Buy from iTunes
The iTunes Store offers two ways to purchase songs and videos: Buy them directly, or add them to a shopping cart to buy later. In either case, you need to have an account with Apple, which is used not only to charge your credit card but also to mark the media as belonging to you.
Set up an iTunes account
When you buy your first item, the store asks you to log in. However, it's just as easy to sign in beforehand and get everything set up. Here's how:
- In the iTunes Store, click the Sign In button at the upper–right corner.
- If you already have an Apple account (such as from the .Mac service) or AOL account, enter your Apple ID or AOL screen name and password in the fields provided and click the Sign In button (Figure 4.9).
Figure 4.9 Sign in to the iTunes Store.
If this is your first time here, click the Create New Account button. After accepting the terms and conditions, you'll be asked to provide a valid email address, a password, and credit card information.
Once you're signed in, the Sign In button in the store interface changes to display your Apple ID.
Buy now
Apple apparently believes in instant gratification, because once you're signed in you can buy anything with the click of a button. In the list of items that appears when you're browsing or searching, click the Buy (Song, Movie, Episode, and so on) button. Your credit card is charged and the item is downloaded to your computer (Figure 4.10).
Figure 4.10 Downloading purchased item.
Shopping cart
If you'd prefer to load up before purchasing, you can choose to use a shopping cart. Choose Preferences from the iTunes menu (Mac) or the Edit menu (Windows), and click the Store tab. Then, click the Buy using a Shopping Cart radio button.
A new Shopping Cart item appears in the Store section of the left–hand column in iTunes (Figure 4.11), and in the store itself, the Buy buttons become Add buttons. When you're ready to purchase, click Shopping Cart and then click the Buy Now button to start downloading the material.
Figure 4.11 The Shopping Cart.