iPod Brand new to iPods and MP3s in general - help please!

[hannahjsmith]

Hi there! I am totally new to MP3 players in general and am trying to get my head around what I would need. I would like to buy the iPod Shuffle (from the apple website). What else would I need to buy with it e.g. for charging etc? Do I need the docking station too? Or can I just charge it from the computer and not need anything else?

I have read about needing Mac OS? What is this? Would I need to download it on my computer? I have Windows Vista Basic.

Can I download music from other sites apart from apple?

Thats probably it for now, but there might be more questions!

Many thanks for any assistance given.

Hannah

 

[dukebound85]

everything you need comes with the ipod. just download itunes on your computer and you're good to go.

you dont need osx for itunes if you have vista

as far as songs, you can buy them from the itunes store or burn your cds to your computer and add them that way

hope that helps

http://www.apple.com/itunes/tutorials/

 

[NotFound]

Welcome to civilization. The only thing you will need if you go with the Shuffle is iTunes on your computer. You can download that from Apple's website. Your iPod shuffle will charge directly from your computer so no need for anything else.

 

[robbieduncan]

Hi there! I am totally new to MP3 players in general and am trying to get my head around what I would need. I would like to buy the iPod Shuffle (from the apple website). What else would I need to buy with it e.g. for charging etc? Do I need the docking station too? Or can I just charge it from the computer and not need anything else?

Just plug it into a USB port to charge.

I have read about needing Mac OS? What is this? Would I need to download it on my computer? I have Windows Vista Basic.

Mac OS is the operating system for Macintosh computers. You cannot download it. You can only use it (legally) on a Mac. You should be able to use Windows instead of Mac OS X.

Can I download music from other sites apart from apple?

As long as it's unencrypted MP3 or AAC. It cannot be encrypted Windows Media...

 

[atluten]

Charging is through the included dock that comes with your shuffle. Just plug your shuffle into the dock and the dock the the computer via USB and it should start charging.

You do not need to have Mac OSX to do this but you will have to download iTunes in order to put music on the shuffle. You can download the program here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

As for adding music, yes you can download songs from other sites and add them to iTunes. Amazon has a music store that is like iTunes own music store. Cheers.

 

[MacGeek7]

Hi there! I am totally new to MP3 players in general and am trying to get my head around what I would need. I would like to buy the iPod Shuffle (from the apple website). What else would I need to buy with it e.g. for charging etc? Do I need the docking station too? Or can I just charge it from the computer and not need anything else?

The iPod comes with a USB adapter for power and syncing songs

I have read about needing Mac OS? What is this? Would I need to download it on my computer? I have Windows Vista Basic.

Windows system requirements
PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
iTunes 7.4 or later3

Can I download music from other sites apart from apple?

You can get music from other places - ie: CDs, and other sources ; )

 

[Mr Skills]

What else would I need to buy with it e.g. for charging etc? Do I need the docking station too? Or can I just charge it from the computer and not need anything else?

It will charge when it's plugged into the computer, although you can always get a separate charger if you want.

I have read about needing Mac OS? What is this? Would I need to download it on my computer? I have Windows Vista Basic.

Mac OS is the equivalent of Vista on a Mac. Most people round here will tell you it's much nicer but don't worry, you don't need it to use an iPod. It will work fine with Vista.

Can I download music from other sites apart from apple?

Some sites sell music that works only on certain brands of player. If you are not using Apple's iTunes Store, then you need to use sites that are "DRM-Free" (for example Amazon MP3).


One important thing to remember: you actually keep all the music on your computer, in iTunes (which is a kind of music juke box program). The iPod just carries around a portable copy of that music. So if you are going to have 4GB of music on your iPod, then you also need 4GB free space on your computer.

Hope that helps!

 

[divinemercy]

seems like everyone has answered you're question! All you need is the Ipod and the charger cable which comes with it. And iTunes is free to download and works on windows. Btw, iTunes is the program you use to add and remove songs to your ipod. These songs can come from anywhere. Itunes, cd's you have, online downloads, etc.

Since you seem new to these things obviously, thought i might see if you had already checked online for the best prices on ipods? Like ebay? I dunno how old you are so you might need your parents help....

Here's one from apple that is referbished (means that its used but apple has checked it out to make sure it is ok. includes a 1 year waranty). Saves you 50 bucks...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FA978LL/A

ebay has hundreds going on all the time, but they look about the same price without the waranty:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=ipod+nano

Good luck!

 

[hannahjsmith]

Hi everyone - thanks so much for your replies! Its exactly what I wanted to hear!

I have looked around at prices and I think I am going to buy from a known store (rather than ebay) because I have read of some fakes being sold.

Many thanks again!

 

[divinemercy]

I don't blame you, but like I said check out those refurbished ipods from Apple. They are shipped directly from the company, and are guaranteed by apple for a year.

Ryan