HI i have just bought an IPOD SHUFFLE whilst reading the instruction it states, that i must download I TUNES and to update the latest version. i am not keen on i tunes. is this this only way of getting songs onto the ipod? thanks..

i have 500 songs on my mp3 player which i have transferred to my laptop. can i drag these songs over to my ipod..?

Yes, with an iPod Shuffle, you need iTunes to be able to put music on.

If you don't want to use iTunes, then suggest you return the Shuffle and get a Sansa Clip or something similar.

can i not put songs from my laptop into the ipod..?

and i assume all songs from i tunes have to be bought?

Yes you can put songs that are already on your laptop on to the Shuffle, but you have to install the iTunes app on your PC in order to do it. When you install iTunes it'll ask you if you want to scan your hard drive for music and it'll import everything to iTunes, then you can just select what you want to put on the Shuffle.

thanks that sounds better now. i thought i had to pay for every dam song from i tunes, thought it is going to cost a bloody fortune to fill the 2gb..

No, you don't have to buy any songs from iTunes at all. You can import your CDs or buy music from other stores like Play.com MP3 or Amazon MP3 and they'll work fine in iTunes too.

Do you not check these things before shelling out for electronic kit?