[Web4lib] Public Computers and iTunes

Sat Apr 21 19:20:32 EDT 2007

> You [can] use your iPod with any number of computers if you use the  
> "manual" mode.

I have an iPod Nano (6 gigs) that I use with my desktop and laptop 
computers, and sometimes with the other computers in my library. In my 
opinion, using your iPod with more than one computer is a fairly 
complicated process. 

So far as I know, you must first designate a computer as "authorised" 
in order to use iTunes on it with your iPod. You are limited to having 
no more than 4 computers "authorised" at any time, even in manual 
mode. 

I can transfer data from my iPod to the iTunes library on any 
computer, 
but only items that I've purchased from iTunes. Anything else (Audible 
books I purchased from audible.com, CDs that I loaded myself) doesn't 
transfer. 

iTunes has a fairly definite learning curve, especially if you're 
using it with more than one computer. What I didn't realize at first 
is that iTunes does not maintain an online library for you, the way 
Audible does when you purchase their recorded books. When you purchase 
music online from the iTunes Store, you are actually purchasing the 
right to download the music one time into the iTunes library on that
computer's hard drive.  From there, you are allowed to download it to 
your iPod (or iPods) and burn it to CD. So far as I 
know, there's no limit on how many times you can sych your iPod to 
your computer's iTunes library, upload a commercial CD into your 
library, burn music from your iTunes library to a CD, upload it from 
that CD to another computer. The limits are on uploading what's on 
your iPod to any other device or computer and on using other devices 
with your iTunes library. There are ways to work around those limits, 
but it takes a fair amount (sometimes a lot) of familiarity with 
iTunes.  

If you connect your iPod to a strange computer, iTunes will normally 
put up a dialog box asking if you want to erase all the current 
contents and sync them to that computer's iTunes library. If you 
aren't paying attention and click Okay, it will do exactly that. That 
isn't a total tragedy, because you can always go home, connect your 
iPod to your home computer, and then iTunes will erase it and sync it 
to your iTunes library again. 

If you click Cancel, it will not erase and sync, but it will leave 
your iPod connected until you eject it or close iTunes. I do this 
sometimes to charge my iPod's battery, and that seems like a 
legitimate reason for doing it at a library computer. I think you can 
still do this even if iTunes isn't on the computer, as long as you 
have the right usb connector cable for your iPod. 

Another valid reason would be to use the iPod as a usb storage device, 
but you need to know what you are doing in order to do this. It's 
possible to buy music from the iTunes Store and add it to all your 
iTunes libraries, but again you need to know a bit about how 
iTunes works to do this.

When I got a new laptop, I had one of the guys on our local Apple 
store's genuis desk show me how to use  my iPod as a flash drive
to back up my old laptop's iTunes libray. He was able to back up 
everything, including the Audible audiobooks and songs from my CDs,
and transfer it to the new laptop. It wasn't a 
simple process, nor a quick one. (That was at least partly because I'd 
tried myself and fouled things up pretty badly before coming to him.)

Having said all that, I should also point out that I'm still an iPod 
novice and maybe there's an easier way that I don't know. My 
university includes iTunes as part of the standard software image on 
all the campus public-use computers, including those in our libraries. 
Our help desk staff use it regularly, and they are trained to answer 
basic questions about its use. My boss has produced two podcasts about 
using specific library resources that are available free from iTunes.

Jean Hewlett
Regional Librarian, University of San Francisco, North Bay Campus

----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Hankinson <andrew.hankinson at gmail.com>
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2007 12:29 pm
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Public Computers and iTunes[Scanned]
To: Web4Lib <web4lib at webjunction.org>

> 
> On 21-Apr-07, at 2:59 PM, Darryl Friesen wrote:
> 
> > Excellent post by Andrew Hankinson.  One clarification though
> >
> >> The iPod purposely encumbers audio transferring because Apple  
> >> doesn't want the labels to come down on them for selling a 
> device  
> >> that people  can use to share music.  That's why you can only 
> sync  
> >> your iPod to  one computer.
> >
> > You use your iPod with any number of computers if you use the  
> > "manual" mode. See http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html? 
> > artnum=61675 for details. Basically, it enabled the iPod for use 
> as  
> > standard USB device and turns off the auto sync feature.  It 
> means  
> > you need to manage what music goes on the iPod by hand 
> (something I  
> > like any way).  I use my iPod with both my home and work 
> computers  
> > almost daily.
> 
> There's a difference between the way iTunes 6 and iTunes 7 handles 
> 
> transferring, and I wasn't aware of that - mea culpa.  iTunes < 6  
> will only allow one way transfers (i.e. from the computer to the  
> iPod) for one computer only.  I don't have a 'big' iPod to test 
> the  
> way iTunes 7 works, but it seems that you can now attach it to any 
> 
> computer and just copy the files from said any computer to the 
> iPod?   
> Can you go the other way? (i.e. from iPod back to your home  
> computer?) Is that correct?  Do the record labels know about this?
> 
> Also note the "important" note at the bottom of that Knowledgebase 
> 
> article:
> 
> Important: Synchronization generally occurs only in one direction, 
> 
> from your computer to your iPod. However, if you are legally 
> allowed  
> to transfer song files, you can use your iPod as a hard disk. An  
> exception is the transfer purchases feature, which allows you to  
> restore purchased iTunes content to an authorized computer from 
> your  
> iPod.
> 
> Note: iPod shuffle is intended for use with a single computer. You 
> 
> cannot load music from multiple computers or iTunes libraries onto 
> 
> iPod shuffle like you can with other iPods.
> >
> > Sharon Foster said:
> >
> >> We've had one or two patrons who were dismayed to see that 
synching
> >> their iPod with the public Mac had the effect of wiping out 
> anything>> they had loaded the iPod with from another computer.
> >
> > That's what happens when the iPod is NOT in manual mode.  
> Enabling  
> > it -- it is NOT the default mode -- will solve the problem.
> 
> AFAIK, they will also be warned by iTunes that their iPod would be 
> 
> wiped, and are given the option to cancel it.  If they still click 
> 
> OK, then that's their fault.
> 
> >
> > One other important bit of info to keep in mind is that Windows  
> > formatted iPods CANNOT be used on Macs, and vice versa.  This,  
> > coupled with the above problem of wiping iPods not in manual 
> mode  
> > makes supporting iPods on public machines extremely unattractive 
> 
> > (in my opinion).
> 
> I don't think this is the case anymore.  The reason this happened  
> previously is that 'Mac' iPods were formatted HFS+, and 'PC' iPods 
> 
> were formatted FAT32.  Starting with 4G iPods, all iPods come  
> formatted for Windows. (A Mac can read FAT32, but Windows can't 
> read  
> HFS+)
> 
> >
> > Plus, I don't see the point.  I can't see students making iTunes 
> 
> > purchases from public machines.  And I don't think iTunes has 
> that  
> > much useful free content that the student couldn't possibly wait 
> 
> > until they were at home to sync.  Ripping Library CDs seems like 
> a  
> > violation of copyright.  Using the iPod as a USB storage device 
> is  
> > about the only thing I can think of that might be of use, but 
> the  
> > hassles with format and synchronization mode don't seem to make 
> it  
> > worthwhile.  Or am I missing some compelling argument?
> 
> What's violation of copyright to one person is academic freedom /  
> fair use to another. ;)  Also, there isn't really that much hassle 
> 
> with the HD mode at all: Rip the CDs into iTunes, drag and drop 
> them  
> from iTunes onto your iPod HD.  When you get home, do the 
> opposite:  
> iPod HD -> iTunes.  Works a charm on my shuffle.
> 
> 
> >
> >
> > - Darryl
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> ----- 
> >   Darryl Friesen, B.Sc., Programmer/Analyst    
> Darryl.Friesen at usask.ca>  Information Technology Services 
> Division,     http://gollum.usask.ca/
> >  University of Saskatchewan Library
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> ----- 
> >   "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no 
> and yes"
> >
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> > Web4lib at webjunction.org
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