iPod: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition

Chapter 2. Bopping Around the iPod

The iPod is a very simple device to operate—five buttons and a click wheel quickly take you to all your songs, movies, games, audio books, and everything else parked on your ‘Pod. Even though it doesn’t have a mouse, the player’s controls work just like a desktop computer: you highlight an item onscreen and click the center button to select it.

Performing this action either takes you to another menu of options or starts a function—like playing a song, calling up your calendar, or checking the time in Paris. This chapter shows you what lies underneath all the menus on your iPod or iPod Nano and what each item does. Shuffle owners will find special coverage of their screenless wonders sprinkled throughout the chapter.

Turning the iPod On and Off—or Putting It On Hold

The iPod has only five buttons and one switch—and none of them are labeled Off or On. It’s not hard to do either, even without official buttons.

• To turn the iPod on, just tap any button on the front and it wakes right up, ready to play music or movies.

• To turn the iPod off, press the Play/Pause button for a few seconds until the screen goes off. To preserve battery power, an inactive iPod automatically shuts itself off after a couple of minutes.

However, if its front buttons get bumped, say, in a purse or backpack, the iPod can turn on and run its battery down without you knowing it. Then ...