Q: I have an 8GB iPod Nano, and am thinking of getting an 80GB iPod classic. If I just hook up the new iPod classic and synch, will what I have in iTunes load to the iPod classic, and will iTunes recognize that I now have 80 GB of space and not just 8 GB? Also, if I give the iPod nano to my daughter, can she get rid of what I have on it and put her own music onto it?
– Martin
A: Actually, about all you need to do is to plug in the new iPod. It really is that simple.
What will happen is that you will be taken through the same “iPod Setup Assistant” that you were when you first set up your iPod nano, and be asked a few questions about what you would like to call your iPod, whether you would like to automatically or manually sync content and so forth.
Provided your library is smaller than 80GB, just select automatic sync and iTunes will take care of the rest.
Essentially, iTunes recognizes each iPod you connect as a completely distinct device, and stores each iPod’s settings independently. You could therefore easily sync different content from the same iTunes library to each iPod through selected playlists or other settings, and in fact can even connect both iPods are the same time. Your new 80GB iPod classic will be seen by iTunes as a new iPod and managed separately from your old iPod nano.
When you hand down your old iPod nano to your daughter, she can just connect it to her own iTunes library and she will receive a message that the iPod has already been synced with another iTunes library (yours) and asked what she wants to do with it:
From this prompt, she can simply select “Erase and Sync” and all of the content on the iPod nano will be replaced with content from her own iTunes library. She can also rename the iPod simply by double-clicking on the iPod name where it appears in the iTunes source list.
Alternatively, if she wants to completely reset the iPod to its out-of-the-box settings (ie, as if it were a new iPod), she can click the “Restore” button for the iPod nano, found on the “Summary” page which appears when the iPod is connected to the computer. This will erase everything on the iPod, including all configuration settings and other information, and basically return the iPod to the same state it was when it was first unpacked.
