iPod and iTunes For Dummies

It was very useful at the time

Good advice clearly given

This is the second edition of this series that I have bought. The Dummies series is excellent for their easy to read, fun and informative explanations of tech subjects. Although I am a tech geek, I do enjoy this series for coverage of little know features in iTunes. Apple does a great job on its products, but doesn't give a lot of information on using them. I was looking to buy my first iPod and I love the coverage of each of the iPod family, their features and how they work with iTunes. This is the new edition of this series, but it was published before the latest change to iPods and iTunes came out. They should be covered in the next version. Therefore you will not see any coverage if the 2nd generation iPod Touches or iPhones and iTunes 8 with the Genius feature and App Store. Some of the preferences were changed in iTunes, but otherwise you can still find most of the settings and features mentioned. There are step by step instructions for how to set up accounts and use the iTunes store to your liking and syncing your iPod and/or iPhone. The suggestions for music listed in the book constantly relate to the sixties. That could be left out, I do not like it when authors try to tell you what music to listen to. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because some of the more in-depth explanations and information found in previous editions were left out of this book and placed on a companion website, free to purchasers of the book.

Everyone in my home is at a different level of proficiency on things electronic. My husband has NO interest in iTunes or iPads and so I was left to my own defenses. I was sure that if I touched the wrong button on anything with a wire sticking out, I'd be sending missles to Russia. But guess what came in the mail? IPod and iTunes for DUMMIES! Eureka! I even tried taking hands-on classes at a local Community College. But the people there were kids and they pick stuff up the first time they hear it. I'm a senior who has to be told in five different languages how to set the timer on the oven but with this book...I was up and running in no time. I've managed to download songs that up until now I had to buy on a whole album. Ahhhh, sweet success. The price was great. In fact, I was so desperate I probably would have been willing to pay a bit more but such was not the case.

This book (the 6th edition, that is) was published on the heels of Apple's recent updating of the iPod line with the new Nanos and Touches. I naively assumed that the timing was so that it could have the very latest info about the newest iPods. Not so. It refers to the pudgy third gen Nano as the latest thing. There's still a lot of good content here, but it is not as current as you might want.