iPod: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition
Reviewed by Harry {doc} Babad
Author: J. (Jude) D. Biersdofer Publisher: O'Reilly Media http://www.oreilly.com/ Released: November 2006 Pages: 255 $20 USD, $26 CND, £14 GBP € 16 Euro ISBN 10: 0-596-52978-3 ISBN 13: 9780596529789 Includes a comprehensive index and virtual CD resources. Audience — All iPod Owners and iPod wannabes Product and company names and logos in this review may be registered trademarks of their respective companies. Strengths: iPod is simply the best music player available, and this is the manual that should have come with it. Each custom re-designed page contains easy-to-follow color graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance on the most useful things your iPod can do. I found the tips particularly useful as an experienced but moderately eclectic user. Weaknesses: The fifth edition removed the chapter on Digital Audio formats [Chapter 4 on the fourth edition.] I’ve provided links later in this review to sites where such information is available. See: Discomforts! |
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Disclaimer: When reviewing a book I will often use the publisher’s descriptions without quotation makes. This avoids clutter. All other comments in the review, unless otherwise cited, are strictly my own and based on my own assessment of the books contents and usefulness.
Publisher’s Overview
With iPod and iTunes, Apple's
gotten the world hooked on portable music, pictures, and videos. One thing they
haven't delivered, though, is an easy guide for getting the most from your
sleek little entertainment center. This new edition covers the redesigned iPod
Nanos, the video iPod, 
the
tiny Shuffle and the overhauled iTunes 7. Each page sports easy-to-follow color
graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance on the most useful things
your iPod can do. It discusses and illustrates the power of the 'Pod. Download
movies, play photo slideshows, find cool podcasts, and more: this book shows
you how to unleash all your iPod's power. As even the Economist and the Wall
Street Journal have noted, and you as users know well — the iPod is
simply the best music player available. This is the manual that should have
come with it.
Review Introduction
I recall reading but not reviewing the fourth edition in 2006 and finding it a bit grey but filled with useful information. I’ve long been a fan of the Missing Manual series, and have reviewed some in the past; but until recently I’ve not been an ipodder.
I inherited my grandson’s iPod shuffle, a year ago, in return for a shiny new, at the time, 5G video iPod. I promptly ripped about 34 GB of AIFF files from my favorite jazz albums. Then I had iTunes do a random load of these cuts. When the present tracks bore me, or I want something not loaded, I reload again, randomly of course. That the kind of music I get when I tune into KKJZ (Long Beach CA), KBEM Minneapolis MN), WKTZ Jones College, Jacksonville, FL), WEMU (Ann Arbor MI) or KPLU (Tacoma WA.) I either spin CDs or listen to Internet radio when I write this purple prose; you now know what to blame.
Now I don’t use my iPod much, preferring to listen, Walkman style, to news and views FM radio when I work out. [The latest news keeps my adrenaline pumping.) But for those long walks along the Columbia River at an almost aerobic speed, my shuffle is the thing I carry. Not so fast doc, my grandson is broadening my interest in things iPod. I may be a candidate for an upgrade. It would be an easier decision, if I were to chose a video model, if Apple incorporated it’s new tilting (iPhone) screen the iPod; to make viewing a bit less on the squint. By the time I become a buying I’ll need reversion 6 of this book; I will buy it whatever version it is. After all it’s “the book that should have been in the box”.
So, I figured I should get ahead start of both the iPod and iTunes capabilities; therefore this book review. Now to this latest iPod book. However, having read this book I know I could pick up a new multimedia iPod now and use it like a champ! The book has worked for me.
The Book Itself – An Annotated Discussion of its Contents
Meet the iPod (Out of the Box and Into Your Ears in 15 minutes) — Getting some music into iTunes on the Mac or PC and thence into the iPod and to your ears. Learn how to install iTunes, load music on your iPod, and how to get rid of that dang, flashing "Do not disconnect" message.
Bopping Around the iPod - once the panic of having a ‘first listen’ is dealt with in the first section, this section explores all the iPod features and menus and general care giving. Whether you've got a tiny Shuffle or a big-screen model you'll learn everything from turning your iPod off and on to charging your iPod without a computer.
In Tune with iTunes - covers the basic use of iTunes and its interconnection with the iPod. iTunes can do far more than your father's jukebox. Learn how to pick and choose which parts of your iTunes library loads onto your iPod, how to move your sacred iTunes Folder to a bigger hard drive, and how to add album covers to your growing collection.
The book contains a fine section of rich sources of music of any genre for music lovers with or without an iPod or not addicted to one. Me – me –me!
The Power of Playlists – This chapter delves into iTunes further explaining playlists and their benefits. Download movies, play photo slideshows, find cool podcasts, and more: this book shows you how to unleash all your iPod's power.
I skimmed this material because I make samplers rather then setting up play lists. I have enough well indexed CDs and mostly unindexed (vinyl) records, so I never feel musically deprived. If I get let down, there’s always Internet radio. However, I was delighted to discover that iTunes could create snazzy CD covers and booklets using such playlists.
Shop the iTunes Store — How to shop at the store; how to manage the purchased materials; and how to deal with problems that might arise (e.g., an interrupted download).
Now this chapter’s material left me cold! Why? There’s nothing wrong with what Ms. Biersdofer wrote. The chapter is both clear, information rich, and convincing. However, I’ve not caught the “cuts” paradigm. Like lovers of classical music, folk and traditional bluegrass; jazz lovers are CD collectors. We collected Vinyl before that! It’s okay to have 45 versions of “Take the A Train” or 36 versions of “Love for Sale” but too few of “Harlem Nocturne”; they’re all different and most are great. Indeed, when I get time off for good behavior, I make samplers of stuff like this and do a but of additional background reading of the artists who recorded the music — the way to go. So why mess with the store.
Videos Everywhere — all about videos on the iPod including buying, loading and even converting your existing video material to iPod specifications.
I’m not into squint-a-vision, or even movies on my computer. Life it is too short for You Tube of the other visual; media out there. I’ll stick with my DVDs and occasional moves on the cable. DVDs are better than cable, with out a Tivo type service, because I can’t pause on the cable when I want to treat myself to another… what ever I’m killing my carbohydrate count with.
Picturing Your Photos on the iPod — Loading photos and viewing, on the iPod and on a TV.
Not for me but I don’t do cell phones yet either. I am however, as not in another article, scanning old photographs and burning them to archive CDs along with a bit of whom did what when information. [See my article this month on Archiving Your Valued Data.]
Other Stuff the iPod Can Do for You — explains using the iPod as an address book, calendar, stopwatch (actually very handy with lap times and memory of five training sessions), world clock and portable hard drive and reading text files.
I have a pocket drive for data, tossed my wristwatch, and I otherwise don’t know how useful an iPod base data drive would be. But if I upgrade to an iPod with a screen, I’ll reread this chapter and see what makes sense.
iPod Out Loud — connecting to car and home stereos, wireless connections and sources of iPod accessories.
Great for finding goodies for my grandson; and there’s lot more stuff links on the missing CD site. http://www.missingmanuals.com/cds/ipodtmm5/ I believe in the virtues of loud but isolated sound, my hearing is lousy! If I were to play anything so I could hear it, even with a state of the art (almost) digital aide, I’d drive the neighbors nuts and get fined for noise pollution. But don’t let that stop you from checking out and adding goodies that share your iPods content with car passengers, guests over your stereo of TV or a boom box.
What to Do When the iPod Isn’t Working Right — the important steps to diagnosis; resetting; software update, restoring; battery tips; and repairs. The point is made that the iPod is not simply a music player, it is a little computer and it can have computer type glitches. A simple reset may be all that is required...
Just read up on Apple’s 5 R’s. You know: Rest, Retry, Restart, Reinstall and Restore. After that find a good technician or service.
Advanced iPodding — The fun stuff like connecting your iPod to your running shoes, and advice on using and creating podcasts.
I have no present interest in the fun stuff like connecting your iPod to your running shoes, and advice on using and creating podcasts. But many of my younger friends do. I read, enjoyed and learned about was I was missing. You will too.
The Missing CD-ROM — The Missing Manual series of books, has added a concept called The Missing CD-ROM. David Pouge and O’Reilly have an innovative approach to the practice of including a helpful CD-ROM with an instruction book - there is none! - at a likely saving of $5 per book. What would have been on the CD-ROM is available on the O’Reilly web site www.missingmanuals.com Each item of ad- on hardware and shareware software or providers of associated paraphernalia mentioned in each manual is available there.
Discomforts
Digital Audio Formats — The material dealing with this subject, found in the fourth edition, should not have been left out of this book.
Check out: http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.asp?p=372009&rl=1 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format
The Missing CD — Just to check on updates and errors I went to the Missing CD page for the book. Alas I was disappointed. It only contained a series of links to site that sold iPods and iPod related stuff. http://www.missingmanuals.com/cds/ipodtmm5/
Apple Scripting — I read somewhere but didn’t catch the citation, perhaps Amazon.com, that in previous (4th) edition of iPod: The Missing Manual, there was emphasis on using Applescript to customize certain features. This edition only shows you where to get ready-made scripts, but doesn’t detail how to create your own scripts. [I checked, the anonymous reviewer is right.]
A Leap of Learning — Putting my self in the head of a new iPodder, not hard to do, I found the leap of assumed knowledge in going from chapter one let say to chapter three a bit uncomfortable. I would have preferred if the author had added cross-reference in later chapters to the introductory materials. Some readers, like some students need to have the “hands held.” Once again the index helped me to “flash back.”
A Little Too Late For Many Readers —
- Controlling your iPod – The click wheel functional description on Page 21 should be on page 14. The index helped me locate it.
- The Scroll Wheel – Although introduced on page 14, you don’t lean much about this important action until page 16. Even then, the action for folks used to scrolling on a 3-button-wheel mouse, the iPod click wheel action is not clearly explained.
In Closing
If you want to know more about that toy you just got for the holidays or your birthday check out iPod: The Missing Manual (5th Ed.). Check out an excerpt from iPod, the Missing Manual on O’Reilly’s website:
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/11/30/six-tips-from-ipod-missing-manual.html
If you value your iPod and want to gain full use of its ever-expanding set of features, this book will serve as both a great introduction (ipodder 101) and reference tool! Compared to other volumes in the Missing Manual series, about the book is printed in full color with excellent photographs, screenshots and iPod menu graphics. For some reason, my magnifying glass tells its also printed at a higher resolution make each image easier to study.
J.D. Biersdorfer writes in a gentle colloquial (folksy) style that is easy to read and her gentle humor soon hooks you. This is not to say she’s not knowledgeable and accurate — to the contrary, she’s a real expert who knows how to write for you and me. With help from the books designers, the combined flow of color images and text keep you reading — even if you have no real use or immediate interest for the topic.
The book will point you to some resources you may not have known about, both online and on your own desktop. For example, how to find and delete duplicate songs. (I had lots.) Or how to safely move the iTunes folder on your hard drive, and options for burning different kinds of discs. You will also learn how to legally use your iPod on other computers or on your TV and the associated Video conversion programs for the iPod. So there’s a bit of rich information for all of you. Nirvana it’s not but go out and add this book to your collection so can start podding along more harmoniously. This book is perfect for both the new iPodder and folks like me who just want to get more in tune with the iPod’s capabilities.
Review PS:
In an amazon.com review Jeremy Hall noted that “What I found most unique about this missing manual is how it could really be a great resource for someone trying to decide which iPod to get. Whether it is size, space or playing video and photos along with your music, you can get familiar with the various models and their options before making your purchase. Once you get your device you decide on, you then have a great reference for It.“ doc_Sez, now why didn’t I think of that?
Author BIOs
Jude Biersdorfer has written the weekly Q&A column for the Circuits section of The New York Times since 1998, and she occasionally writes feature stories and how-to articles for the same section. As the computer Q&A columnist for the New York Times she is comfortable with both the Mac and PC platforms. This is important because this book covers the iPod in both worlds. She has also written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times Book Review and the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, among other publications, and has contributed essays on the collision of pop culture and technology for the books The Education of the E-Designer (2001) and Sex Appeal (2000), both published by Allworth Press. In her limited spare time, she likes to watch documentaries and torture the neighbors with her clawhammer banjo playing. She lives in New York City.
