iPhone: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Five Ways to Get Music

Once you have iTunes, the next step is to start filling it with music and video so you can get all that goodness onto your iPhone. iTunes gives you at least five options right off the bat.

Let iTunes Find Your Existing Songs

If you've had a computer for longer than a few days, you probably already have some songs in the popular MP3 format on your hard drive, perhaps from a file-sharing service or free music Web site. If so, the first time you open iTunes, it offers to search your PC or Mac for music and add it to its library. Click Yes; iTunes goes hunting around your hard drive.

Tip

If you use Windows, you may have songs in the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. Unfortunately, iTunes and the iPhone can't play WMA files. Fortunately, when iTunes finds non-protected WMA files, it offers to convert them automatically to a format that it does understand. That's a convenient assurance that your old music files will play on your new toy. (iTunes/iPhone can not, however, convert copy-protected WMA files like those sold by some music services.)

The iTunes Store

Another way to feed your iPhone is to shop at the iTunes Store.

Click the iTunes Store icon in the list on the left side of the iTunes window. Once you land on the Store's main page and set up your iTunes account, you can buy and download songs, audio books, and videos. This material goes straight into your iTunes library, ...