[kazamatsuri]

I'm thinking of giving an iPod mini to someone as a gift. I'm going to load it up with some of my favorite songs and then give it to someone. I want them to be able to use the iPod mini to listen to the songs I put on it, plus to be able to use it with their own iMac.

The thing I'm wondering is, if when I buy it and put all the songs on it, won't it then be registered to my Mac? Once she gets it, will she be able to connect it to her iMac? Will she have to erase it to get it to be "linked" to her Mac?

I'm thinking what I'll have to do is copy one of the iPod management programs (don't know which one to use yet) to the iPod itself and then give her instructions on how to copy the songs to her hard drive and then register the iPod to her computer so that she can update playlists, etc.

Or am I way off base?

Thanks!

--kazamatsuri

[tooki]

When she hooks it up and tells iTunes to put her music on it, all your songs would get erased.

Your suggestion of putting some iPod MP3-sucker onto the drive would work, but do you wanna make this gift a blessing or a curse by making it complicated from the beginning?

Just give her the unopened iPod box and a CD or DVD with the MP3's you want to share (they ARE just songs your basement band recorded, right?!).

tooki

[kazamatsuri]

If I'm not mistaken, they don't have to be my recordings. This would basically be a mix tape, which as far as I know, is protected under the law. As long as I'm not making any money off it.

Besides, it's not like I can come up with 1,000 songs to give her. It'll probably be more along the lines of a few dozen.

But you are right, I don't want to make it complicated from the beginning. I might do as you said, but help her install everything on her Mac and then I can put the songs on her iPod mini.

Thanks for the good idea!

[hardcat1970]

just load up your songs and choose sync manually before give it to her, then she will be able to put her own music in it thereafter.

although she can't copy your ipod mini music without a third party software.

[ryju]

I look tooki's idea. Let them set it up themselves but watch over, all there is to do is plug the iPod in and put in the iPod CD IIRC, then follow instructions.

Put in music CD, File > Update Songs on iPod.

[SupahCoolX]

I like Tooki's idea best as well.
Also, be sure to burn it as a MP3 CD, not as a straight audio CD for 2 reasons:
1) You'll be able to fit a couple hundred songs per CD, instead of just 74 mins of regular audio
2) She won't have to re-rip the audio to MP3 on her computer, just copy over the files to her hard drive (which should only take a few minutes)

[::maroma::]

I third Tooki's idea.

The simplest idea is usually the best. Especially in cases like this. CD's are your best bet. And when she's done copying the music over, she'll have the CD's as backup (of your music at least).

[tooki]

Originally posted by hardcat1970:
just load up your songs and choose sync manually before give it to her, then she will be able to put her own music in it thereafter.

although she can't copy your ipod mini music without a third party software.

Even if you update manually, you still cannot have music from several computers on one iPod.

tooki

[michaelb]

Originally posted by tooki:
Even if you update manually, you still cannot have music from several computers on one iPod.

That is incorrect.

If the iTunes option is set to add music manually, the iPod becomes like a separate playlist, completely independent of any Mac it is plugged into.

For a long time, I have topped up my iPod with music from both a laptop and a desktop. Nothing non-standard involved.

Your other advice is good, so you've probably just misunderstood something.