I’m NOT up to date on Ipods - don’t know a thing about them except our two teenagers want them for Christmas this year.
What other accessories are needed so they can enjoy it on Christmas day? I’m ordering the Ipod Nano from Apple and can’t tell if it comes with the earphones and docking station it apparently needs. And how are the batteries recharged? And is there anything else they need that I don’t know about?
I’d like to order this tonight and need some fast help from some knowledgeable folks which is why I came to the SD!
According to the Apple page, earphones, dock connector, and USB cable are included.
A couple things to watch out for are whether the USB port is powered, and whether you have two separate iTunes libraries for the two users. On some computers it may be necessary to plug the dock into a USB port on the back of the machine.
Different login user accounts should solve the problem of multiple iTunes libraries if these teens are not fortunate enough to have their own computers.
Duh! Thanks for linking me to that page. Now I feel dumb <g> but am grateful you found it so quickly. Thanks!
My kids each have their own computers, so that’s not an issue - whew - one less thing to worry about! Now, from what I understand, an ipod user downloads their music from a website for a charge per song OR can somehow get their music from their cd’s onto the ipod via their computer, correct? So, it would prolly be smart of dear old Mrs. Claus to throw in a gift card for each of them to a website that they download the songs from? If that’s a true assumption - which site is best for downloading music?
Just to be clear, the iPod nano comes with only the USB connector cable which Apple calls the “Dock Connector”. This is all you need to hook it up to the computer to load up music and charge it (and is fine for most), but don’t mistake it for an actual Dock… which is an extra $40. The nano will come with an adaptor for the Dock, because the dock is universal and is built to accommodate the large iPods. But if you don’t get the Dock, this adaptor is moot.
The battery recharges when hooked up to the computer through the USB cable (or the Dock if you decide to get one).
Download (for free) and install iTunes 7. This is your all-in-one stop for organizing and playing your music library, interfacing with your iPod, and purchasing music (or tv shows, videos, and movies). Once installed, there’ll be a menu item on the left side nav, that will say iTunes Store. Click on that, and it will access the store, and you’ll be able to set up an account and buy gift cards (or even music allowances for your kids). If they already have a ton of CDs, and I’m sure they do, all they’ll need to do is insert their CD, and click the import button when it shows up in iTunes. Most of the time, iTunes can recognize what CD you’re trying to import, and it’ll automatically name the artist and tracks for you. Once imported, iTunes will manage all your music files in a neat, organized stucture on your hard disk. At this point, you can also drag the album right onto your iPod icon in iTunes, and that’s all you’ll need to do to load it up full of music.
Like the other guy said, it charges through the dock cable. It might be a good idea to get an additional car or wall charger so they can recharge without the computer.
The earbuds are good for earbuds IMHO, but not as good as some other things. I actually don’t like the sound of any of the cheap in-ear types, but they’re a good idea if you need sound-isolation for using it on a bus or something. If you want to spend a lot of money on in-ear types the big names are Etymotic, Ultimate Ears, and Shure. There’s also headphones. Open-backed ones have better sound quality than closed headphones, but no isolation. Sennheiser is a big name and they make all types.
For casual listening I just use the buds though.
Another thing is a car adapter if they have a tape deck, or an FM transmitter so it goes through the radio. I think trying to operate an Ipod’s controls while driving is dangerous so I wouldn’t get one of these. To hook it up to a hi-fi system, get something cheap like the Nyko Stereo link. There’s no point in paying $40 for the Dock when I could stand the Nano upright with a couple pieces of used chewing-gum if I had to. (I’ll mail them to you for only $34.99.)
I would recomend one of Shure in-ear headphones which can be purchased alongside your nanos from the Apple Online Store. I have a pair of EC3s which greatly enhance my enjoyment of my ipod. There is a whole lineup of similar Shure products some of which are very reasonably priced. http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Earphones/ESeries/index.htm
I’d second a wall charger. My local university bookstore sells them at the bet price I’ve seen.
Also, laptop speakers being not that great, you may want to look at an iHome player/clock radio or Bose speakers or little portable speakers for times when earphones or laptop speakers aren’t sufficient. The iHome player also charges the iPod, so it’s where I leave mine when not in use so my USB ports are free.
