Sync the versatile iPod touch

Sync the versatile iPod touch
Mac Tip #351, 13 August 2008

The iPod touch is a miniature computer you can use for web surfing, email, watching videos, listening to music, checking maps and all kinds of other activities.

It’s tiny:

• Height: 4.3 inches (110 mm)
• Width: 2.4 inches (61.8 mm)
• Depth: 0.31 inch (8 mm)
• Weight: 4.2 ounces (120 grams)

You interact with it by touching the screen directly — there’s no keyboard or mouse. If you need to enter text, such as a web address or to type an email an onscreen keyboard is displayed where you can tap out the letters and numbers you need.

See a gallery of photos of my iPod touch in use.

Information about the iPod connected to my Mac.

Like any other iPod you plug it into your computer and iTunes transfers across any music, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, photos, contacts and even bookmarks that you tell it to.

Plug in your iPod and wait a moment or two for iTunes to recognise it.

Select the iPod in the list of Devices on the left hand side of the iTunes window. A summary of information about your iPod is displayed, including its capacity in Gigabytes, the software version and its serial number. Click the Serial Number label once to see instead the iPod touch’s Identifier number.

Click the tabs across the top of the window to access specific settings for Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Photos, Info and Applications. The Info tab allows you to choose settings for synchronising Contacts and Calendars, Mail Accounts, Safari Bookmarks and MobileMe.

The iPod should Sync automatically, but to force it to sync, especially if you’ve changed any settings, click the Sync button in the bottom right corner of the window.

The Podcasts sync preferences.

Recent software updates have made it possible for iPod touch and iPhone owners to add applications through Apple’s App Store — some free, some not. A Tip coming soon will explain how that works.

Notes: other iPods don’t have all the features of an iPod touch, but otherwise synchronise in the same way. The iPhone should be very similar to the iPod touch, but unfortunately I don’t have one and can’t check exactly how it works.

If you can add useful information for other readers about synchronising an iPod or iPhone, please leave comments below.