Chapter 1
Firing Up Your iPod
In This Chapter
As an iPod owner, you're on the cutting edge of entertainment technology. This chapter introduces the iPod and tells you what to expect when you open the box. I describe how to power up your iPod and connect it to your computer, both of which are essential tasks that you need to know how to do — your iPod needs power, and it needs audio and video, which it gets from your computer.
Introducing the iPod
An iPod is, essentially, a hard drive or flash memory drive as well as a digital music and video player in one device. An iPod is such a thing of beauty and style — and so highly recognizable by now — that all Apple needs to do in an advertisement is show one all by itself.
The convenience of carrying music on an iPod is phenomenal. For example, the new 160GB iPod classic can hold around 40,000 songs — that's more than eight weeks of nonstop music played around the clock. And with built-in skip protection in every model, you won't miss a beat as you jog through the park or when your car hits a pothole.
A common misconception is that your iPod becomes your music and video library. Actually, your iPod is simply another player for your content library, which is safely stored on your computer. One considerable benefit of using your computer to organize your content is that you can make perfect-quality copies of music, videos, movies, podcasts, and audio books. You can then copy as much of the content as you want, in a more compressed format, onto your iPod and take it on the road. Meanwhile, your perfect copies are stored safely on your computer. Your favorite albums, audio books, TV shows, movies, and podcast episodes can be copied over and over forever, just like the rest of your information, and they never lose their quality. If you save your content in digital format, you'll never see your songs or videos degrade, and you'll never have to buy the content again.
The iPod experience includes iTunes (for Mac or Windows), which lets you synchronize content with your iPod and other devices, such as the Apple TV player for your home TV and stereo. You also use iTunes to organize your content, make copies, burn CDs, and play disc jockey without discs. I introduce iTunes in Chapter 2.
An iPod is also a data player, perhaps the first of its kind. As an external hard drive, the iPod serves as a portable backup device for important data files. You can transfer your calendar and address book to help manage your affairs on the road, and you can even use calendar event alarms to supplement your iPod's alarm and sleep timer. You can keep your calendar and address book in your iPod automatically synchronized to your computer, where you normally add and edit information.
In the case of the iPod touch and iPhone, your data player is in fact a complete personal digital assistant that lets you enter data as well as play it. With an iPod touch or iPhone you can check and send e-mail, visit your favorite Web sites, get maps, obtain driving directions, check the current weather, and even check your stock portfolio, to name a just a few things.
Comparing iPod Models
Introduced way back in the Stone Age of digital music (2001), the iPod family has grown by eight generations as of this writing, including the popular iPod touch, the high-capacity iPod classic, the ultra-slim iPod nano that includes a video camera, and the tiny iPod shuffle — the iPod you can clip to your belt or wear on your sleeve. Even from the beginning, iPod models were truly innovative for their times. With the MP3 music players of 2001, you could carry about 20 typical songs (or a single live Phish set) with you, but the first iPods could hold more than 1,000 typical songs (or a 50-hour Phish concert).
Today's iPod models work with iTunes on either Windows computers or Macs, but that wasn't always the case. The first-generation iPods worked only with Macs. In 2002, Apple introduced the second generation — one version for Windows and another for the Mac, using the same design for both. For the third generation (2003), Apple changed the design once again.
Third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth generation iPods — as well as offshoots, such as iPod mini, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle — work with either Windows or Mac and come in a variety of hard drive or flash memory sizes. By design, you can hold an iPod in your hand while you thumb the scroll wheel (my generic term for scroll wheel, scroll pad, touch wheel, or click wheel). The LCD screen on full-size models offers backlighting so that you can see it in the dark. The iPhone and iPod touch let you tap the sensitive display with your finger to select items and functions, and flick with your finger to scroll or move the display.
Things You Have and Things You Need
The eighth-generation iPod classic box includes earphones and a USB dock adapter cable that can connect either the iPod or a dock to a computer or power adapter. You can get accessories, including Apple's Universal Dock and an AC power adapter, separately. For example, the iPod AV Connection Kit offers the adapter, AV cables, Apple Remote, and the Universal Dock with adapters for all models.
The accessories don't stop there. Docks of various sizes, shapes, and functions are available from vendors, such as Belkin, Monster, and Griffin. Some docks are combined with home speaker systems. You might also want a carrying case and some other goodies, many of which are described in this book. They're available at the online Apple Store (www.apple.com/store) or the physical Apple Store or other consumer electronics stores.
You also need a few things that don't come with the iPod:
- A PC or Mac to run iTunes: On a PC, iTunes version 9 requires Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or a 32-bit edition of Windows Vista, running on a 1-GHz Intel or AMD processor with a QuickTime-compatible audio card and a minimum of 512MB of RAM; 1GB is required to play HD-quality videos, an iTunes LP, or iTunes Extras from the iTunes Store. You need a DirectX 9.0–compatible video card with 32MB of video RAM (64MB recommended) to watch video, and a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or faster processor to play HD-quality videos, an iTunes LP, or iTunes Extras. 64-bit editions of Windows Vista require the iTunes 9 64-bit installer, available for downloading from the iTunes download page.
With a Mac, iTunes version 9 runs on all versions of Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard or newer versions, and on the older Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.11 or newer version. You need a 500-MHz processor or better (Intel or PowerPC) and at least 512MB of RAM; 1GB of RAM is required to play HD-quality videos, an iTunes LP, or iTunes Extras from the iTunes Store. You also need an Intel PowerPC G5 or a 1-GHz PowerPC G4 or faster processor, with 16MB of video RAM, to play videos, and a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or faster processor to play HD-quality videos, an iTunes LP, or iTunes Extras.
- USB connection: PCs must have USB 2.0 (also called a high-powered USB) for iPod classic, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod touch, iPhone, and sixth- and fifth-generation iPods. However, you can use FireWire (IEEE 1394) with older iPod models.
For details about using USB or FireWire cables, visit this book's companion Web site at www.dummies.com/go/ipod7e. - Internet connection: Apple recommends a broadband Internet connection to buy content and stream previews from the iTunes Store, although it is possible with a dial-up connection. At a minimum, you need some kind of Internet connection to download iTunes itself.
- CD-R or DVD-R drive: Without a disc burner, you can't burn your own discs. On a PC, you need a CD-R or DVD-R drive. On a Mac, you need a Combo or Super Drive to burn your own discs.
- iTunes: Download iTunes (version 9 as of this writing) for Windows or the Mac from the Apple site (www.apple.com/itunes/download/); it's free. See Chapter 2 for instructions.
Older models, still available in stores and online, might include versions of iTunes as old as version 4.5 — which is fine because version 4.5 works. It just doesn't have all the features of 9. You can download a newer version at any time to replace it.
- QuickTime: QuickTime comes with iTunes. The iTunes installer for the PC installs the newest version of QuickTime for Windows (version 7.6.2 as of this writing), replacing any older version you might have. Macs have QuickTime preinstalled (version 7.6.2 as of this writing), and Mac OS X automatically updates QuickTime if you use the Software Update feature of System Preferences on the Apple menu.
Thumbing Through the Menus
After you bring content into iTunes and update your iPod, you're ready to play. The design of the iPod classic and iPod nano lets you hold the iPod in one hand and perform simple operations by thumb. Even if you're all thumbs when pressing small buttons on tiny devices, you can still thumb your way to iPod heaven.
The iPod touch, like the iPhone, offers a multi-touch interface that lets you tap your way into iPod heaven even faster. With an iPod touch, your fingers do the walking. You can make gestures, such as flicking a finger to scroll a list quickly, sliding your finger to scroll slowly or drag a slider (such as the volume slider), pinching with two fingers to zoom out of a Web page in Safari, or pulling apart with two fingers (also known as un-pinching) to zoom in to the page to see it more clearly.
Your iPod touch displays the message “slide to unlock” — slide your finger across this message to unlock it. The main menu appears with the following selections:
- Safari: Use the Safari Web browser.
- Phone: Use the phone functions (iPhone only).
- Mail: Check and send e-mail.
- Calendar: View your calendar.
- Contacts: View your contacts (on the first home screen page of an iPod touch, or the second home screen page on the iPhone).
- YouTube: List and select videos from YouTube.
- Stocks: Check the prices for financial stocks, bonds, and funds.
- Maps: View maps and get driving directions.
- Weather: View the weather in multiple cities.
- Clock: View multiple clocks and use the alarm clock, timer, and stopwatch.
- Compass: View a compass showing your direction (iPhone 3GS only).
- Calculator: You can use your iPod touch or iPhone as a regular calculator for adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and so on. Also, if you hold the iPod touch or iPhone horizontally, it becomes a scientific calculator.
- Notes: Add text notes.
- Settings: Adjust settings for Wi-Fi, sounds, brightness, Safari, and other apps, as well as apply other settings for the iPod touch or iPhone itself.
- Music (iPod touch): Select playlists, artists, songs, albums, and more (including podcasts, genres, composers, audio books, and compilations). The Music icon also offers Cover Flow browsing, as I describe in Chapter 4.
- Videos (iPod touch): Select videos by type (movies, music videos, TV shows, or video podcasts).
- iPod (iPhone): Select playlists, artists, songs, videos, and more (including podcasts, genres, composers, audio books, and compilations). The iPod icon also offers Cover Flow browsing, as I describe in Chapter 4.
- Photos: Select photos by photo album or select individual photos in the Photo Library.
- Camera: Snap a photo (iPhone only), or shoot video (iPhone 3GS only).
- Voice Memos: Record using the built-in microphone (iPhone only) or the Apple earbud microphones (iPhone or iPod touch).
- App Store: Go to Apple's online App Store to download other Apple and third-party apps.
- iTunes: Go to the iTunes Store to purchase content.
After touching a button on the iPod touch display, a new page appears with more selections you can touch. In fact, you can touch every menu or button you see on the display. The iPod touch runs applications (Safari, Contacts, Calendar, YouTube, and so on), and the multi-touch interface changes for each application.
For example, touch the Music button on an iPod touch to view a list of artists. After touching Music, buttons appear along the bottom of the display that you can touch to view a list of playlists, artists, songs, albums, and more. With a flick of your finger, you can scroll the list and touch selections to view the albums of an artist or the contents of an album or playlist. Touch any song to start playing it, and control buttons appear to control playback: Previous/Rewind, Play/Pause, Next/Fast-Forward, and a volume slider. Press the physical button on the front of the iPod touch to return you to the Home menu.
On the iPod classic and iPod nano models, the click wheel makes scrolling through an entire music collection quick and easy. With your finger or thumb, scroll clockwise on the wheel to scroll down a list, or counterclockwise to scroll up. As you scroll, options on the menu are highlighted. Use the Select button at the center of the wheel to select whatever is highlighted in the menu display.
Fifth-generation iPods, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-generation iPod classic models, the iPod nano, the iPod mini, and fourth-generation iPods (including color-display models) provide pressure-sensitive buttons underneath the top, bottom, left, and right areas of the circular pad of the wheel. These areas tilt as you press them, activating the buttons.
The iPod main menu for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-generation iPod classic models and the iPod nano offers the following selections:
- Music: Select music playlists, artists, albums, songs, genres, or composers; or select an audio book. You can also select Cover Flow to browse by cover art, as shown in Figure 1-1, or Search to search for a song or album title or artist. On an iPod nano you can also select Genius Mixes.
- Videos: Select videos by video playlist or by type (movies, music videos, or TV shows). On an iPod nano you can also select Camera Videos — the videos you shoot with the iPod nano camera.
- Photos: Select photos by photo album or select all photos in the photo library.
- Podcasts: Select podcasts by title and then select podcast episodes.
- Radio: Select the built-in FM radio in the iPod nano to listen to local stations.
- Video Camera: Select the built-in video camera in the iPod nano to shoot videos.
- Extras: View the clock, set clocks for time zones, set alarms and the sleep timer, use the stopwatch, view contacts, view your calendar, view notes, and play games.
- Settings: Adjust menu settings, the backlight timer, the clicker, the iPod's EQ, the date and time, and so on.
- Shuffle Songs: Play songs from your music library in random order.
- Now Playing: This selection appears only when a song is playing — it takes you to the Now Playing display.
The iPod main menu for fifth-generation models is the same, except that podcasts are found in the Music menu. The main menu for fourth-generation models is the same as for fifth-generation models, but without the Videos selection.
Figure 1-1: The Music menu on an iPod nano.
Pressing the iPod Buttons
The iPod touch responds to gestures you make with your fingers. For example, you make the following gestures to perform the following functions:
- Drag with finger: Scroll up or down lists slowly.
- Flick: Quickly scroll up or down lists.
- Tap and hold: While scrolling, tap and hold to stop the moving list.
- Single tap: Select an item to play, such as a song.
- Double tap: Zoom in or out with Safari and all other applications.
- Pinch: Zoom out of photos and Safari Web pages.
- Unpinch: Zoom into photos and Safari Web pages.
The buttons that appear after selecting content to play on the iPod touch perform various tasks for playing content items:
- Previous/Rewind: Tap once to start an item over. Tap twice to skip to the previous item (such as the previous song in an album). Touch and hold to rewind.
- Play/Pause: Tap to play the selected item. Tap Play/Pause when an item is playing to pause the playback.
- Next/Fast-Forward: Tap once to skip to the next item (such as the next song in an album). Touch and hold Next/Fast-Forward to fast-forward play.
- Left-arrow button: Tap to go back to the previous menu.
- Bullet-list button (playing music): Tap to view the contents of the album containing the song.
- Menu button on front: Press once to go back to the main menu.
The buttons on the click wheel on iPod classic and nano models do various tasks for song, podcast, audio book, and video playback:
- Previous/Rewind: Press once to start an item over. Press twice to skip to the previous item. Press and hold to rewind.
- Menu: Press once to go back to the previous menu. Each time you press, you go back to a previous menu until you reach the main menu.
- Play/Pause: Press to play the selected item. Press Play/Pause when the item is playing to pause the playback.
- Next/Fast-Forward: Press once to skip to the next item. Press and hold Next/Fast-Forward to fast-forward.
The buttons and click wheel can do more complex functions when used in combination:
- Turn on the iPod: Press any button.
- Turn off the iPod: Press and hold the Play/Pause button.
- Disable the iPod buttons: To keep from accidentally pressing the buttons, push the Hold switch to the other side so that an orange bar appears (the locked position). To reactivate the iPod buttons, push the Hold switch back to the other side so that the orange bar disappears (the normal position).
- Reset the iPod: You can reset the iPod if it gets hung up for some reason. (For example, it might get confused if you press the buttons too quickly.) This operation resets the iPod's operating system. It doesn't change the music or data on the iPod. To reset your iPod, see Chapter 9 or the Apple support article “How to reset iPod” (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61705).
- Change the volume: While playing a song (the display reads Now Playing), adjust the volume with the scroll wheel. Clockwise turns the volume up; counterclockwise turns the volume down. A volume slider appears on the iPod display, indicating the volume level as you scroll.
- Skip to any point in a song, video, audio book, or podcast: While playing an item (the display reads Now Playing), press and hold the Select button until the progress bar appears to indicate where you are, and then use the scroll wheel to scroll to any point in the song. Scroll clockwise to move forward and counterclockwise to move backward.