Customer Reviews

iPod: The Missing Manual

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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Because we bought an iPod mini recently, I thought it would be smart to get some insider's information how to make use of all its features. So I first checked some magazines, but they were kind of expensive. For just a little more, I might as well buy a complete book, I reasoned. But then I checked some often mentioned ipod related web sites. I already found some interesting information there, but I still found them not as complete as I had expected. So I checked Amazon to see if there were some good books. After reading reviews of different books, I had the impression that "iPod & iTunes: Missing Manual" was not just a good and complete book about the iPod. It was probably also the best around.

But when the book was delivered and I started reading it, I immediately noticed that I had stepped into that trap again: there are no good manuals for frequently updated hardware and software...

I should have sticked with trying things out by myself, perhaps checking some of the web sites once in a while.

Having read the book, I should say it's outdated (why bother about the old MusicMatch software for Windows?) and very superficial. I would have expected many more smart tricks (like how to create smart playlists). Overall, I think at most 10% of the book has some value. But to call this book a manual or reference is way too much honor for it.

I almost did not find any really surprising insights in this book. If you're not too stupid to be able to try out the iTunes software for yourself (going through all its (sub)menus once to see what it does), you don't need this book at all.

Anyway, this book proved to me (once again) that one should never buy books like these, unless it's your hobby to support their authors/publishers.

The Apple manual for the iPod is 6 pages long, a good start, but hardly enough to really get your feet wet with your new cigarette-pack sized personal music assistant. J.D. Biersdorfer supplements this with a 331 page tome that tells you "everything you ever wanted to know about the iPod, but were afraid to ask". Biersdorfer covers all versions of the iPod back to generation one (1G) and bringing you up to date to generation three (3G), including those designed for the Windows operating system. The book is organized into five parts: Hardware, Software, Beyond the Music, Extreme iPodding, and Appendixes. Each of the parts explains in layman's terms the relevant areas of the iPod experience.

The Hardware section covers the various incarnations of the iPod, as well as, various accessories like the remote control, case, and earbuds. Hardware also covers charging, and synchronizing the iPod with the computer (Macintosh or Windows) of your choice. Clear instructions and diagrams/photos make the hardware section easy to follow. The hardware section even includes instructions for installing a Firewire card if your computer is not equipped with Firewire. One section is sure to be controversial; instructions are given on how to copy music FROM the iPod TO the computer. Biersdorfer admits that this could be used to pirate music, but counters with some good reasons to transfer music WITHOUT piracy.

The Software section includes a good discussion of digital music formats including MP3, AIFF, AAC, and WAV. A rather lengthy discussion of the features of iTunes for Macintosh is included to get the reader up to speed on the usefulness of this portion of the digital hub. The books publication predates the December 2003 release of iTunes for Windows, so the older MusicMatch for Windows is covered. Finally, a good overview of the iTunes Music Store is given, with a tour of the features and a really great takeoff on Billy Joel's "Piano Man" called "iTunes Man".

Beyond the Music covers the other uses of the iPod including Address Book, Calendar, Games and eBooks, iSync, and the iPod as a hard drive. I found the Calendar section particularly helpful, as it covers using the major players: iCal, Entourage, and Now Up-to-Date.

Extreme iPodding was tor me the most interesting section of the book, as it talks about iPod hacks and cool tricks as well as the myriad accessories available for the iPod. Currently I'm looking to use my iPod in my car and the information on devices to connect to a car stereo helped me to decide which of the routes to take. The troubleshooting section brings together much of the information from the Apple Knowledge Base articles into one easy to find location. As I have had issues with both of my iPods, it was nice to be able to find the information in one spot, rather than clicking to the 4 or 5 different articles on Apple's website, and having to cross reference the troubleshooting procedures from printouts.

The appendixes cover both the Macintosh and Windows software offerings, menu by menu, and explain some of the lesser known keyboard shortcuts for the commands in each program.

Overall the book is a great compliment to the iPod experience. It is clearly written and has just enough humor sprinkled throughout to keep the reader smiling and interested. I opened the book thinking that 300+ pages on a device this small with five buttons was overkill... J.D. Biersdorfer and O'Reilly proved me wrong. I learned to make my iPod more than "just" a music player, and I had fun while doing it.

The iPod is the best personal music player available. Its ease of use, and enormous storage capability, are possible because of the software written for the device, the iTunes utility, and to the fact that the iPod is basically a portable hard drive. This valuable 350 page how-to book will guide both new users and experienced hacks to utilize the capabilities of the iPod, as well as the iTunes utility, to the maximum.
This is not a supplemental manual. It is a stand-alone reference that will walk the reader through the basics of the iPod and iTunes. It will also, in simple language and clear graphics, explain how to utilize iPod as a PDA, a data storage unit, and even a recording device.
The author, very thoughtfully, provides not only thorough coverage of topic for Mac-only users, but also includes detailed guidance for Windows users as well as Mac OS 9 users. For Windows users, utilities that can be linked with the iPod are explained as clearly as Mac utilities. And as important as explaining what various capabilities are, describing the limitations to each utility are often just as detailed.
There are generous amounts of figures and other graphics for both Mac and Windows utilities. What I particularly liked about many of the the illustrations was that layered windows, and menus for several steps, were shown in a single figure. This makes it even easier for "visual" learners to master the instructions.
Perhaps the part of the book I was most pleased to find was in the appendix. For both iTunes and Music Match Jukebox Plus, every menu (dozens of them) are explained in detail. I think this is essential for novice users to have this kind of guidance, and I have not found it in other manuals and "how to" books.
Disappointments were few and minor. Though I suspect there are no substantial differences with using the iPod Mini, I would have liked to have this stated one way or the other. Also, I would like to have been instructed in how I could have set up a separate iTunes account on my Mac, so others who use my computer would find it easier to download only their music into their own iPod. Finally, marker tabs on the side of the book may make it easier to find chapters more quickly. These, though, pale in comparison to the benefits of buying this "must have" book.

If you have never touched an iPod or used iTunes and MusicMatch Junkebox and will be learning from scratch, then this is a wonderful book. If you learn by messing around and by trying things, then you do not need this book. Most of the info in this book can be found online as well. If you are willing to do some searching then you do not need this book. If you want a one stop resource, then it is a great book.

...if you have an iPod, or are planning to buy one... this book is about everything you need to set up your own music collection using iTunes 4 (Mac) or MusicMatch Jukebox (Windows), and enjoy it anywhere using your iPod.

It is divided into various parts: Introduction (What is an iPod?), The Hardware (Meet the iPod, The iPod Sync Connection), The Software (Digital Audio Formats, iTunes for the Macintosh, Musicmatch Jukebox for Windows, The iTunes Music Store), Beyond the Music (iPod as Address Book, Calendar and Hard Drive, iPod Games and eBooks, iSync) and Extreme iPodding (Connecting to other audio systems, Hot Hacks, Cool Tools, Troubleshooting and more), followed by the appendixes which clearly describe the use of iTunes and MusicMatch.

This is just THE book on the iPod and related matters. Furthermore, the language used is pleasant and it can make you smile at times. The paper is of good quality and feels good to the fingers.

Make your iPod time a pleasant time with this book!

I bought this book at the same time that I bought my iPod. I was taken in by the "Missing Manual" part, hoping that the book would give some basic information on how to use the iPod and the related software. It does no such thing.

To illustrate my frustration with this book, let me relate a couple of exeriences.

The iPod idea is not really meant for classical music, since classical music pieces are not organized around "songs." I happen to be interested in classical music, and, with time, I have been able to work around the iPod's limitations and make it serviceable for Beethoven, Bach, and the rest. But this book was of NO help in this. Instead, it tells the reader that if he is a classical music buff, he will just have to suffer for his art.

Keeping in mind my first lessons in computing, back in the 1980's, I know that the three basic laws of all computing are backup, backup, and backup. When you work with an iPod, backup is even more important than for ordinary computing. This book is of very little help with that. Again, I had to learn by myself, without much help from this book.

On the other hand, there are things in this book that are interesting. The way to use this book is not as a source of answers to questions you have (that would really be a manual), but as a source of ideas and facts that you never knew were there. So I won't throw it out in disgust; I'll read in it from time to time. I have gained some insights from it and will no doubt do so in the future.

Lucky enough to get a 20 Gigabyte 4G iPod, I wanted to know how to do everything on it as quickly as possible. While I had used iTunes before getting this iPod, I found this book useful and very readable to discover how to use my iPod for more than playing tunes. I appreciate all the shareware and freeware mentioned in the book is on the book publisher's website. Most are fairly small downloads that won't take too long even on a dial-up connection.
Yes, the information is dated as this book gets to be a year old now, but still it is a useful reference book and hopefully a newer edition will be out later this year. I found many websites to supplement I do admit I just borrowed this book from the library, so my expectations are lower than someone who forked out money to get it. I picked up Guy Hart-Davis's "How to Do Everything With Your iPod & Ipod mini second edition" and while it does cover some things the missing manual doesn't, it is less readable and even more out of date, not to mention a condescending lecture on stealing music. So look through this book and consider waiting for a new edition and/or try out some online resources.

Many of the missing manual books are excellent, but this one, in my opinion, falls sadly short. Surely people who are interested in a technical insight to a technical device want useful details, rather than reiteration of the obvious and endless "soggy' jokes.
The book isn't without some merit, and I would recommend borrowing it from a library or a friend so you can flip through it. But, I would wait before buying it in the hope the author updates it and puts more "meat" into the text.

"iPod & iTunes, 2nd Ed.: The Missing Manual" is an update to the 2003 book, "iPod, The Missing Manual". I described the earlier book in a prior review as "having everything you wanted to know" about the iPod, its software, and its accessories. It was everything a manual should be and more.

Since then, the iPod has changed - it's now bigger and more capable, has newer and better software, and has been joined by the iPod mini. This new edition of "iPod and iTunes" is bigger, updated, and improved as well. It still is everything a manual should be and more. It has everything you could possibly want to know about the iPod universe, circa May 2004.

For example, Apple bundles a set of earphones with the iPod which are described as noticeably better than most. The book reveals that the Apple speakers use neodymium transducer magnets, described by Apple as five times as powerful as conventional aluminum or cobalt used in cheaper units. That material is a rare earth metal, atomic #60. Not every resource would have that depth of description or explanation!

In its sixteen chapters and 349 pages (including index), the book updates the original by describing the latest iPod hardware and available accessories. It details the features of the latest iPod, iTunes, and iSync software, both Mac and Windows versions. Regarding nearly all its topics, the book makes every attempt to cover both the Mac and PC variants, including the PC-specific Music Match Jukebox software included as an alternative to the PC version of iTunes.

Even if you don't have an iPod yet, you still will have a great manual for the iTunes software which has more features than previously and includes the iTunes Store features.

From learning how to maximize and/or benefit from the iPod and iTunes software, to knowing all the available accessories for the iPods, this book is as thorough and useful as you can get.

Title: iPod & iTunes, Second Edition
Author: J. D. Biersdorfer
Edited by David Pogue
Publisher: Pogue Press/O'Reilly & Associates, February, 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00658-6

Reviewed by: Curt Blanchard, Tucson Macintosh Users Group

The Missing Manual books from Pogue Press/O'Reilly have another publication in their outstanding series. iPod & iTunes (Second Edition) is a 350 page follow-up to the original iPod Missing Manual published in July, 2003. Once again, J. D. Biersdorfer takes the helm (David Pogue edits) and does a masterful job of handling the complexities of a couple of seemingly simple things. One of Apple's greatest strengths from the very beginning has been their ability to take a complex piece of software or hardware and make it nonchalantly intuitive while keeping a vigilant and attentive eye on ease-of-use. Both iTunes (software) and iPod (hardware) are fine examples of this. Both can be used without reading a single page of instruction. (Try THAT on a PC!) However, underneath their friendly, simple faces, lie things that is deceptively robust approaching near pro levels.

The iTunes application, part of the iLife suite, which was not covered in the first edition, and is now explored in detail - the latest and greatest version being iTunes 4.5. J. D. Biersdorfer treats it in her usual thorough way without making it heavy or gooey to read and absorb. (This is a real skill. Why are Mac writers able to do this better?) About a third of the book deals with iTunes, its formats, playlists and how to rip music so it will burn onto CDs or get sucked into the iPod properly.

The iPod takes up the rest of this comprehensive book. Who knew so much could be written about such a miniscule machine which is now smaller than a stack of business cards! Yes, the iPod Mini is covered as well. These marvels of miniaturization are not just sophisticated a Walkman, at their hearts are real hard disks that can make the iPod an ideal place to download images from your digital camera, can masquerade as a GameBoy, an Alarm Clock, an address book and calendar, a player of audio books or even an external, bootable hard drive. Yes, iPods record data just as well as music! The book will lead you through the ins and outs of playing and recording music, importing calendars and contacts, syncing with your desktop machine, connecting to home and car audio systems and lots more. There is even a wealth of iPod accessories and shareware apps.

To be fair, this book is dual-platform and devotes equal time to Mac and PC step-by-step instructions. Both are treated with respect and are given the time and space required to explain the differences. The Mac platform is the native one, of course. Both are Apple products

Last year, I wrote enthusiastically about the first edition, but now I heartily endorse this new Second Edition, iPod & iTunes. It covers so much more - mostly because so much more is now available - the iPod Mini, iTunes 4.5 and an ever-expanding list of exciting accessories. If you have an iPod, you really need this book, if you don't have one yet, read this book and you'll want one!

--Curt Blanchard - 5/28/04