Apple's iTunes software is used to transfer music to the devices. As a jukebox application, iTunes stores a music library on the user's computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. It also transfers photos, videos, games, and calendars to those iPod models that support them. Apple focused its development on the iPod's unique user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability. As of October 2007, the iPod had sold over 119 million units worldwide (stated in "The Beat Goes On" conference) making it the best-selling digital audio player series in history.

Use your iPod as an Alarm Clock
You can set your iPod wake you up in the morning using its alarm clock feature. Select Extras from the main menu, choose Clock then Alarm Clock. Select Alarm to turn the feature on, set the desired time and choose a noise from the options available. With speakers connected, you can be roused by a play-list of your favorite songs.

Read Email on the go
You can synchronize your iPod with your email client to read new messages on the go. To do this on a PC, install the free program K-Pod from http://k-deep.com/k-pod.htm; for Macs try PodMail from www.macupdate.com. Downloaded mail can then be viewed on the player via the Notes feature in the Extras menu.

Copy Songs from your iPod
iTunes won't let you copy music from your iPod, only to it. However, if you need to restore songs from the player to your PC or Mac there are several third-party programs you can use, including PodUtil (www.kennettnet.co.uk), iPodRip (www.thelittleappfactory.com) and iPod Music Liberator (www.zeleksoftware.com).

Play iPod Music on your Stereo
Enjoy your extensive MP3 collection via your stereo using the Logitech Wireless Music System from (www.logitech.com). This device turns your player into a wireless remote control, streaming tunes directly to your stereo speakers.

Create a Play-list on the Fly
Your iPod offers an On-the-Go feature for creating a playlist while away from your computer. Highlight a song in one of the music menus, then hold down the Select button until its name flashes, indicating that it's been added to the On-the-Go playlist. You can access this via the main Playlists menu.

Read Web Content on the Move
A clever web-based tool called iPodulator lets you convert web content into a compatible format for reading on your iPod. Head to www.theplaceforitall.com/ipodulator then enter the URL for a web page or RSS feed. Click iPodinate then save the results and copy the file to your iPod.

Manage your Music Manually
iTunes has a bad habit of updating your iPod automatically, so that songs removed from the program are also deleted from the player. To store tracks permanently on your iPod, connect it to your PC, click the iPod Preferences button in the bottom right corner of the iTunes window and select the option 'Manually manage songs and playlists.'

Back-up Important Files
As well as copying music to your iPod, iTunes can transfer data files to be stored on the player's hard disk. With your iPod connected, open the Preferences panel, select the option 'Enable disk use' and click OK. An icon for your iPod will now appear in My Computer allowing you to drag and drop files there as you would a storage drive.

Join CD Tracks Together
If you've ripped tracks from a mixed CD, the brief gap that now appears between songs during playback can be annoying. Solve the problem by selecting the tracks you'd like to mix from your iTunes Library, then clicking on the Advanced menu and choosing Join Tracks. These tunes will now play continuously on your iPod.

Standardise the Volume Level
To make quiet songs louder and loud songs quieter, click on the Edit menu, select Preferences and then click the Playback tab. Select the option Sound Check and the volume for all songs will be set to the same level. Alternatively, right-click on a track, select Get Info and then click the Options tab to change individual sound settings.

Convert Files into Different Formats
If a track in your library is in a different format to your other songs, you can use iTunes to convert it. Click on the Edit menu and select Preferences, then click the Advanced tab and click Importing. From the Import Using menu, specify the encoding format you want to use and click OK. Now select the track, click on the Advanced menu and choose Convert Selection To [your chosen format.]

Create an iMix
You can share your music taste with everyone by creating an iMix. Click on the File menu and select New Playlist. Give it a name then drag and drop tracks from your library or iTunes Music store. Click the arrow next to the playlist name and click the Create iMix button. Click Create and then click Publish to upload your iMix.

Create a Smart Playlist
Save time adding tracks to playlists individually by using different criteria to organise them. Click on the File menu and select New Smart Playlist. When the Smart Playlist box opens, specify the condition for the playlist, for example only a certain artist or genre, or containing certain word. Set a limit on the number of songs and click OK.