The iPod Nano

• New iPods are sold without any music preloaded. The price of the iPod covers only the unit itself; it is up to the owner to load his own music on the device. This is easy, but first you have to configure your iPod.
  
  

Connection

• The iPod has changed the way we listen to music.Goodshoot RF/Goodshoot/Getty Images
  
  The iPod is connected to your computer (either Mac or PC) using a proprietary USB cable. In order to add music to your iPod, Apple's iTunes software must be installed on your computer. All Macs are sold with iTunes preinstalled; Windows users can download iTunes for free at apple.com/itunes.
  
  

Installing iTunes

• Once iTunes is installed on your computer, you can start to build your music library. You can buy songs from online digital music retailers such as Amazon, Apple or eMusic, or you can add music from your CD collection to iTunes, and ultimately, to your iPod.
  
  

Populating Your iTunes Library With CD Music

• The default preference for iTunes is to automatically add music when a CD is inserted into your computer's drive. To confirm, launch iTunes and select "Edit" and "Preferences" from the menu at the top of the screen. Confirm that the "Import CD" drop-down next to "When you insert a CD" is enabled. This will allow you to easily create a library of digital music.
  
  

Loading Your Nano With Your Music Library

• Attach your iPod Nano to the sync cable and allow it to be recognized by iTunes. In the left column, highlight your iPod by clicking on it once to open your preferences pane. If you want your music library to automatically sync to your iPod, click the "Music" tab at the top of the page and enable "Sync Music" by checking it. If you want to manually manage the music on your iPod, click the "Summary" tab and enable "Manually manage music and videos." If you choose this option, then you will have to manually drag the music from your library directly onto the iPod icon in the left column of the iTunes window.