily backed up to other media), so it never deteriorates — unlike CDs, DVDs, and other physical media that may last only a few decades.
When I first encountered the iPod, it came very close to fulfilling my dream as a road warrior — in particular, the dream of filling up a car with music as easily as filling it up with fuel. For example, I use a fully loaded iPod with my car using a custom in-vehicle interface adapter that offers an iPod connector; or I use a cassette adapter, or even an FM radio transmitter, in a rental car or boat. Whether you want to be On the Road with Jack Kerouac (in audio book form) or “Drivin’ South” with Jimi Hendrix, just fill up your iPod or iPhone and go!
About This Book
I designed this iPod & iTunes For Dummies, Portable Collection Edition, as a reference so that you can easily find the information you need right when you need it. Now, if you’d prefer to read the book straight through, from beginning to end, feel free. That'd be another way to find out how to use iTunes and your iPod from scratch. And just to keep as many of your options open as possible, I also organized this book so that you can dive in anywhere and begin reading the info you need to know for each task.
I don’t have enough pages to cover every detail of every function of the software, and I intentionally leave out some detail so that you’re not befuddled with technospeak when it’s not necessary. (Really, engineers can sometimes provide too many obscure choices that no one ever uses; on the other hand, I did need gapless playback.) I write brief but comprehensive descriptions and include lots of cool tips on how to get the best results from using your iPod.
Conventions Used in This Book
Like any book that covers computers and information technology, this book uses certain conventions:
- Choosing from a menu: When I write “Choose iTunes
Preferences in iTunes,” you click iTunes on the toolbar and then choose Preferences from the iTunes menu.
With the iPod, when you see “Choose Extras
Calendars from the iPod main menu,” you highlight Extras in the main menu with the scroll wheel, press the Select button to select Extras, and then highlight and select Calendars from the Extras menu. - Clicking and dragging: When you see “Drag the song over the name of the playlist,” I mean you need to click the song name, hold the mouse button down, and then drag the song with the mouse over to the name of the playlist before lifting your finger off the mouse button.
- Keyboard shortcuts: When you see
-I, press the key on a Mac keyboard along with the appropriate shortcut key. (In this case, press I, which opens the Song Information window in iTunes.) In Windows, the same keyboard shortcut is Ctrl-I (which means press the Ctrl key along with the I key). - Step lists: When you come across steps that you need to do in iTunes or on the iPod, the action is in bold, and the explanatory part follows. If you know what to do, read the action and skip the explanation. But if you need a little help along the way, check out the explanation.
And Just Who Are You?
You don't need to know anything about music or audio technology to discover how to make the most of your iPod and the iTunes software that comes with it. Although a course in music appreciation can't hurt, the iPod and iTunes are designed to be useful even for air-guitar players who barely know the difference between downloadable music and System of a Down. You don't need any specialized knowledge to have a lot of fun while building up your digital music library.
Icons Used in This Book
This book uses four icons to help you along the way:
Highlights techniques that may save you time.
Warning icons save your butt by preventing disasters. Don't bypass a Warning without reading it. This is your only warning!
Alerts you to important things you'll want to remember.
Points you to information on the companion Web site at www.dummies.com/go/ipod7e.
Where to Go from Here
You've got your copy of iPod & iTunes For Dummies, Portable Edition — now what? If you need information on which version of the iPod to choose, go to Chapter 1. If you are interested in finding out how to set up iTunes on your iPod, go to Chapter 2. Curious how to get songs into your iPod? Check out Chapter 3. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 help you manage all your content once you get your iPod nicely loaded. Chapter 7 explains the mysteries of syncing, while Chapter 8 lays out in great detail the best ways to keep your content safe. Chapter 9 is for all you picture lovers out there, and Chapter 10 is your go-to chapter if anything iPod- or iTunes-related goes wrong.. And if you want more advice on the iPod and iTunes, such as using advanced techniques, check out the full-sized version of iPod & iTunes For Dummies, 7th Edition — simply head to your local bookseller or go to www.dummies.com.