How to use iTunes without an iPod

Many people think they need to buy an pricey iPod to take full advantage of Apple's free and increasingly popular iTunes program for music, TV and movies. Not so! iTunes works with any type of mp3 player, plus you can burn all of your iTunes downloads to CD or DVD with total ease...

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Apple's free iTunes program
• an internet connection

1. -Open iTunes
   
   Once you open the iTunes program for the first time, you should be directed to Apple's iTunes store. On this page you will see a number of new releases in music, television and cinema available for purchase.

2. 

   -Navigating the iTunes store...
   
   
   There are a number of ways to find what you want to download from the iTunes store.
   
   
   The panel farthest to the left is your personal iTunes menu bar, where you can sort through the music, movies, and podcasts that you've already downloaded.
   
   Just to the right of that panel, on the iTunes store homepage, is the iTunes general menu, where you can search for what you want to download by type (movies, music, TV) or by genre, title, etc.
   
   On the right side of iTunes Store homepage, opposite the store menu, are a number of quick links that can make it even easier to find what you are looking to download from the store.
   
   Last but not least, if there is something specific that you are looking for - such as that new release from Madonna, you can use the power search option in the top left corner of the page. Once you leave the iTunes store and go to your iTunes library, the power search option is still there for you to use to search through your downloaded music and videos as you build them up.
   
   Sound confusing? It's really very simple -- just take a look at the attached image...

3. 

   - Exit the iTunes store and find your downloads.
   
   To leave the iTunes store and listen to whatever it is you just downloaded, simply click on the "Purchased" tab located on your personal iTunes menu at the far left of your screen. iTunes automatically organizes your downloads under whatever format applies (music, movies, iPod etc..)

4. 

   -Burn your downloads to CD or DVD.
   
   To burn your iTunes downloads, you'll need to create a Playlist to move them to. To create a Playlist, go to iTunes select File > New Playlist from the iTunes menu bar at the top of the screen.
   
   iTunes will prompt you to name your playlist, and once you've done that you can begin dragging and dropping files into your Playlist to be burned to CD or DVD.
   
   Once you have completed moving files into your playlist, simply click on it to highlight it, insert a CD into your computer, and click on the "Burn Disk" button at the bottom of the screen. Your CD should eject once you've burned your playlist, but if not, you can eject it by going to Controls > Eject Disk on the iTunes menu bar.
   
   
   If you have an Mp3 player that is not an iPod and would like to move your iTunes files into that player, this simple plug-in should allow you to do just that. http://www.tech-tag.com/2006/10/18/itunes-without-ipod-use-any-mp3-player-with-itunes/

Tips & Warnings

• Understanding Apple's lingo... What's a Podcast?
• "Podcast" is the Apple way of saying "Broadcast" -- it is simply a video or audio program that you can download from Apple, usually for free in Mp3 format. Most major networks such as NBC, NPR, HBO, CNN, etc...make many of their programs free for download via iTunes "Podcast" menu. Podcasts, just like anything else in iTunes, can be uploaded to any sort of Mp3 player not just an iPod or burned to a CD.
• Be careful about downloading any third party software to your computer! Be sure and run a virus scan for any possible viruses or malware before you run the program.

[Jlr1989]

on 1/10/2009 thanks for the helpful hints! 5* and recommendation!