Having recently bought my first iPod (a 5th Generation 30GB White iPod) I was dismayed that it didn’t come with instructions or software. Personally, for what Apple is charging a booklet and a CD wouldn’t have killed them. So I started looking for a good book on the iPod and iTunes software so that I could get the most from my hefty investment. Having been a big fan of Scott Kelby’s Photoshop books I decided to give his “The iPod Book; Doing cool stuff with the iPod and iTunes music store” a shot.

However, I have to say I was a little disappointed in his book. It seems in many ways he is like Jim Carry, once you have seen or in this case read one of his books you have pretty much read all of the humor he has and can stand. I also watch the Photoshop TV Podcasts that he does and between the both the Podcasts and his books I find his humor to be a real turn off, especially when it seems to be the same stuff over and over. It just isn’t funny it is annoying.

Like with his other books in this series he starts off with chapter one which goes on and on telling you not to read the chapter and that you should start with the second chapter instead. If you do bother to read the first chapter he prattles on and on about how funny he thinks it is that he told you to skip chapter one and that you are now reading it anyways and why you don’t need to read chapter one and why he didn’t just start the book with chapter two, etc. It’s boring and I am beginning to wonder why anyone would read any part of this book when he starts it off like he does.

The book itself is divided in to subject chapters like “The Outsiders; How to work the stuff on the outside of your iPod” and within each of these chapters you have the tips. You get one tip per page (which I like, makes it very clean and easy to find what you want). The book is in full color and includes screen, product and iPod shots whenever they are needed to help explain what is being covered.

The book is fairly thorough covering and includes tips from how to work your iPod controls to how to use your iPod in your car to creating your own Podcasts. However, this is not really a how to use your iPod or iTunes book, it is more about little tips and tricks. Little things that one may not know or knew but didn’t use often enough to remember, in the end I think it has limited use and would have been better with a more honest name like the iPod Tips and Tricks book or something like that. The book also covers and applies to the iPod nano as well.

In the end only you can decide if the $19.99 cover price makes this a book worthy of your money. For me it was a bit of a let down. I wanted more of a user’s guide type of book, something that really covered how to use the iPod and iTunes.