Quick Guide to Absolute Beginner s Guide to iPod and iTunes

Quick Guide to Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes

Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes provides all the information you need to get the most out of these amazing digital music tools. From the basics of listening to audio CDs with iTunes to the advanced customizing of music on an iPod and purchasing music online, this book equips you with the information you need.

The book is organized into the following three major parts, each focusing on one of the three components of the iPod/iTunes/iTunes Music Store triumvirate:

• Part I, "The iPod"

• Part II, "iTunes"

• Part III, "The iTunes Music Store"

Within each part, the chapters generally start with the basics of the topic and get more advanced as you continue. Within the chapters, the information is presented in roughly the order in which you will typically perform the tasks being described.

Speaking of tasks, this book contains many step-by-step instructions I hope your motto will be "learn by doing." You should be able to learn how to do a task fairly quickly and relatively painlessly by following the steps using your own music and your own tools. Although my writing is so utterly fascinating that you will likely want to read this book like a good novel, try to resist that urge because you will probably get better results if you actually work with the tools while you read this book.

Of course, you can read this book from start to finish in the order in which the chapters are presented. This will work fine if you have some experience with iTunes and have some music in your iTunes Library. However, because these tools are so well integrated, you can't really use the iPod or the iTunes Music Store effectively without knowing the basics of using iTunes first.

If you are totally new to these topics, I recommend that you get a jumpstart on iTunes by reading the core iTunes chapters first, which include Chapters 13 18. Then, you should read the core iPod chapters, which are Chapters 1 6. From there, read Chapters 23 27 to get the scoop on working with the iTunes Music Store.

After you have finished these core "courses," you can read the rest of the chapters as they interest you. For example, when you are ready to burn your own CDs or DVDs, check out Chapter 20, "Burning Your Own CDs or DVDs." If you have an iPod, read Chapter 9, "Using the iPod for Images," to learn how to view photos and slideshows.

Going Both Ways

Because the iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store all work equally well on both Windows and Macintosh computers, this book covers these topics from both perspectives. So, you'll notice that some of the figures are screenshots taken on a Windows computer whereas others are taken on a Macintosh. Although the screens on these two computers look slightly different, they work very similarly, so seeing a screen on the Mac shouldn't cause a problem for you if you use a Windows computer, and vice versa. When there are significant differences between the two platforms, I explain them in the text.

Special Elements

As you read, you will see three special elements: notes, tips, and (only rarely) cautions. Also, each chapter ends with a section titled "The Absolute Minimum." Explanations of each of these are provided for you here.

note

Notes look like this. They are designed to provide you with information related to the topic at hand but not absolutely essential to it. I hope you will find the notes interesting, even if you don't find them useful immediately.

tip

Tips help you get something done more quickly and easily, or they tell you how to do a task related to what's being described at the moment. You might also find an explanation of an alternative way to get something done.

caution

If something you can do (and probably shouldn't) might end in a bad result, I warn you in a caution. Fortunately, you won't find many of these throughout the book, but when you do see one, you might want to take a close look at it.

The Absolute Minimum

Finally, each chapter ends with "The Absolute Minimum" section. The contents of this section vary a bit from chapter to chapter. Examples of this content include the following:

• A summary of the key points of the chapter

• Additional tips related to the chapter's topic

• References to sources of additional information

So, now that you know all you need to about this book, it's time to strike up the band….