Apple 3GS iPhone – iPod can I get my music over?

At this point I am about 3 hours from when the iPhone first arrived.  I can make and receive calls, it works on my network and can use my secure WiFi in the store, Mobile Me is working and I have all of my contacts in my new phone.  So far the only book or manual I have had to use was a Mobile Me tutorial on the Apple site.  I did have to call At&T tech support once but that went really well.

Now the next problem.  I got an iPod a number of years ago when they first came out.  I loaded up a couple of thousand songs by first putting the CDs into my computer.  I put the music in my iPod and that was it.  I used the iPod for a number of years and the battery went “south”.  I still was still using the iPod but I would have to either plug it into power it or buy one of those disposable external batteries they sell at airport.

The computer I had used to put the music on the iPod in the first place has long been “retired”.  I did not want to try this from the Mac Pro.  I use the Mac Pro for audio and video conversion and have all kinds of client music in iTunes there.  Music I do not want on the iPhone.  One of the PCs at the store has nothing in iTunes so I get the latest version of iTunes.  Plugged in the old iPod to power and the PC and brought up iTunes.  Very shortly after all of the music and some audio books were on the PC and iTunes wanted to know if I wanted album covers?  Sure why not – my old iPod only showed the artist, the song and the album.  Once it got done finding album covers I connect the iPhone to the PC.  It gave an interesting choice – music and media only – this had worried me because that PC while it did not have anything in iTunes it did have a lot of contacts information which I do not need in the phone.

Anyway the transfer went well and I turned on the iPod part of the iPhone.  Lo and behold the iPhone shows me the covers of the albums and plays music.  The ear buds have a little switch that will change the volume and will change tracks.  Just as I was figuring this out I got a phone call on the iPhone.  Amazing!!! I can answer calls with and talk on the phone with the buttons on the ear bug wire.  I then got my Bluetooth stereo head set out.  Got it working with the iPhone.  I normally use this stereo head set with a PC and I know I spent hours getting the two to work together.  The iPhone just “knew” what the Bluetooth set was and connected to it.

So by the end of the first day with the iPhone everything is working.  I have not had to deal with any type of book or manual.  Things “just” work.  There are not all sorts of settings or menus to deal with.  I am over 60 years old and while I do a lot of different things with computers I normally have to spend time with books, and manuals and instruction sheets and help screens to deal with technologies.  The iPhone has not been like that at all.  I got a couple of apps from the app store and they also work.  Time to close the store and get home.    The first day with the 3GS had gone really well!!

Tags: Contacts, iPhone, iPod, Mobile Me