Filed under: iPod Family, How-tos
Getting started with your new iPod
So you got a new iPod for Christmas? Congratulations. You're going to love it. And here are a few tips to get you started.
iTunes is not normally this slow: You've got to understand what happens on Christmas morning and throughout this week is that the iTunes store is bombarded by all you new and excited iPod owners--not to mention everyone who already had an iPod and got a gift card under the tree. Sure, go ahead and peek around the store but you might want to delay your serious iTunes shopping for a few days until things settle down and the store response time starts getting better.
You don't have to fill up your iPod right away: Don't let your CD collection intimidate you. There's plenty of time to rip your CDs and put them onto your iPod and you don't have to do it all at once. Just pick an album or two at first and let your ripped digitized music grow slowly over time. Your music won't be fun if you see it as a burden. In the mean time, check out some of the great podcasts available on the Internet. They're lots of fun to listen to and you don't have to rip anything for them to work.
Switch earphones: Yes, those white earbuds are a status symbol, but you can do a lot better in terms of comfort and audio quality by switching to a better pair of headphones. Just saying...
Charge it: It shouldn't take more than 3-5 hours to fully charge your new battery. Apple says you don't have to let it charge for 24 hours before the first use. Right out of the box, there should be enough charge on your new friend to take it for a quick spin and check out its functions.
Use teenagers: If you have any questions about how your iPod works, track down a random teenager. They'll know a staggering amount about how your iPod functions. They will also be happy to borrow it to "work out the kinks" for you at little or no charge.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Goose said 2:42PM on 12-25-2006
That last tip really made me smile...
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Enda Crowley said 1:32PM on 12-25-2006
That's brilliant! I especially love the teenagers bit. I'm just after printing this out for my Dad and sister who both just got iPods for Xmas.
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matt said 1:32PM on 12-25-2006
i have never seen the itunes store this depressingly slow all i want to do is register a gift card... arrr bloody christmas!!
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Robyn Saunders said 1:38PM on 12-25-2006
Don't forget to get a good case to protect your new iPod from scratches, dings, and droppage!
Also, an iPod is great for using in the car on long trips. It's fairly easy with the right attachment to pump your tunes into your car stereo.
I already have a 3G iPod, and a 2G Nano. I was surprised by Santa last night with a new Shuffle to go with the collection. Wow! is it ever cool! And sooo freaking tiny!
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robert booth said 1:42PM on 12-25-2006
im trying to buy songs from itunes,but it keeps on telling me its timing out.i went through all recommended trouble shooting steps with the same results.is this due to xmass traffic.
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James said 1:59PM on 12-25-2006
I cant acess itunes store or my account whats goin on?
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Facundo said 2:12PM on 12-25-2006
Hey!!!! Santa dropped a brand-new iPod Video 30Gb on my XMas tree!!!! I'm Sooooo happy!!! :)
Here's my first question: how do you deal with fingerprints?! I mean... the black color is sooo dirty!! And I dont want to buy a case 'cos I dont want to hide the beauty of the device... is there any "film-cover" specially designed for the iPod?
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Tim O\\\'Bryan said 2:44PM on 12-25-2006
@ 7. Yep! It's called the Invisible Shield.
Check it out: http://www.shieldzone.com/
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Nitewing 98 said 2:57PM on 12-25-2006
I got a new Nano this year and have had it about a month (got my present early, yeah!). The best advice I can give you is this: Use the "least recently played" option in your smart playlists. You will re-discover music that you have forgotten about! Plus, it keeps the tunes circulating so that you're not listening to the same stuff over and over.
And, yes, check out the podcasts! When you get bored of music, it's nice to listen to a comedy show or a drama or some news.
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Andre said 3:05PM on 12-25-2006
I'd be more than happy to serve as your random teenager. Heck, I'll even spend 48 months working out it's kinks for you for free! :-)
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Billy K said 9:41AM on 12-26-2006
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Apple's standard earbuds. They're certainly not premium gear, but they're just fine. For now, at least.
There are dozens of variations on headphones to use with an iPod, ranging from $30 to $500. But to get a significant improvement in sound, you're gonna have to pony up at least $100, and doing that before you've had time to play around with your new iPod and learn what you do and don't like about the sound is silly. In many cases, high-quality earbuds can cost as much or more than the iPod itself.
My advice is to take some time before jumping into a new pair. A lot of vendors won't exchange or refund expensive buds, so you can easily get stuck with a $150 trinket you don't like.
(Oh, and absolutely avoid Apple's "Premium" in-ear headphones. They are awful.)
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Daniel said 10:56PM on 12-25-2006
The new earphones are much better than the old ones.
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Rick said 9:01AM on 12-26-2006
I got a 30GB video iPod yesterday and it came fully charged. It didn't come with any music or movies, but the battery was fully charged. :)
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nicole muir said 7:01AM on 12-27-2006
i got a brand new 30g i pod yesterday but i cnt load any music my computer will not let me downloaded itunes so i cant use my ipod
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