Do you have to download itunes for ipod use?

joe123

A friend of mine just bought an ipod nano 2gb. Do you have to download itunes to be able to use it? We hooked it up but seems like drag and drop just doesnt work.

All he got in the small box was headphones and the usb connection???

We went onto the itunes and its a massive 36mb file. ( Yes thats massive for people stuck with crap internet 56k speed as Eircom are so ****e they dont bother rolling broadband out...at all :mad: )

Seriously the bill will be massive if we just leave it on over night aswell. So do you have to have itunes or is there a way around it?

aidan_walsh

You don't have to use iTunes (though thats Apple's preferred choice of course, since they also use it to spread the firmware upgrades for the devices). There are other open source alternatives, but simple drag and drop doesn't work with iPods.

xebec

You will have to download and install some program, most iPod users use iTunes. Maybe you could get someone to download it for you?

Creamy Goodness

aidan_walsh wrote:

simple drag and drop doesn't work with iPods.

it does if you install rockbox as your firmware

dulpit

Cremo wrote:

it does if you install rockbox as your firmware

Am I right in saying that by installing rockbox you'll void your warranty?

Creamy Goodness

dulpit wrote:

Am I right in saying that by installing rockbox you'll void your warranty?

i'm not sure tbh, i don't see what could go wrong if you follow the instructions rockbox has in it's pdf manual.

thehomeofDob

Roxbox doesn't work with the new 2G nano's I want it!!!

mathias

Yes , the warranty is of course voided if you change the firmware , and itunes or equivalent is necessary to use the ipod , theres no other way to use it , it does not support drag and drop.

It is amazing that a version of itunes in not included in the box , its assumed you can download it , a massive oversight on the part of Apple here.

stovelid

joe123 wrote:

All he got in the small box was headphones and the usb connection???

I was irritated by this. A separate charger is convenient. Don't worry though, the ipod will charge when attached to your computer with the usb cable.

mathias wrote:

It is amazing that a version of itunes in not included in the box , its assumed you can download it , a massive oversight on the part of Apple here.

Used to, well, at least my old 4g (20GB) one came with Itunes on a disc and a separate charger. I got neither with my new 5g (30GB)

Bard

joe123 - most stores that sell iPod's these days are on broadband themselves and will be happy to burn you a copy of iTunes on CD (they certainly do it in Harvey Norman and I'd imagine Dixons/PC World/etc. would be the same). Might be no harm popping into the store the iPod was bought in and asking, considering you're on dialup.

Alternatively, there are plenty of other programs available as substitutes for iTunes - a good few of which are mentioned in the FAQ thread on this forum - which you could use to put your CD collection onto your iPod and manage your MP3's, etc.