Chapter 3:  Setting up iPod shuffle. Apple MD773LL/A, MC751LL/A, iPod shuffle, MD778LL/A, MD774LL/A, MD777LL/A

Setting up iPod shuffle

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Use iTunes on your computer to set up iPod shuffle to play music and other audio content. Then connect iPod shuffle to your computer and sync it to your iTunes library.

Read on to learn more about getting started with iPod shuffle, including:

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Getting music from your CD collection, hard disk, or the iTunes Store (part of iTunes and available in some countries only) into the iTunes application on your computer

Organizing your music and other audio into playlists

Syncing songs, audiobooks, audio podcasts, and iTunes U collections in your iTunes library with iPod shuffle

Listening to music or other audio on the go

About iTunes

iTunes is the free software application you use to set up, organize, and manage your content on iPod shuffle. iTunes can sync music, audiobooks, and audio podcasts with iPod shuffle. If you haven’t already installed iTunes 10.7 or later (required for iPod shuffle) on your computer, you can download it at www.itunes.com/download .

After you install iTunes, it opens automatically when you connect iPod shuffle to your computer.

You can use iTunes to import music from CDs and the Internet, buy songs and other audio from the iTunes Store, create personal compilations of your favorite songs (called playlists), sync iPod shuffle, and adjust iPod shuffle settings.

iTunes also has a feature called Genius, which creates instant playlists and mixes of songs from your iTunes library that go great together. You can sync Genius mixes and playlists from iTunes to iPod shuffle. To use Genius, you need an iTunes account. To learn how to set up Genius, see

Using Genius in iTunes

on page 11.

iTunes has many other features. You can burn your own CDs that play in standard CD players (if your computer has a recordable CD drive); listen to streaming Internet radio; watch videos and

TV shows; rate songs according to preference; and much more. For information about using these features, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

If you already have iTunes 10.7 or later installed on your computer and you’ve set up your iTunes

library, you can skip to Connecting iPod shuffle to a computer for the first time on page 11.

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Setting up your iTunes library

To listen to music on iPod shuffle, you first need to get that music into your iTunes library on your computer.

There are three ways to get music and other audio into your iTunes library:

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Purchase music and audiobooks or download podcasts online from the iTunes Store.

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Import music and other audio from audio CDs.

Add music and other audio that’s already on your computer to your iTunes library.

Purchasing songs and downloading podcasts using the iTunes Store

If you have an Internet connection, you can easily purchase and download songs, albums, and audiobooks online using the iTunes Store (available in selected countries). You can also subscribe to and download audio podcasts, and you can download free educational content from iTunes U.

Video podcasts can’t be synced to iPod shuffle.

To purchase music online using the iTunes Store, you set up a free iTunes account in iTunes, find the songs you want, and then buy them. If you already have an iTunes account, you can use that account to sign in to the iTunes Store and buy songs.

You don’t need an iTunes Store account to play or download podcasts or iTunes U classes.

To enter the iTunes Store, open iTunes and click iTunes Store (under Store) on the left side of the iTunes window.

Adding songs already on your computer to your iTunes library

If you have songs on your computer encoded in file formats that iTunes supports, you can easily add the songs to iTunes. To learn how to get songs from your computer into iTunes, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

Using iTunes for Windows, you can convert nonprotected WMA files to AAC or MP3 format. This can be useful if you have a library of music encoded in WMA format. For more information, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

Importing music from your audio CDs into iTunes

iTunes can import music and other audio from your audio CDs. If you have an Internet connection, iTunes gets the names of the songs on the CD from the Internet (if available) and lists them in the window. When you add the songs to iPod shuffle, the song information is included. To learn how to import music from your CDs into iTunes, open iTunes and choose

Help > iTunes Help.

Entering song names and other information

If you don’t have an Internet connection, if song information isn’t available for music you import, or if you want to include additional information (such as composer names), you can enter the information manually. To learn how to enter song information, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

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Organizing your music

In iTunes, you can organize songs and other items into lists, called playlists, in any way you want.

For example, you can create playlists with songs to listen to while exercising, or playlists with songs for a particular mood.

You can also create Smart Playlists that update automatically based on rules you define. When you add songs to iTunes that match the rules, they automatically get added to the Smart Playlist.

You can turn on Genius in iTunes and create playlists of songs that go great together, based on a song you select. Genius can also organize your iTunes library automatically by sorting and grouping songs into collections called Genius Mixes.

You can create as many playlists as you like, using any of the songs in your iTunes library. You can’t create a playlist on iPod shuffle when it’s disconnected from iTunes. Adding a song to a playlist or later removing it doesn’t remove it from your iTunes library.

When you listen to playlists on iPod shuffle, all playlists created in iTunes behave the same way.

You can choose them by name on your iPod shuffle.

To learn how to set up playlists in iTunes, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

Using Genius in iTunes

Genius finds songs in your iTunes library that go great together and uses them to create Genius playlists and Genius Mixes. Genius is a free service, but you need an iTunes Store account to use it. If you don’t have an account, you can set one up when you turn on Genius.

A Genius playlist is based on a song that you select. iTunes then compiles a Genius playlist of songs that go great with the one you selected.

Genius Mixes are preselected compilations of songs that go great together. They’re created for you by iTunes, using songs from your iTunes library. Each Genius Mix is designed to provide a different listening experience each time you play it. iTunes creates up to 12 Genius Mixes, based on the variety of music in your iTunes library.

To create Genius playlists and Genius Mixes, you first need to turn on Genius in iTunes. For information, open iTunes and choose Help > iTunes Help.

Genius playlists and Genius Mixes created in iTunes can be synced to iPod shuffle like any other iTunes playlist. You can’t add Genius Mixes to iPod shuffle manually.

Connecting iPod shuffle to a computer for the first time

The first time you connect iPod shuffle to your computer after installing iTunes, iTunes opens and the Setup Assistant appears. If iTunes doesn’t open automatically, open it yourself.

Use the iPod shuffle Setup Assistant:

1 Enter a name for iPod shuffle. This name will appear in the device list in the iTunes window.

2 Select your settings.

Automatic syncing is selected by default. If you keep this option selected and Genius is turned on, iTunes syncs Genius Mixes from your iTunes library to iPod shuffle. If Genius isn’t turned on, iTunes fills iPod shuffle with songs from your iTunes library and places them in the “All Songs” playlist. For more information about automatic and manual syncing, see the next section.

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VoiceOver is also selected by default. Keep this option selected to hear track titles and artist names, change your playlists, and hear battery status while you listen to iPod shuffle. For more

information, see Using VoiceOver on page 18.

3 Click Done.

You can change the device name and settings any time you connect iPod shuffle to your computer.

After you click Done, the Summary pane appears. If you selected automatic syncing, iPod shuffle begins syncing.

Adding music to iPod shuffle

After your music is imported and organized in iTunes, you can easily add it to iPod shuffle.

To manage how songs and other audio content are added to iPod shuffle from your computer, you connect iPod shuffle to your computer, and then use iTunes preferences to choose iPod shuffle settings.

Adding content automatically or manually

You can set iTunes to add music to iPod shuffle in two ways:

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Automatically syncing: When you connect iPod shuffle to your computer, iPod shuffle is automatically updated to match the songs and other items in your iTunes library. If Genius is turned on the first time you sync iPod shuffle, iTunes uses up to four Genius Mixes created from your iTunes library to fill iPod shuffle. If any free space remains, iTunes syncs additional songs from your iTunes library. If Genius isn’t turned on, iTunes syncs songs and playlists from your iTunes library to fill iPod shuffle.

Later, you can modify automatic syncing options to include selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres. You can also automatically sync other audio, including podcasts, audiobooks, and iTunes U collections. See the following sections for more information.

Manually managing music: When you connect iPod shuffle, you can drag individual songs and playlists to iPod shuffle, and delete individual songs and playlists from iPod shuffle. Using this option, you can add songs from more than one computer without erasing songs from iPod shuffle. When you manage music manually, you must always eject iPod shuffle from iTunes before you disconnect it. See

Managing iPod shuffle manually on page 15.

Syncing music automatically

By default, iPod shuffle is set to sync all songs and playlists when you connect it to your computer. This is the simplest way to add audio content to iPod shuffle—you just connect iPod shuffle to your computer, let it add songs, audiobooks, audio podcasts, and iTunes U collections automatically, and then disconnect it and go. If you added any songs to iTunes since the last time you connected iPod shuffle, they’re synced with iPod shuffle as space allows. If you deleted songs from iTunes, they’re removed from iPod shuffle.

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Sync music with iPod shuffle: m Simply connect iPod shuffle to your computer. If iPod shuffle is set to sync automatically, the update begins.

Important: If you connect iPod shuffle to a computer that it hasn’t synced with, a message asks if you want to sync songs automatically. If you accept, all songs and other audio content are erased from iPod shuffle and replaced with songs and other items from that computer. If you don’t accept, you can still add songs to iPod shuffle manually without erasing any of the songs already on iPod shuffle.

While music is being synced from your computer to iPod shuffle, the iTunes status window shows progress, and you see a sync icon next to iPod shuffle in the list of devices. When the update is done, you see the “iPod sync is complete” message in iTunes. A bar at the bottom of the iTunes window displays how much disk space is used by different types of content.

If you don’t choose to automatically sync music to iPod shuffle during setup, you can do it later.

If there isn’t enough space on iPod shuffle for all your music, you can set iTunes to sync only selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres.

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Set iTunes to sync music from selected playlists, artists, genres, and albums to iPod shuffle:

Connect iPod shuffle to your computer.

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Music.

3 Select “Sync music,” then choose “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres.”

4 Select the playlists, artists, albums, and genres you want.

5 To set iTunes to automatically fill any remaining space on iPod shuffle, select “Automatically fill free space with songs.”

If you have Genius Mixes, iTunes uses them to fill the space first. If there’s no room for another

Genius Mix, iTunes fills the remaining space on iPod shuffle with other songs.

6 Click Apply.

The update begins automatically.

If you select “Sync only checked songs” in the Summary pane, iTunes syncs only items that are checked.

Syncing Genius Mixes to iPod shuffle

You can set iTunes to sync Genius Mixes to iPod shuffle. Genius Mixes can only be synced automatically, so you can’t add Genius Mixes to iPod shuffle if you manage your content manually.

If your Genius Mixes don’t fill the available space and you select the “Automatically fill free space with songs” option, iTunes selects and syncs additional songs from your iTunes library.

Set iTunes to sync selected Genius Mixes to iPod shuffle:

1 In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Music.

2 Select “Sync music,” then choose “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres.”

3 Under Playlists, select the Genius Mixes you want.

4 Click Apply.

If “Sync only checked songs” is selected in the Summary pane, iTunes syncs only items that are checked.

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Syncing podcasts automatically

The settings for adding podcasts to iPod shuffle are unrelated to the settings for adding songs.

Podcast settings don’t affect song settings, and vice versa. You can set iTunes to automatically sync all or selected podcasts, or you can add podcasts to iPod shuffle manually.

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Set iTunes to update the podcasts on iPod shuffle automatically:

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Podcasts.

In the Podcasts pane, select “Sync Podcasts.”

3 Select the podcasts, episodes, and playlists you want, then set your sync options.

4 Click Apply.

When you set iTunes to sync podcasts automatically, iPod shuffle is updated each time you connect it to your computer.

If “Sync only checked songs” is selected in the Summary pane, iTunes syncs only items that are checked.

Adding iTunes U collections to iPod shuffle

iTunes U is a part of the iTunes Store that features free lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and more, which you can download and sync to iPod shuffle. The settings for adding iTunes U collections to iPod shuffle are unrelated to the settings for adding other content. iTunes U settings don’t affect other settings, and vice versa. You can set iTunes to automatically sync all or selected iTunes U collections, or you can add iTunes U content to iPod shuffle manually.

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Set iTunes to sync iTunes U content automatically:

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click iTunes U.

In the iTunes U pane, select “Sync iTunes U.”

3 Select the collections and items you want, then set your sync options.

4 Click Apply.

When you set iTunes to sync iTunes U content automatically, iPod shuffle is updated each time you connect it to your computer.

If “Sync only checked songs” is selected in the Summary pane, iTunes syncs only items that are checked.

Adding audiobooks to iPod shuffle

You can purchase and download audiobooks from the iTunes Store or audible.com

, or import audiobooks from CDs, and listen to them on iPod shuffle.

Use iTunes to add audiobooks to iPod shuffle. If you sync iPod shuffle automatically, each audiobook in your iTunes library is synced as a separate playlist, which you can select using VoiceOver. If you manage your content on iPod shuffle manually, you can add audiobooks one at a time.

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Sync audiobooks to iPod shuffle:

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Books.

Select Sync Audiobooks, then do one of the following:

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Select “All audiobooks.”

Select “Selected audiobooks,” then specify the books you want.

3 Click Apply.

The update begins automatically.

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Managing iPod shuffle manually

If you manage iPod shuffle manually, you can add and remove individual songs, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks. You can add music and other audio content from multiple computers to iPod shuffle without erasing items already on iPod shuffle.

You can add Genius playlists, but not Genius Mixes, to iPod shuffle manually.

Setting iPod shuffle to manually manage music turns off automatic sync options in the Music,

Podcasts, and iTunes U panes in iTunes. You can’t manually manage some content and automatically sync other content at the same time.

If you set iTunes to manage content manually, you can set it later to sync automatically.

Manually manage audio content on iPod shuffle:

1 In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Summary.

2 In the Options section, select “Manually manage music.”

3 Click Apply.

When you manage iPod shuffle manually, you must always eject iPod shuffle from iTunes before you disconnect it.

Add a song or other item to iPod shuffle:

1 In iTunes, click Music or another item in the Library list.

2 Drag a song or other item to iPod shuffle in the list of devices.

You can also drag entire playlists to sync them with iPod shuffle, or select multiple items and drag them all at once to iPod shuffle.

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Remove a song or other item from iPod shuffle:

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices.

Select Music, Audiobooks, or Podcasts under iPod shuffle.

3 Select a song or other item, then press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.

If you manually remove a song or other item from iPod shuffle, it isn’t deleted from your iTunes library.

Use iTunes to create a new playlist on iPod shuffle:

1 In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click the Add button (∂) or choose

File > New Playlist.

2 Type a name for the playlist.

3 Click Music or another item in the Library list, and then drag songs or other items to the playlist.

If you make changes to any of your iTunes playlists, remember to drag the changed playlist to iPod shuffle when it’s connected to iTunes.

Add songs to or remove songs from a playlist on iPod shuffle: m Drag a song to a playlist on iPod shuffle to add the song. Select a song in a playlist, then press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the song.

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Set iTunes to sync music and other audio content automatically:

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices, then click Summary.

Deselect “Manually manage music.”

3 Click Apply.

The update begins automatically.

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Fitting more songs on iPod shuffle

If your iTunes library contains songs in higher bit-rate formats, such as iTunes Plus, Apple Lossless, or WAV, you can set iTunes to convert songs to 128 kbps AAC format as they’re synced with iPod shuffle. This doesn’t affect the quality or size of the songs stored in iTunes.

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Convert higher bit-rate songs to AAC format:

Connect iPod shuffle to your computer.

In iTunes, select iPod shuffle in the list of devices.

3 Click Summary.

4 Select “Convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC.”

5 Click Apply.

Note: Songs in formats not supported by iPod shuffle must be converted if you want to sync them with iPod shuffle. For more information about formats supported by iPod shuffle, see

If you can’t sync a song or other item to iPod shuffle on page 25.

Chapter 3 Setting up iPod shuffle 16