Last updated 3/07/2006
iPod & iTunes 05: The Missing Manual
iPod & iTunes 05: The Missing Manual
Author: J. D. Bierdorfer, Edited by David Pogue
Publisher: Pogue Press/O'Reilly
413 pages ........ $24.95 (63 more than in 1994 for the same price)
ISBN 0-596-00877-5
Covers iTunes, Music Store (Mac & PC) and the iPod Shuffle
Everyone has heard about the iPod, the worlds best selling music player. iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual
tells how to get the most our of an iPod as a music player. It also tells us how to to get the most our of an iPod as a hard drive, as an address book, as a calendar, and more. This third edition with 63 more pages at the same price as the second edition) has been broadened to include the new iPod Shuffle.
Everyone has heard about iTunes and how it can manage your music library. Since reading the second edition of this manual we have put all of our music into iTunes and on an iPod so we can carry it with us. We are also using the iPod as the source of music for our home system. We no longer have to search through a collection of CDs to find the music we want to listen to because it is already loaded on the iPod.
The iPod Shuffle has brought the advantages of shuffle to our attention, and iPod & iTunes the Missing Manual, Third Edition,
covers the new iTunes Party Shuffle so now you can use the shuffle feature on your computer as well as on your iPod. I did not find Party Shuffle in the index or table of contents, but it is on page 117.
Everyone has heard about the iTunes Music Store that revolutionized the way music is sold using the Internet. iPod and iTunes: the Missing Manual
tells you how to find and buy music through the iTunes music store, and how to use iTunes to manage your music files and to get more use out of your music once you have bought it. Again, new iTunes Music Store features are covered in this third edition.
J. D. Biersdorfer describes how to use iSync with iPod, and tosses in the steps I need to use iSync with iCal and Address Book with my Palm. She also lists software that makes it possible to restore a song you accidentally delete in iTunes by replacing it with your copy on your iPod.
Ms. Biersdorfer tells how to get the most out of your iPod battery, and about Apple's new battery replacement program. In my review of the second edition I wrote, Should we tell her about the better battery replacement deal through Small Dog? I would not be surprised to find it in the third edition. This book is that complete.
The third edition does list Small Dog and other places where you can buy a replacement battery or have one replaced on page 319.
I have a slow dial-up modem connection to the Internet, but using the instructions in this Missing Manual I found I could listen to jazz on an Internet radio station using iTunes. I read the chapter on using iTunes to locate and buy music on the iTunes Music Store. Then to see how it works, I bought one jazz album and two separate tunes. I think it took about four minutes of download time for every minute of music, not counting the search and sampling time. Afterwards I looked at the chapter again, found more things to try, and tried them. You don't have to buy songs to explore the iTunes Music Store, but it was tempting.
I bought a Radio Shark at Macworld to listen to jazz programs and I am happy with it. You can read about it on page 126 of this very clear and complete Third Edition of iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual.
There are chapters on many different uses for an iPod including as a hard drive, on connecting your iPod to your home music system or your car radio, and on iStuff you can buy for your iPod.
That's right, you can now buy gadgets for your gadget.
There is also a chapter on Troubleshooting where I learned you can get an error message from the iTunes Music Store if you computer clock shows the wrong time.
Many people happily use iPods and iTunes without a manual, but a manual can help to get the most use out of them. If you are going to buy a manual, you might as well buy a clear, complete, and interesting one - iPod & iTunes The Missing Manual Third Edition.
For more information or to order go to:
http://www.oreilly.com
