Chapter 3. Controlling an iPod or iPod Mini

In This Chapter

Connect an iPod to headphones or speakers so you can hear its music.
Turn on an iPod and learn about its controls.
Tour the iPod's menus and screens.
Light up your iPod's world with the Backlight.
Put an iPod on hold.
Turn off an iPod.

The iPod is a well-designed device that is easy to control—once you understand its controls and how they work, that is. Because the iPod is likely quite different from other devices you have used, it can take a little time to get totally comfortable controlling one. That's where this chapter comes in. You'll learn about the iPod's controls and how to use them. You'll also come to know (and love) the iPod's menu structure and the major screens with which you will deal. You'll get into the details of using all these controls and screens in subsequent chapters.

In this chapter, you'll learn the specific controls on the current generation of iPods (current to when I was writing this book, that is) that you use to perform certain actions. Previous generations used different kinds of controls. For example, before the Click Wheel was standard on all iPod models, some models had separate buttons for Play and other actions. Throughout the rest of this part of the book, I'll refer to the action in general and expect that you know which control to use for your model of iPod. For example, in later chapters when a step says to play the iPod, I'll just write that you should press the Play button without telling you where it is. On all iPods except the shuffle, you'll know where it is from this chapter, and you'll learn where it is on the shuffle in Chapter 5. For other models, you'll have to figure it out, which won't be hard because the buttons are labeled with the same icons.

note

In this chapter, I use the term iPod to mean all models except the shuffle. The iPod shuffle works differently from the other iPods. If you use only an iPod shuffle, you don't need to read this chapter or the next , so move ahead to Chapter 5, "Listening to Music on an iPod shuffle."

Getting Ready to Play

To hear the music stored on your iPod, you must attach a sound output device to it. The most common one you might think of is the earbud headphones that were included in the package.

To use these, you connect the mini-jack on the earbud cable to the Headphones port located on the top of the iPod. When you do so, you'll hear any sound coming from the iPod through the earbuds.

Controlling an iPod

The primary controls for an iPod are located on its Click Wheel (see Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1. Most of the controls on an iPod mini are on its Click Wheel.

Turning On an iPod

To turn on an iPod, press the Click Wheel in any location or press the Select button. You'll see the Apple logo on the iPod's screen, and after it starts up, you'll see the main menu.

note

If you connect a set of unamplified speakers, you aren't likely to hear very much, if anything. The iPod doesn't put out enough power to drive a set of unpowered speakers .

Choosing an iPod's Language

The first time you turn on an iPod, you'll immediately move to the Language selection screen that you use to choose the language in which your iPod will display information. To choose a language, slide a finger or thumb clockwise on the Click Wheel to move down the language list or counterclockwise to move up the list. When the language you want to use is highlighted, press the Select button to choose it. You will then move to the main menu. You'll have to do this the first time you turn on an iPod and each time you restore it.

Making Selections on an iPod

The previous paragraph about selecting a language gives you the general idea of how you control an iPod. Now, let's give you a very specific idea of how you move around your iPod to make it follow your commands.

note

Some audio devices connect to the iPod's Dock connector. Examples of these are iPod speakers, certain FM transmitters, and so on. Whenever you connect it, the point is that your iPod needs something connected to it for you to hear its music.

The iPod is based on menus from which you make choices. To make a choice on a menu, you slide a finger or thumb clockwise on the Click Wheel to move down the current menu or counterclockwise to move up the current menu. As you move up or down, a different command on the menu will be highlighted. When the command you want to use is highlighted, press the Select button to choose it. If the command is for another menu, that menu will appear. You can then move up and down that menu to choose another command. If the menu provides a list of songs, albums, or other categories, you can use the same process to select and play an item, such as a song.

To move back to a previous menu, you press the Menu button. You move "up" one level of the menu structure each time you press the Menu button.

note

If you place an iPod on Hold (whether the iPod is on or not) and then turn off the Hold again, the iPod will turn on.

You'll learn the specific menus and screens you will use later in this chapter. For now, just understand how to move up and down the iPod's menu structure.

Using the iPod's Click Wheel

The iPod's Click Wheel is kind of cool because it contains both the wheel you use to move up and down the menus and the various buttons you use to control the iPod. These buttons are located at each 90° point around the Click Wheel. To use a button, you simply press down on its icon on the wheel. The button will click and the action it represents will happen.

Because there isn't a clear delineation between locations on the wheel, you don't have to be precise when you press a button. Press down close to the button's icon on the wheel and you will likely get the expected action.

When a song is playing and the Now Playing screen is displayed, you control the iPod's volume by sliding a finger or thumb on the Click Wheel clockwise to increase the volume or counterclockwise to decrease it.

When music is playing, you can also fast-forward, rewind, and rate music using the Click Wheel after you press the Select button one time to change to fast-forward or rewind mode or two times to get to the rating mode. The detailed steps to access and use these modes are covered later in this part of the book.