54 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
There is a lot missing from this manual., November 9, 2009
This review is from: iPod: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
I read the 2008 edition and there are no worthwhile additions in this version. It still reads like a sales pub from Apple (who probably was subbed to write it) with heavy emphasis on the iTunes Store, all of the different models of iPods, and, of course, the Genius feature, another Apple sales tool. The Genius feature is a brain child of the Apple marketing department, which suggests songs to buy for those people who don't know what they like. There's nothing genius about the feature, it relies on iTunes Store buying patterns. It shows, for instance, that Megadeth buyers also buy Pantera. Do you need to have someone snooping through your collection to tell you that? Now that you know what the Genius feature really is, you don't need to read the manual. Well, maybe some do...
The book fails to enlighten in areas where it could really shine. Smart Playlists are skimmed over on just two pages, most of which, like the rest of the book, is occupied by space-wasting, life-sized screen displays. There are a lot of Smart Playlist examples and tricks that could have been discussed, but nothing is shared. I use Smart Playlists for many purposes, like telling me which songs haven't been backed-up, controlling what goes into complex playlists which show me which songs haven't been played enough; none of this is in the Missing Manual. How about, nesting Playlists or using the ellipsis feature? Nope, not there, though it's shown on a screen capture!
The manual says that you can control the start and stop times of a song after you rip it, but doesn't suggest that you might do so before you rip a CD, which eliminates space-wasting bytes. Another topic may have been how to eliminate unwanted parts in-between the start and end of a song. This can be done either totally within iTunes (the long way) or with the aid of an external utility. But nothing cool like this is in the book.
Everything that you will ever do on iTunes is dependent on the correctness of the data that you put into it. This isn't so much a problem with iTunes Store purchases, but is a real problem with ripped CDs. The information obtained from the GraceNote database is often either missing or incorrect. There are misspelled song, album and artist titles. There are incorrect or missing recording dates and composer names. All of those errors and omissions will mean that your Playlists will be compromised. The astute user will also want to organize music differently depending on whether the song is classical or rock. Nothing this interesting is discussed or even suggested in the manual. These topics would have been the starting point for a good iTunes manual.
The book contains still contains errors, like misdirecting the user of the iPod Classic to access the (worthless) Alarm Clock through the Extras Menu. You have to go through the Clock feature to get to the Alarm which beeps only 2 times before turning off. I can't imagine ever using it and I can't believe that Apple built speakers into the iPod so it could be used.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. If you're a new user, then save yourself some dough and Goggle the Internet for all of the info that you'll ever need to manage your music. If you need a book to get started, then maybe get this, but be aware that there is a lot missing from this manual.
I expected to learn tricks, but instead, felt tricked. Two stars because of the misleading title.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Found it very helpful, April 5, 2010
This review is from: iPod: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
Much easier than plowing throught the Apple manuals. Clear cut, easy to use and coverss a wide variety of questions.
I love my iPods and iPod touch and Nano- but being older (58), I am not tchbnology savy and don't really want to have to be- but I want to use my stuff easily and be able to find answres in a more concise centralized place- and this book is GREAT for that!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All is revealed., June 15, 2010
This review is from: iPod: The Missing Manual (Paperback)
iPod, The Missing Manual (2010 Eighth Edition) by J.D. Biersdorfer with David Pogue is another success story in the Missing Manual series published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
The book attempts to cover most iPods since 2007 through 2009. The notable exception here are the iPhone and the new iPad. Biersdorfer and Pogue cover in great detail and clarity almost any question an iPod owner might have. Topics are nicely broken down by how most people would experience using the iPod. The blending of the iPod with iTunes is admirably covered. The book also offers a balanced approach for both Windows and Macintosh users. As steps to complete activities with each iPod differ the authors further offer step by step guides from older video iPods to the present iPod Touch.
The effort is to make available almost all information needed for the beginning user. This, of course, limits some of the information more experienced users might desire. But the iPods have developed so many features in their few shorts years that coverage of advanced topics might call for another work. Efforts to cover all topics would yield on unbalanced volume too large to fully understand and usability would suffer greatly.
So if you think you have pretty well conquered your iPod you will be greatly surprised on the many features built into each machine that iPod, The Missing Manual, will reveal.
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