Secrets of the iPod and iTunes (Fifth Edition) [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Introduction

"Secrets? Of the iPod and iTunes!? What secrets could such a simple device and intuitive program possibly harbor? To operate the iPod, you push a button, rotate your thumb around a wheel, and it just works, right? To transfer songs from an audio CD to iTunes, you shove a disc in your computer's media drive and press the Import button. Gee, I can hardly wait to read its companion volume, Secrets of the Hamilton Beach4-Slice IntelliToast^® Toaster!"

Our focus-group studies indicate that 1 in 14 have this reaction when they pick up a copy of the book you now hold in your hands.

Yet here I am, back with a completely revised fifth edition of this book. What could be so confounding about Apple's diminutive music player and its music-management application that justifies five editions of a book that purports to reveal their hidden depths? Allow me to answer that question by asking a few of my own.

You're not sure whether to purchase an iPod, iPod Photo, or iPod mini. What exactly is the difference between the three, and is it worth paying more money for the iPod Photo?

Your iPod refuses to start up, displaying a folder icon with an exclamation point. How do you fix it?

Your iPod won't hold a charge. Is it broken?

You have an iPod Photo, a digital camera, and a load of photographs. How can you set up your iPod to show those pictures?

You have a Windows iPod that you'd like to use with your Macintosh. Can you?

Your iPod mini holds just 3.7 GB of data, yet your music library exceeds 8 GB. How can you configure iTunes to fit the most (and the best) of your library on your mini?

How do you configure your iPod to boot your Macintosh?

You really like the Party Shuffle playlist you've created in iTunes. How do you move this playlist to your iPod?

You have an iPod sold in Europe, and man, is it quiet. Is there anything you can do to increase its volume?

And speaking of volume, the volume of the tunes on your iPod is all over the mapone song loud, the next quiet, the next just right. Is there anything you can do to make volume consistent from one song to the next?

Apple claims that the iPod can play for up to 8, 10, 12, or 15 hours (depending on which model you have), yet yours poops out after playing only Elvis Costello's first four albums. What can you do to increase battery life?

You've purchased an iPod mini, which supposedly holds 4 GB of data, yet yours shows a capacity of 3.7. Where did the other 0.3 GB go?

How can you move contacts and calendar events from your personal information manager to your iPod?

You'd like to suck up to the boss in the hope of sliding into that junior-manager position, and you know that he's addicted to the iTunes Music Store. How do you arrange to give him a gift certificate from The Store?

How would you go about copying songs from your iPod to your computer?

The answers to these questions (and many, many more) are between the covers of this book. Yes, although the iPod and iTunes may be terrifically intuitive creations, they're also far more flexible (and occasionally perplexing) than their mild-mannered interfaces imply. And that, dear 1-in-14 reader, is why I invite you to explore the many secrets of the iPod and iTunes in this fifth edition.

Disregarding the less-obvious features of the iPod for a moment, what makes the iPod, iPod Photo, and iPod mini so worthy of our attention? There are their weight and size, of course; the iPod is 6.2 ounces and less for the newest models, and smaller than a pinochle deck. The iPod Photo is just .06 inches thicker and .2 ounces heavier than the 40 GB fourth-generation iPod. And the iPod mini weighs in at a scant 3.6 ounces and is the size of a business card. Also, the 60 GB iPod Photo holds 15,000 four-minute songs for a continuous playing time of nearly six weeks (or more if you follow the tips in this book).

But most impressive of all is the feature I alluded to earlier: the simplicity of the devices. Like so many Apple products before them, the iPods are most astonishing for their elegant design and ease of use. There just aren't more beautiful or intuitive music players available today.

Best of all, the iPods have wonders to behold other than just their capability to pump out a thousand or more toe-tapping tunes.

In these pages, I'll reveal all the iPod's wondersfrom managing your music collection to projecting your pictures on a television to keeping your contacts and appointments close at hand. You'll learn about the intimate relationship between the i-siblingsiPod and iTunesand how to make the most of that relationship. You'll take a tour of Apple's iTunes Music Store and see how to gain the greatest benefit from the music you purchase online. We'll explore the iPod Photo's picture powers and learn how to synchronize images between your computer and this tuneful slideshow player. I'll examine the iPod as a storage device for your computer and show you how to dress up your iPod with the latest accessories. And when you're finished with the outside, I'll take you on a tour of the iPod's innards, scrutinizing what makes this machine tick (and what can keep it from ticking) and offering troubleshooting tips for those times when the music and pictures inexplicably stop.

In short, this smallish tome will cover the iPod from stem to stern.