Ipods - Do I need anything else to get going??

The_Bargain_Hunters

Hi I am buying an Ipod for my DD's 16th birthday, do I need to buy anything else to get it going or do they come with connections for computor? ( I am assuming thats where she will have to download her music CD's on to the Ipod), I can't ask her as it is a surprise!

espresso

What operating system do you have? Believe that you need XP to run iTunes although there is alternative software that can be used.

black-saturn

If she wants to take it on holiday she will need a charger (if at home it will charge from the comp) which are £15 - £25 to buy.

The_Bargain_Hunters

espresso wrote:

What operating system do you have? Believe that you need XP to run iTunes although there is alternative software that can be used.

Sorry for being thick, but is iTunes some software you have to buy or is it a programme you can download? I thought she could just copy her cd's through her computor, which is XP by the way.

superscaper

The_Bargain_Hunters wrote:

Sorry for being thick, but is iTunes some software you have to buy or is it a programme you can download? I thought she could just copy her cd's through her computor, which is XP by the way.

You can download iTunes for free (older copy will probably come with iPod anyway). It is just Apple's music managment software, designed specifically to work with the ipods.

espresso

You can download iTunes which is a marketing tool to get you to buy music from them. It is not necessary to actually use iTunes as there are many alternative programs like Yamipod.

Emmzi

Itunes is software which comes with your ipod. It enables you to copy yur own cds and download music from the i-store, which you then store on your ipod and listen to through the headphones which come with it.

As BS says, as it usually charges via USB port on your pc, a charger is needed if you're taking it somewhere your PC doesn't go. Other things to think about would be a case to protect it, and speakers if you want to use it as a hi-fi.

I'd also suggest if you look at the online apple store, you can often get the next model up for the same money, if you don't mind a refurbished model (still comes with a warranty).

As with any technology, get as much memory as you can afford!

johnthomas_2

espresso wrote:

What operating system do you have? Believe that you need XP to run iTunes although there is alternative software that can be used.

Hi there just to confirm you dont need XP to run an Ipod, i have been using my Ipod for 4 years or so on Windows 2000 SP4. If you dont want to use ITunes to upload tracks to your Ipod, the best (free) alternative would be Ephpod. ITunes is fine for adding CD's to your Ipod, although i would think about whether you want to get tied to Apple by purchasing through the ITunes Store, have a look on google for DRM or FairPlay(apples DRM). Depending on which version of Ipod you buy you will get different accessories, but you will get a USB or Firewire cable with your Ipod, for a complete range of add ons look at somewhere like Ipodworld, they have always been great when i have used them.