In case you just landed on earth from somewhere really different, iPods from Apple are pretty much The Thing for portable music. And as Apple expands its iPod line into new areas, the ways you can use an iPod keep increasing.
Naturally this also means that the iPod, which is already a beautifully sophisticated piece of high tech, is becoming increasingly complicated to use. It's not so much that it's difficult, simply that as your options expand it can get harder to keep track of everything you can do and remember how to it.
One possible result is getting the software on your iPod a little screwed up or changing one too many options for reasons you can't quite recall or losing track of whether or not your iPod is up to date.
And that is when the need to download iPod updater software arises. Let's take a look at the process involved in an iPod updater software download.
If you go to Apple's page "Get the latest iPod software updates" and click the Free download button, what you'll discover is that there is no separate iPod updater software download. It turns out that what you actually need is iTunes 7. There are versions for both Mac (OS X 10.3.9 or later) and Windows (XP or 2000 - and the latest service packs should be installed too).
iTunes is the interface into the iTunes store and the link to the iPod. What iTunes does is make it a one-click process to update your iPod software. iTunes will notify you when a new update is available and there is a built-in iTunes summary page giving the full stats on your iPod. From the summary page you can see if your software is outdated and click just once to update it. And, in case you trashed your settings and can't figure out how to fix it, there's a single click to restore your iPod's original settings.
You can download iTunes 7 here: http://www.apple.com/ipod/start/ and, of course, it's a free download. Despite the fact that much of iTunes is really about selling you stuff through the iTunes store, it is also exactly what you want when you're looking to download iPod updater software.
There's considerable integration involved with the iPod, iTunes and the QuickTime Player. You'll discover that the QuickTime player (currently 7.1.3) is also included as a part of the iTunes download. That's the free version naturally. Of course, if you have a video-capable iPod, you may want the Pro version (though that's another article really).
You can, of course, purchase songs, games and movies through the iTunes store and iTunes 7 makes it a simple process. There are also a variety of other options on line for accessing music, movies and games for your iPod. However you proceed, though, it is important to keep your iPod software current so go ahead and get iTunes 7 - it is what's being referred to when someone talks about iPod updater software.
About:E.B. Randall researches and writes on subjects in the area of personal technology. For alternative iPod download sources check Feed your iPod.
