Mountain View Computer Users Group

In recent articles I indicated that a major reason for buying a new iMac was to be able to load all my recorded music into the computer and then to use a variety of techniques for playing back that music. So, how has it worked out? Here's the story:

As soon as I had downloaded the new iTunes 4 program, with its capability of compressing music in the new AAC format, I started loading CDs into my iMac. After I got about 50 of them into it, the SuperDrive stopped working. It wouldn't recognize any discs I inserted, not only CDs, but DVDs as well.

I looked in David Pogue's The Missing Manual: Mac OS X, Second Edition. I accessed the "Help" menu. I went into Sherlock, to search the AppleCare information. I called the Apple technicians and they had me try a couple of procedures, but to no avail. Finally, they said I would have to bring the computer into an authorized service center.

The closest of those is the Simutek Store, 90 miles away in Tucson. The problem was that we were going to Las Vegas, leaving on Sunday and returning on Thursday, and Simutek isn't open on Sundays. So, we dropped it off at the Apple Store in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix.

Just before we left Vegas, the Apple Store called. They had tried everything, but were unable to fix it. They had ordered me a new iMac that would be delivered to their store early the following week. After it arrived there, they called for my password so they could load all of my files into the new computer. The next day it was delivered to my house, with the hard drive containing everything I'd had on the previous one. Thank Goodness for that. I didn't have to reload everything that I'd added, including those 50-odd music CDs.

Back to work I went, loading the remaining CDs into the iMac. By the time I got through, I had 2281 songs, taking up 8.67 GBs of storage, which would take six and a half days to play them all straight through. I was amazed at how many CDs my wife and I owned, and I was surprised as I watched the titles of many of the songs being uploaded into my computer.

So, now, what does one do with all this? Of course I can easily access any of those 2000+ tunes and play them on the computer. I also wanted one of the new iPods, to carry around all that music and play it on the go, so I kept a careful lookout for any good deals.

Because the third-generation iPods had just come out, the best deals were on the previous version now being cleared out. But soon Dealmac.com announced that Dell.com was offering the new iPods at terrific prices. All peripherals were on sale for 10% off, but using a code I found at Dealmac.com entitled me to an additional 10% off that price, and shipping was free.

Delivery of the iPod was delayed a couple of weeks because of the huge demand (Apple sold 300,000 of them within two months after they were announced). The iPod came with separate little earphones, but we found that a set of headphones were more comfortable to use. The top two models include a dock that you can use to synchronize the music in the computer with that in the iPod, but the dock also has a line out that can be used with a cable to feed the music directly into a stereo system.

For those who wish to play music from the iPod in the car, small transmitters are available that send an FM frequency to your radio. I have one on order from Griffin Technology called the iTrip, a tiny device that clamps on the top of the iPod and is operated through the iPod's own controls.

So, there you have it: (1) thousands of songs stored in the computer and playable through its sound system; (2) an iPod that automatically synchronizes its music with what's in the computer; and (3) various ways to play the iPod music, including earphones, headphones, a line out from the dock, and FM transmission right into your car radio.

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