iTunes 101: Crank Up the Tunes

Now that you know the basics of iPod, it's time to have some real fun! This section covers everything you need to know about getting music, audiobooks, and podcasts onto your iPod, and all the things you can do to enhance your listening experience. We're using iTunes 7 here; make sure that you update to the latest version to take advantage of all these features.

Want music on your iPod? Say hello to iTunes first.

Lesson 1: iTunes Initiation—If you're not quite familiar with the iTunes interface or its capabilities, this crash course lesson will give you an overview of what's what and what's where.

Lesson 2: Bring in the Noise!—Whether you've got digital audio files already on your hard drive or want to squeeze your entire CD collection into your computer, go here to find out how to add your aural oddities to your iTunes library, create playlists, edit ID3 tags, add lyrics, and get album art.

Lesson 3: Fill ’er Up!—Time to move your music to iPod. Learn how to sync iPod with iTunes to transfer files automatically; transfer music files, podcasts, and audiobooks manually; copy your iTunes playlists to iPod; and properly disconnect your player from your computer.

Lesson 4: Play That Funky Music—Now that you've got the music, here's how to play your files on your iPod. If your iPod has a display, we'll also show you how to navigate through all the menus to find what you want and how to create a playlist on your iPod.

Lesson 5: Plug into Podcasts—Podcasts are all the rage right now and your iPod is the ultimate vehicle for them. Find out what they are, how to get them, how to play them, and how you can go about creating your own.

Lesson 6: Set Your Preferences—iTunes functionality is not set in stone; you can choose what you see in the interface and how some iTunes features function. Go here to find out how to have things your way with sharing and playing music, burning discs, syncing iPod, shopping, and more.