| In order to hear the music that is 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 (see Figure 3.1). When you do so, you'll hear any sound coming from the iPod through the earbuds. Figure 3.1. The top of an iPod is where you plug in headphones, speakers, or other audio output devices. 
Although you are likely to use earbuds or other headphones with an iPod, those are certainly not the only audio output devices through which you can play an iPod's music. Following are some other devices you might want to use: Note  | On the top of the iPod, you'll also see the iPod Remote port in which you connect a remote control (you'll learn about these in later chapters). And, you'll also see the Hold switch, which you'll learn about later in this chapter. |
Powered speakersYou can connect a set of powered speakers to the Headphones port to play your iPod's music on those speakers. For example, you can use any set of computer speakers to create a mini stereo system. 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. FM TransmitterYou can connect an FM transmitter to the Headphones port to broadcast your iPod's output over FM (some transmitters connect to the Dock port). You can then tune into your iPod's music on an FM tuner, such as the one in your car or home stereo system. Home or Car StereoYou can use various cables and connectors to connect the Headphones port to an input port on a home stereo receiver, a car stereo, or boom box to play your iPod's music over one of these devices. You'll learn how to do this in Chapter 8, "Using an iPod with a Home Stereo or Car Stereo."
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