iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

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6.4 iTunes on America Online

If you're an America Online member, you can use the iTunes Music Store without having to sign up for an Apple ID. Now, that doesn't mean you can use the Store for free (are you kidding!?). It does mean, though, that you'll have one less name and password to keep in your brain.

Now that Apple and AOL are buddies, there's even an "iTunes on AOL" area, as shown in Figure 6-11. You can get there quickly at Keyword: iTunes.

Figure 6-11. The iTunes on AOL area of America Online has a music search engine that can take you right to any hits for sale in the iTunes Music Store. AOL members can use the AOL Wallet service to pay for iTunes Music Store binges (it's at Keyword: Wallet and also accessible from a pop-up menu in AOL 9.0).

To use iTunes with AOL, you need to download the iTunes software, if you haven't already (from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download). Click the Account Sign In button on the iTunes window. But in the Sign In box (Figure 6-2), select the option to use your AOL screen name instead of an Apple Account. Type in your AOL screen name and password.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION Your Electronic Wallet What's AOL Wallet? Sounds expensive. AOL Wallet is America Online's version of the express checkout lane for online shopping: Once you find something online you want to buy, you just invoke your AOL Wallet, which conveniently has all your shipping and billing info stored inside. You set up your Wallet at AOL Keyword: Wallet in your AOL software (Windows or Macintosh). Once you've filled out your address and credit card info, AOL Wallet automatically plops all that same information into merchants' checkout screens when you buy things online from America Online–associated vendors. You can use the same credit card you have on file with AOL for your monthly membership charge for your Wallet purchases, or use a different one if you want to spread out your bills. AOL Wallet can store info for up to 10 different credit cards and 50 addresses, which makes it easier to send gifts to friends and family. The autofill feature saves lots of typing and gives you extra time to buy even more stuff. Plus you don't have to keep digging your credit card out of your non-AOL wallet.

If you have an AOL Wallet (see the box on the previous page), the bills go there; otherwise, you need to supply fresh credit card information to the iTunes Music Store. But whether you opt for AOL Wallet or fill in a credit card number directly in the iTunes Music Store, you can start shopping once you have iTunes installed and your financials worked out.

In the iTunes On AOL area of America Online, you can search for artists, albums, and songs for sale in the Store; sample a variety of artists on AOL Radio; or even buy an iPod. The AOL Music Search section also has integrated links to music and musicians featured in the iTunes store, as shown in Figure 6-12.

Figure 6-12. After you've done some research in AOL's extensive AOL Music area, click the link to see what's for sale in the iTunes Music Store.

You can browse AOL to find out more about the artists you're interested in. Once you've zeroed in on exactly what you want and know it's available in the iTunes Music Store, click the iTunes link to go shopping. Your copy of iTunes starts up, and you're swept into the Music Store to complete your purchase and download your music.

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