mad4mp3s.com - How to Get The Most Out of Your iPod

Or, if you aren’t old enough to recall what those are, just ask your parents or an older brother or sister; and you’ll see this kind of pleasant, reflective smile cross their face.

You see, the Walkman was the coolest thing to come out of the early 1980s. And if you had the fortune (or maybe the misfortune – really big hair was in back then) of living back then, you almost certainly owned one of these devices.

Without exaggeration, if a Time Capsule was created for the 1980s, it would simply have to have a Walkman in it; to neglect this item would be like discussing technology in the 21st century and failing to note that strange little thing called the Internet.

So why trip down memory lane to talk about the Walkman? Well, don’t worry; we aren’t just waxing nostalgic for our own amusement.

We’re setting the stage for the next generation of personal entertainment devices; an innovation and invention that is sure to become the Walkman of our time.

In case you’ve somehow managed to avoid seeing the marketing and advertising associated with the iPod, it’s almost certain that you’ve seen them. They’re everywhere (sound familiar?).

And it’s not just kids who walk around with those two little white wires protruding from their ears and into something that kind of looks like something that dental floss might come out of.

The iPod, like all truly amazing inventions, has crossed demographic consumer lines. People of all ages are useing the ipods; from teachers to senior citizens; from athletes to Generation Y skater types who somehow manage to keep those earplugs in place despite flying through the air (and sometimes crashing to the ground).

Now, if you haven’t yet entered iPod country yourself, then please don’t feel intimidated or worse, obsolete. Though iPods are incredibly popular, there are still enough people out there who haven’t yet tried one on.

And furthermore, there are also a growing number of people who have an iPod, but haven’t really taken it out of first gear. Why is this? Well, it’s because technology can seem confusing, and despite its small size, figuring out the ins and outs of the iPod can seem intimidating and time consuming. Yet nothing could be further from the truth!

Apple, which makes the iPod, has built a reputation on simplicity of use; and the iPod most definitely reflects this approach. As such, the iPod is as easy to use as a DVD player; even easier, perhaps.

This webpage in your hands (or on your screen) is your ticket to ride the great iPod wave. It will take you through the ins and outs of how to get the most out of your iPod. If you thought you knew all of the tricks, then this ebook is perfect for you!

And if you haven’t even taken your iPod out of the package for fear that it might make you feel, well, a little unintelligent, then this is your manna from the personal entertainment gods.

It will cut through the technical mumbo jumbo and within minutes you’ll be cooler than you thought possible with your ipod.

These five sections will take anyone – from the techno-wiz to the interested layperson to the technically terrified – and provide them with a comprehensive overview of their iPod, why it’s such an advantageous little creation, how to get the most out of it through shortcuts and other time-saving options, and as a special bonus, a section that explains iTunes and dozens of shortcuts that will save you time.

What is ipod

If you ask 10 people to explain what an iPod is, you’ll likely receive 10 different answers; and all of them will likely contain some element of fact and logic. Introduced by Apple Computers in 2001, the iPod is technically defined as a portable music player; and even this doesn’t do it justice.

As you’ll see (or perhaps know already from your own experience), the iPod is so much more than a mere convenient way for you to listen to music while on the go.

These things SELL!

And just what does it take to be #1 in the highly competitive personal entertaining business? Well, since its launch in 2001, over 3 million iPods have been sold; and counting.

In fact, in a 3 month period from April to June 2004, almost over 850,000 iPod and iPod minis were sold. To put that into some kind of perspective, that’s almost 10,000 iPods/iPod minis per day. And if that doesn’t make you go WOW, that’s 398 per hour, or just under 7 per minute – of every hour, of every day, for 3 months!

It’s no wonder, given these awesome sales total, that the question most people ask these days isn’t: are you getting an iPod, but rather: where is your iPod?

A big reason for iPod sales goes beyond its incredible functionality. Apple has been known for its aesthetics since it entered the personal computer market decades ago.

In fact, one of the reasons that Apple Macintoshes (now referred to as iMacs) have found such a loyal following among artistic professionals is its relentless commitment to how things look, in addition to what things do. It was no surprise, therefore, that the iPod followed this legacy perfectly.

The iPod is about the size of a deck of cards, while the iPod mini is about half that size. They’re both a kind of creamy white, which is Apple’s signature color for the devices.

The iPod works through a grey click wheel that is rotated and pressed/depressed at the same time. This allows listeners to navigate through various songs – skipping tracks, scanning, repeating, and pausing.

A nice new feature of the latest iPod versions is that this wheel must be depressed by the listener in order for the song navigation to occur.

Apple added this little feature after some negative feedback on early versions of the ipod. Those models didn’t require the wheel to be depressed, and therefore some listeners complained that it was being accidentally hit or bumped.

Also, take heart if you want to have a more unique-looking iPod to add to your sense of personal style. It looks like there are “special edition” iPods in the works, such as:

Another nice feature of the iPod is its incredible battery life. Early versions lasted about 8 hours before fizzing out; which many listeners found very inconvenient and, over time, expensive.

Apple responded to this with its current versions (we’re now onto the 4th generation of iPods…already!) delivering up to 12 hours of life. This is a full 50% more battery life, which is quite the technical accomplishment!

One of the wonderful things about living in the 21st century is the seemingly limitless choice that we have at our disposal.

Truly: whether you shop online or choose to venture into your local electronic superstore, there are quite literally hundreds of devices out there waiting to try and impress and entertain you. While it’s certainly nice to have so much choice, it can indeed be overwhelming to some.

If you’re on the verge of buying an iPod but aren’t quite sure where to turn, then Apple has provided some rather wise buying advice (after all, Apple wants you to be happy so that you buy many iPods for many years to come…and give them as gifts, too!). Here’s what the website MacWorld (www.macworld.com) advises:

If your digital music collection remains relatively small, you’re probably better off with an iPod mini. But if it takes 30 days to play your music collection from end to end, if you’d like to use the iPod’s extra space for file storage, if you need extra battery life, or if you’re a big fan of audiobooks, you’ll love the new iPods.

You may have heard about something called the iPod Nano; or you may have just bought one (or received one as a gift…how nice!). Because at the time of this writing the iPod Nano is so new, we want to take a closer look at it here.

Chances are, most readers will want to know more about this latest creation from the thinkers at Apple.

The iPod Nano is very tiny. In fact, it’s about the size of a portable flash drive (those little memory sticks that people walk around with and plug into their laptops).

The iPod Nano has all of the features of the iPod mini, with the real differences being size, storage capacity, and technical scalability (we’ll look at this in a second).

Similar to the mini, the nano also has a color screen, and the beloved grey wheel that must be depressed in order to work (which, as noted, is a feature that Apple added based on feedback from early iPod consumers).

The iPod Nano weighs – get this – an ounce, which MacWorld equates to the heaviness of 6 credit cards.

Since most of us carry about a dozen cards in our wallet or purse – everything from library cards to gas cards to a driver’s license and more – it’s really quite amazing that something so technologically advanced could be so light!

Other remarkable features of the iPod nano include the fact that it has a stop watch, which can record lap times (which is great for those who listen to their iPod nano as they jog!).

The iPod nano also has a world clock, which is perfect for travelers, and has 22 preset listening modes.

We noted the iPod nano’s technical scalability, and this is something that many people are quite pleased with.

To enhance the functionality of this tiny little creation – and, of course, to boost sales! – Apple has enabled the iPod nano to play songs wirelessly through any home theater, via Bluetooth technology.

This is a very significant feature that many iPod nano users are extremely happy about. In seconds (even less!), they can listen to their tunes through a state-of-the-art home entertainment system: no wires, no fuss, just sitting back and hearing their favorite songs sound as good as a live concert; in some cases, even better.

While most of the publicity about the iPod Nano has been overwhelmingly positive, there is some negative feedback also. The color screen is prone to scratching, which can make reading the menus difficult.

Now that you have an idea of what the iPod is, what’s the iPod personality like? According to Intelliseek’s 2005 Behavior Study, iPod users:

If you don’t see yourself in this profile: don’t worry! As we noted at the outset, iPods cross traditional demographic boundaries. The iPod is being used by kids and professionals.

They’re being used to listen to music or to audio books on self-improvement or business success. In short: iPods are being used by everyone.

The remainder of this page will help you further understand how to get the most out of your iPod experience!

iPod Advantages

Have you every bought something, like a new car or new kitchen device, and months (or even years later), someone comes by and introduces you to a feature that you never knew existed?

Well, if this has ever happened to you; take heed: you aren’t alone! There are so many features and gadgets and settings on today’s modern devices, that it sometimes feels that you need to take a school course in gadgetology just to ensure that you’re enjoying your item to its fullest capacity.

So, in an effort to ensure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck, let’s take a look at some of the advantages of your iPod (whether you own it now, or are in the market to buy one).

Some of these advantages may seem very straightforward to you, while others might be an eye opener.

Remember, too: you may not use a particular feature or advantage right now, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity won’t arise in the future for you to enjoy something new.

After we’ve looked at the advantages of the iPod our next section will explore various shortcuts and hints for you to further enjoy these marvels of modern technology.

Size Does Matter!

While you’re obviously aware that your iPod can store your music for you while you’re on the go, you might not be aware of just how much space there is to some of the new 4th generation iPods on the market right now.

Current versions offer 20 gigabyte ipod and 40 gigabyte ipod and above storage capacities, which is enormous for most audiophiles. With the added convenience, the new iPods also offer a new music menu, and support for multiple playlists.

iPod’s shuffle feature allows you to listen to music you’ve selected yourself, such as listening to a radio station that plays only the music you like. That’s why Apple added the “Shuffle Songs” feature – this saves you from having to activate the shuffle in the iPods settings menu and then browse through several levels just so you can select songs.

The iPod was originally marketed as a device for listening to music; and this made sense, since that wonderful teenage demographic spends more time than the other groups put together! Yet as the iPod has matured, so has its target market.

The educational market has now caught on to the advantages offered by the iPod and this is a driving reason why many people who might not otherwise buy an iPod are finding one in their pocket.

For example, take the case of Duke University in North Carolina. University officials provided 1,650 of the 20 GB iPods to freshmen. These sets of iPods came pre-loaded with campus information, orientation notes, and an academic calendar.

And here’s the most interesting part: the Duke iPods adopted the format of the iTunes store so students can purchase academic materials, course outlines, language lessons, and yes of course: music. We look specifically at iTunes in the fourth section of this page.

In addition, there’s also the thriving audiobook market. We’ve come a long, long way from a binder full of tapes! Now, entire books can be downloaded onto an iPod, and enjoyed on the go.

These audiobooks include everything from young fiction to romance, from business books to self-help, and everything in between.

So if you’re currently using your iPod just for music – or that’s what you plan to do when you buy one – remember that the ipod can indeed be used for so much more.

Thinking of buying an iPod and sending it to a relative or friend overseas? If so, then you might be concerned about the menu, and the fact that it’s in English. Well, worry no more!

Actually, initial versions of the iPod already offered 14 different languages. Now, especially since sales of the iPod have boomed worldwide, latest generation versions offer more than twice as many languages, including:

Speaking of versatility, one advantage that the iPod has it that it can sense whether headphones are being used or not. If you’re listening to music and you pull the headphone jack out of its port, the iPod will pause.

But remember that if you re re-attach the headphones, the music will not play by itself, you’d have to do that manually.

However, if you’ve set your iPod to sleep mode or turned off, plugging in the headphones will get the song to play again.

So the iPod offers you music, educational tools, and now photo display! Apple released the iPod photo in early 2005. The portable music player now has a color screen to allow users to display photos and album art.

The iPod photo can send photos to a television via a composite or S-video cable.

The iPod photo can hold 30,000 photos, but it costs “an arm and a leg” according to some consumers. Rumors have it however that as soon as it’s picked up and given a look-see, the temptation to buy one gets very, very strong. So beware!

Congratulations! You are the proud owner of an iPod or maybe more than one, if it’s just after holiday season and you were the beneficiary of such nice presents!

Now, we’re noted earlier that Apple has done a very good job of making things as simple as possible. However, there are limits to how simple things can get; and there are elements of iPod ownership that can be a little bit complicated.

If you’re intimidated by technology, or if like a lot of people you’re worried about doing some damage, then this section is for you!

The iPods are small, delicate things; particularly the iPod nano. While they are somewhat designed for real-life usage, they are vulnerable to the elements and to scratching. For this reason, many people gladly reach for their iPod remote instead of fiddling with their precious little device by hand.

Fiddling with your iPod while driving is risky business, but if you absolutely must do so, think about using a remote control, a valuable device even if your iPod is within reach. Apple makes one and it retails for about $40.00-$45.00.

Yup, in case you aren’t aware, you can mount your iPod in your car and enjoy it as you motor to work (or anywhere else for that matter). In June of 2004, MacWorld magazine conducted a survey of mounting options available for iPods, and discovered about a dozen products available, ranging in price from $15.00 to $50.00. Some devices hook into vents, some are for dockable iPods only, some tilt and swivel, and still others attach to car dashboards.

If you do decide to mount your iPod to your car (thus making it a much cooler car!), you probably want to know how to fine tune your iPod once it’s mounted. This is a little easier said than done! It takes a bit of tweaking the mounting installation so that you can get the sound quality and direction that you want.

A man named Franklin Tessler, who allegedly and in his own words spent more money than he should have installing an iPod in his Infinity G35, wrote:

If you browse through any computer or electronic magazines, the iPod related advertisements alone should clue you into the many ways you can use your iPod and many iPod users like to listen to their iPods in the car – probably the one single place where most listening is done.

Griffin (www.griffintechnology.com) is marketing the iTrip which attaches your iPod to the built-in FM stereo of any car.

Here’s another way to maximize iPod use: by using Griffin’s iMic, you’ll have a USB audio interface enabling you to record your old records and tapes to play in iTunes (discussed in the next section), add to your iPod or burn to CD and listen just about anywhere. A device called GarageBand (also by Griffin) lets you connect any keyboard, guitar or microphone for quality recording.

Want another way to obtain “mileage” for your iPod ? How about taking a note? iTalk (also by Griffin) will turn your portable music player into a digital voice recorder with thousands of hours of recording time.

If you consider your iPod one of your most prized possessions, you’ll want to protect it. These things do get misplaced or forgotten at airports, taxis, and bars. Here are ways to protect your iPod. you can have it engraved (Apple offers this service for free); track it (Inspice’s SmartProtect can recover stolen electronic devices; cloak it (through PodLock, retails for $40.00). Podlock won’t protect your music libraries and photos, but it will prevent the thief from getting into your private documents.

So, you know about iPods and the various ways that you can enjoy them – including as you drive. Yet there’s a very big subject that we want to cover, because this is the biggest reason that people buy this neat little device: iTunes.

It’s not difficult to understand what iTunes is, and why people are somewhat addicted to it (in the good way, of course!). Look at it this way: the iPod is the hardware, and iTunes is the software. Or if you’d prefer a different analogy – one that isn’t so technical – imagine that the iPod is the radio itself, and iTunes are the music stations.

iTunes is the name of an online music store that sells countless numbers of audio tracks that include music, but also include books and other material, too.

While there are a number of websites that legally sell music, iTunes is unarguably the most popular and the most well-known; and that trend doesn’t appear to be stopped whatsoever!

As of the end of the second quarter of 2004, iTunes had sold 70 million songs in its first year and offered 700,000 tracks. Both of these numbers have grown substantially since then, and analysts are busy tallying up the numbers for the rest of 2004, and now into 2005.

So…just how far reaching is iTunes popularity? Well, in England, it seems to be the favorite destination – in fact the # 1 destination of people who are looking to purchase digital music. iTunes’ market share in the UK is 54% while Napster has only 10%.

“If you love the iPod so much, why don’t you give it its own magazine?” one reader of Mac World magazine complained. So MacWorld responded and came up with Playlist magazine – a publication that features everything about iPod, accessories, music topics of all kinds and plenty of iTunes tips.

For any iPod enthusiast who wants to find out something and everything about iTunes, Playlist is THE definitive reference for iTunes.

Apple recently introduced a new version of iTunes with a new user interface that is, according to Apple, simpler and more user friendly. The new search bar lets you search your library more efficiently. iTunes holds 2 million songs, 15,000 Podcasts, and 10,000 audiobooks.

The iTunes music store also has radio charts (to show the hot songs in top stations around the country) and a music-video section. Users who buys songs from iTunes can now play them on 5 computers (the previous limit was 3) and can burn a playlist to a CD 7 times (the previous limit was 10). For version 4.5 of iTunes, a song costs 99 cents, while albums cost $9.99 each.

Brad Miser and Tim Robertson wrote an interesting recap of their iTunes experience (www.informit.com). The researchers and technophiles note the following features available to iTunes members:

Listening to audio cd's
Listening to Podcasts
Checking out over 1000 album reviews
Storing all the songs you like in one space so you’d never have to fiddle with individual cds
Organize your music per category
Create customized albums (playlists) containing songs you only like to hear
C reate customized albums (smart playlists) based on certain criteria (like chamber music of the 18th century)
Mix sound quality through the equalizer
Share your music with other people over a wired or wireless network

The iTunes Music Store also now offers parental controls, so that parents can disable access to Podcasts, shared music, or the iTunes Music Store as a whole. Parents can also restrict music with explicit language.

Dp you want to organize your iTunes in a better way? Putting an entire album into a playlist is not exactly the most effective way of organizing your songs, writes Christopher Breen. Here are the convenient ways that you can organize your tunes:

Want iTunes on your cell phone so you can carry around your mobile music library with you? Apple, Motorola and Cingular Wireless are introducing the Motorola Rokr E1, the first cell phone equipped with Apple’s iTunes software.

Who doesn’t love having a little helpful information to make things easier and more effective? Well, that’s what this section is all about!

We’ll take a look at all of the shortcuts that you can use on iTunes, which will make your downloading experience faster, easier, and more powerful.

In fact, you’ll probably learn a few things simply by looking at these shortcuts; features and ideas that you didn’t even know existed! These shortcuts are all gathered from Apple’s great website (www.apple.com).

For your convenient reference, these shortcuts are provided to you in table format. This will make it extremely easy for you to jump to this section of the book when you’re online, or if you can’t remember a particular short cut.

Shortcut Category: File & Window

Well, it’s time to take a time out and look back at the incredible amount of iPod and iTunes information that you’re now a bonafide expert in (well, maybe not an expert; but pretty close!)

You now know that the iPod is a fascinating and extraordinarily popular personal entertainment device that is this generation’s Walkman…and then some!

It combines portability, convenience, cost effectiveness (since the song downloads are so cheap!), and all of the fun features offered by modern technology. There are also some incredible handy additional gadgets, such as a remote control, a car mounting device, security devices, parental control, and more.

Yet perhaps most valuable of all, you’re now aware of the numerous shortcuts that you can use on iTunes that can save you hours of time. And furthermore, the more efficiently you can use iTunes, the more value you’ll get out of your iPod; now, and well into the future!

Where should you now look to learn more about the iPod; and perhaps purchase one? Here is a list of handy sites that you should certainly take a peek at; perhaps even have them on your favorites list!

Important Note

As you go through each of these sites, please be advised that some of them will promote or endorse particular iPod models or add-ons; and it’s outside the scope of this book to recommend or to recommend any of them. These sites are provided to you here as suggestions for your further research and information.

Please always use your common sense and discretion when surfing the web, and never give out your personal information (such as credit card information) to a website or vendor that you don’t trust!

If you do require official iPod help, then you’re recommended to contact Apple for official information (though you may want to purchase your iPod from any of the authorized dealers, online and offline. Good luck!).

Where else would we think of visiting than Apple itself? This site has everything you’d want to know about the iPod, including pages of technical specifications that are sure to please even the most advanced techno-wiz out there. The Apple site will also take you to the iTunes site; simply choose iTunes from the menu at the top of the screen.

This is a wonderful website that hails itself as the online resource for everything iPod (and beyond). This site offers chat forums, updated information, galleries, software downloads, articles…you name it, and if it has anything to do with iPod, it’s probably here!

This is actually an e-commerce site that sells iPods; but it also has information and updated technical specifications that many iPod addicts will find useful.

This is another “fan” driven iPod site that has loads of information, software download, and other items that are too numerable to mention here. This site also has an updated “breaking news” section on the iPod that is sure to please the most ardent iPod fan out there!

eBay is a very popular spot for iPod selling and reselling. Since iPods are very popular, it’s sometimes a challenge to find a really fantastic deal. However, at the rate of constant innovation – we’re already on the 4th generation of the iPod, and they only launched in

Amazon.com is another globally known website that sells iPods and iPod accessories. Some items purchased on Amazon.com come with free shipping; make sure you see if you can take advantage of this!

How to Get

**The Most Out of**

Your iPod!

Introduction

What is ipod

These things SELL!

iPod Advantages

Size Does Matter!

Shortcut Category: File & Window