Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Brad Miser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0789736276 | ISBN-13: 978-0789736277 | Publication Date: December 31, 2006 | Edition: 3

Since the inception of iTunes, the iPod (the best-selling portable digital music player), and iTunes Music Store (Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2003), Apple has taken the world of digital music by storm. The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, Third Edition, provides all the information that music and media fans need to get the most out of these amazing digital devices and tools. From the basics of listening to audio CDs to advanced customization of music on an iPod, this book equips even those who have never explored digital audio to master their digital music by using these awesome tools. The book covers both Windows and Macintosh platforms to reach the broadest possible audience. The book is organized into two major parts, with each focusing on an element of the iPod, and iTunes and finally a third part focusing on the iTunes Music Store. Along the way, it explains how all of these tools work together and shows readers how to get the most from them. It progresses from very basic topics in a logical manner to lead even absolute beginners on the path to musical mastery.

 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part I The iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Touring the iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Getting Started with an iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3 Controlling an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4 Listening to Music on an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5 Listening to Music on an iPod shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

6 Building an iPod’s Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

7 Using an iPod to Listen to and Watch Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

8 Using an iPod to Listen to Audiobooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

9 Using an iPod to Store and View Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

10 Using an iPod to Watch Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

11 Taking the iPod Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

12 Configuring an iPod to Suit Your Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

13 Maintaining an iPod and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Part II iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

14 Touring iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

15 Getting Started with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

16 Listening to Audio CDs and Internet Audio with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . 231

17 Building, Browsing, Searching, and Playing Your iTunes

Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

18 Labeling, Categorizing, and Configuring Your Music . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

19 Creating, Configuring, and Using Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

20 Subscribing to and Listening to Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

21 Working with iTunes Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

22 Burning Your Own CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

23 Sharing iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

24 Maintaining iTunes and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Part III The iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

25 Touring the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

26 Configuring iTunes for the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

27 Shopping in the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

28 Working with Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

29 Solving iTunes Store Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since the inception of iTunes, the iPod (the best-selling portable digital music player), and iTunes Music Store (Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2003), Apple has taken the world of digital music by storm. The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, Third Edition, provides all the information that music and media fans need to get the most out of these amazing digital devices and tools. From the basics of listening to audio CDs to advanced customization of music on an iPod, this book equips even those who have never explored digital audio to master their digital music by using these awesome tools. The book covers both Windows and Macintosh platforms to reach the broadest possible audience. The book is organized into two major parts, with each focusing on an element of the iPod, and iTunes and finally a third part focusing on the iTunes Music Store. Along the way, it explains how all of these tools work together and shows readers how to get the most from them. It progresses from very basic topics in a logical manner to lead even absolute beginners on the path to musical mastery.

 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part I The iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Touring the iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Getting Started with an iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3 Controlling an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4 Listening to Music on an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5 Listening to Music on an iPod shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

6 Building an iPod’s Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

7 Using an iPod to Listen to and Watch Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

8 Using an iPod to Listen to Audiobooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

9 Using an iPod to Store and View Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

10 Using an iPod to Watch Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

11 Taking the iPod Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

12 Configuring an iPod to Suit Your Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

13 Maintaining an iPod and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Part II iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

14 Touring iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

15 Getting Started with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

16 Listening to Audio CDs and Internet Audio with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . 231

17 Building, Browsing, Searching, and Playing Your iTunes

Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

18 Labeling, Categorizing, and Configuring Your Music . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

19 Creating, Configuring, and Using Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

20 Subscribing to and Listening to Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

21 Working with iTunes Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

22 Burning Your Own CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

23 Sharing iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

24 Maintaining iTunes and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Part III The iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

25 Touring the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

26 Configuring iTunes for the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

27 Shopping in the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

28 Working with Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

29 Solving iTunes Store Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

About the Author

Brad Miser has written more than 25 books about computers and related technology,

with his favorite topics being anything that starts with a lowercase i, such as the

iPod and iTunes. In addition to Absolute Beginner’s Guide to iPod and iTunes, Third

Edition, Brad has written Mac User’s Guide to Living Wirelessly; Pimping Your Mac Mini;

Special Edition Using Mac OS X, Tiger; Special Edition Using Mac OS X, v10.3 Panther;

Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling; Mac OS X and iLife: Using iTunes, iPhoto,

iMovie, and iDVD; iDVD 3 Fast & Easy; Special Edition Using Mac OS X v10.2; and Using

Mac OS 8.5. He has also been an author, a development editor, or a technical editor

on more than 50 other titles. He has written numerous articles in MacAddict magazine

and has been a featured speaker on various topics at Macworld Expo, at user

group meetings, and in other venues.

 

Brad is a solutions consultant, meaning that he helps customers understand how to

benefit from the software that the company he works for produces. Previously, he was

the director of product and customer services for a software development company

and the manager of education and support services for a different software company.

He was also the lead proposal specialist for an aircraft engine manufacturer, a

development editor for a computer book publisher, and a civilian aviation test

officer/engineer for the U.S. Army. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in

mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis

Obispo and has received advanced education in maintainability engineering,

business, and other topics.

 

In addition to his passion for technology, Brad likes to ride his motorcycle whenever

and wherever possible. A native of California, Brad now lives in Brownsburg, Indiana, with his wife, Amy;

their three daughters, Jill, Emily, and Grace; and a rabbit named Bun-Bun.

Brad would love to hear about your experiences with this book (the good, the bad,

and the ugly). Please visit his website at web.mac.com/bradmacosx/ to send an email

to him.

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Que; 3 edition (December 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789736276
• ISBN-13: 978-0789736277
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Music > iPods

More About the Author

Brad Miser has written extensively about computers and related technology, with his favorite topics being anything related to Macintosh computers. Brad's most recent book is the Mac User's Guide to Living Wirelessly, Brad has written Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, 2nd Edition; Special Edition Using Mac OS X Tiger, Special Edition Using Mac OS X, v10.3 Panther; Absolute Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling; Mac OS X and iLife: Using iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD; and Using Mac OS 8.5. He has been an author, development editor, or technical editor on more than 50 other titles. He has also published articles in MacAddict magazine along with other publications. He has been a featured speaker on various topics at Macworld Expo, at user group meetings, and in other venues.
Brad is the manager of education and support services for a software development company. Previously, he was the lead proposal specialist for an aircraft engine manufacturer, a development editor for a computer book publisher, and a civilian aviation test officer/engineer for the U.S. Army. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and has received advanced education in maintainability engineering, business, and other topics.
In addition to his passion for technology, Brad likes to ride his motorcycle, run, and play racquetball; playing with home theater technology is also a favorite pastime.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, "user friendly", and superbly organized, July 14, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes (Paperback)

Comprehensive, "user friendly", and superbly organized, The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes quite literally provides neophytes with easy access to all the informtion any dedicated music fan could possible need in order to get the most out of this new wave of digital music tools whether utilizing a Windows or Mac platform. From the basics of audio CDs, to advanced customizing of music on an iPod, Brad Miser's The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes nicely equips even those who have never explored digital audio to master their digital music using these tools. If you have an iPod or iTunes, then this 408-page compendium is the ultimate reference for you!

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand, well written, highly recommended, December 10, 2004

By 

G. J. Kleinpell (Fort Myers, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book to get a grasp on all the features of the fabulous Ipod. The author obviously has a good grasp in writing technical manuals. Well organized, easy to understand, bits of appropriate humor....this book will leave you with a great understanding of the workings of the Ipod, and well on your way to becoming a power user.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase, September 7, 2007

By 

christine (Marlton, NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

Because of the reviews of others on Amazon I decided to take a look at this book and then I purchased it. Filled with tons of information. Easy to read, understand, explained well and enjoyable. You cannot go wrong with this book. I doubt even the inexperienced will have any problems using an iPod after reading this.