Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Ipod

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book completely ducked the most controversial aspect of owning an iPod: the limited number of recharges (and ultimate battery replacement) that each and every iPod owner faces. Instead, Mr. Breen choses to talk about how to prolong a single battery charge (turn off backlighting), and not how to extend the limited life of the Apple-provided battery. For example, is it good or bad for an iPod to be left plugged into its dock, after it has fully recharged? Also missing was advice on replacing the battery with internet available kits, use of non-Apple replacement battery services, the value of Apple's own AppleCare warranty, etc. Overall, the book had a few useful tips (available for free on many web sites), seemed very out of date for Windows versions and on any 2003 iPod releases, and generally felt like a poor value. I also felt that Amazon.com's advertising made it sound current, when in fact it is not. I am sorry that I purchased it from Amazon.

The book does not reveal many real secrets. The few interesting curiosities in it can be found also in any users forum into the Internet.

I recently purchased a 40GB iPod and am using it with iTunes on a PC. This book is helpful but it was published before the 40GB unit (not a big deal) but also before iTunes was ported to the PC. Most the information in here is easily learned through the basic user manual, some experimentation and a visit to some of the iPod sites that exist. In reading this you need to make that adjustment.
All that said it was not a waste of money, I learned quite a few useful things but it took a lot of reading through things I already knew.
Technology moves quickly and it is not unusual for books on breaking technology like the iPod to be out of date nearly as soon as they hit the stores.

There are lots of good details in this book, which seems to go farther than the missing manual series. The 4th edition (hot pink cover) seems to have pretty even coverage of using an ipod/itunes with Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Windows XP. After a day examining ipod books in the bookstore, this is one I bought. The 5th edition is out due in December 2004.

Five stars; highly recommended. This is an excellent book for new users and experienced iPodders alike because the information is thorough, accurate, and fun to read. The author discusses not only each version of the iPod and iPod Mini, but also includes detailed discussions of accessories, cases, and iTunes. He also includes power-user information, such as setting up the iPod as a boot disk. This leads me to the best reason to purchase this book: time savings. The author covers so much information in such depth and in such a clear and easy-to-understand manner, that almost any reader will save an enormous amount of time as compared to searching for answers about the iPod on the Web. Although this book has been a big help to me with my new fourth-generation iPod, my hope is that Chris Breen will write an updated edition specifically including the Click-Wheel iPod and the latest iPod accessories.

Chris Breen is a talented writer and he does a wonderful job with the Secrets of the iPod book. I received an iPod as a gift in June, happily his book was released in July. This book was a real life saver.

It is filled with useful information secrets, tips and very useful tips. He give you a step by step look at the insides of this fun toy, and I didn't need to break my Apple warranty to see what it looks like inside.

The two areas I found the most beneficial were learning about all the accessories and the section on trouble shooting.

The book is filled with useful information on how to get the most out of your iPod and when you are done with the book you are rewarded with a wonderful surprise.

I plan on giving copies as a holiday gift to my iPod owner friends. A "must have" for any holiday list.

I bought the second edition of Secrets of the iPod when it came out at Macworld Expo in January. I've had an iPod for almost a year and I thought I knew it all. Not! This book taught me a lot about my iPod. The troubleshooting and iTunes chapters were really helpful. And the whole book is well written. Its even funny in some parts!

I don't know what this other reviewer is talking about, but the second edition of this book has tons of information on the Windows iPod. Maybe he got an earlier version? My girlfriend has a Windows iPod so I bought her a copy of the book too. (I'm trying to get her to switch to the Mac) She said it really helped her and she was really glad that the author recommended other music programs to use with her PC.

If you can't make it to one of Mr. Breen's iPod/iTunes seminars which I highly recommend, this is the next best thing. Everything you need to know and more about your new iPod. First off, the iPod is a mini hard drive music player run by cool software. It does a great job. It is not a walkman or radio, it is a sensitive appliance. I own two and I found it's fairly intuitive and got it up and running in minutes. For those who want get into the innards, voila! Mr. Breen to the rescue!

I thought this book was great! Finally, I have found a book that answers some of the nagging questions I have had about my ipod, for example hidden files. I had done research on the internet for answers to some of my questions with no luck finding detailed answers, until I discovered "Secrets of the iPod", by Chris Breen. I recommend this book to anyone who owns an iPod and wants to know how it "really" works.

Mr. Martin is back to his old tricks. I'm the author of Secrets of the iPod and also a moderator of Macworld magazine's forums. Mr. Martin and I had a disagreement and he was eventually banned from the forums for trolling. He chose to express his frustration by writing a negative review of my book (a book he has never read).

When my first remarks appeared revealing the true nature of his review, he edited his review to be positive in the hope that I would then be forced to change my remarks.

His review read:

"This work is so informative and so well written that it works on every level, and for both beginners and experts. Without doubt, Mr. Breen is the most trusted iPod expert, and has produced the "bible" for iPod users. You can't go wrong with this book."

Yet when my remarks were removed at my request, Mr. Martin changed his review yet again to the negative screed you now see. How could the same book (and its author) be so wonderful one day and wretched the next? Such is the logic of the trollish world Mr. Martin inhabits.

I'm sorry that Amazon's customers must be subjected to Mr. Martin's childish antics but until he's eventually prohibited from venting his spleen in such a fashion, there's nothing for it but to expose him for the kind of person he is.

That said, I would disregard anything Mr. Martin has to say about my book -- positive or negative -- as it's difficult to write a useful review of a book you refuse to read.