Dummies books are well known for being well laid out, with large print and useful tips. While this one isn't as entertaining as the others I've read, it's well-written and clear about using iTunes and iPods in every possible way, from battery life to plug-ins to what you can legally share and how to do it. (It also covers the iPhone, AirTunes, and Apple TV, which I didn't read.) I was clueless about iTunes at the start (hence, getting this book), and now I'm using the program like I've had it for years.
The only fault of the book, and why I docked it a star, is how each section covers every media at once. The author says he wrote the book to be read from start to finish (though, as he says, you can easily skip about), but as soon as he tells you how to load songs off a CD, he doesn't tell you how to play them or sort them, but jumps right to adding audio books, subscribing to podcasts, updating podcasts, scheduling podcast updates, and adding videos. You start into it, and by the end you're either tired of reading the same actions or have gotten confused over all the new information 'cause you haven't yet played a single song yet. Also, when you do get to the chapter on Playing Content, they put the Party Shuffle playlist, including how to open it in a new window, four chapters before we're even told what a playlist is.
The Table of Contents is very clear and helpful in flipping about, but why not have one chapter that collects all the sections on podcasts, another for photos, and another for videos, rather than having them scattered through a dozen chapters?
But again, overall the book is easy to learn from and very in-depth. One really does need a good book to learn all iTunes and iPods can do, and just the DVD alone is a hundred times better than what you can learn from the iTunes Help section or the Apple site.
Note: The book covers iTunes 7.7, and the DVD is up to date with iTunes 8, with its annoying Genius feature.
The DVD
The 90-minute DVD covers all the basics, and it's very helpful to watch on your computer, since you can pause it, click over to iTunes, and carry out the same actions.
Once you get through the intro, which is basically a commercial for the DVD, you can click on Finding Your Way Around iTunes and get information you can start to use. The sections on Importing Music and Ripping from a CD are good, and the Managing, Searching, and Sorting sections are even better - right to the point.
I also like how they highlight sections of the screen when they want to show you something, but the small black arrow pointer could've been larger, and the iTunes screen they show you is slightly blurry in each section, which can get hard on the eyes after a while. Still, a very useful addition to the book.
Update: the Dummies website says the DVD was made to be watched on a TV, which would explain the lack of resolution. Also, it says you have to click on each title twice if viewing on a computer, but that's no problem.
Bonus Chapters
There's also five bonus chapters online, covering everything from earlier iPods, streaming radio stations, and using separate hard drives, which anyone can check out and will give you an idea of how the book is laid out. Just go to the Dummies website, search for iTunes, click on the 6th edition (not the 6th edition with DVD), and click on Bonus Chapters.
(Almost)
Finally, I was disappointed in the book/DVD's coverage of the AAC Import settings, and if you feel like reading the technical aspects of that, I've included it in my Comments.
