iTunes - a cool MP3 ripper

Even if you don't intend to buy music from the online store, iTunes, by itself is an excellent tool for importing and organising your music files!

Here are a few reasons why you should use iTunes:
1. It's FREE
2. It supports a wide variety of formats, including MP3
3. It allows you to rip music while listening to it at the same time.
4. It comes with a very friendly Apple style user interface.

It took a moment before I figured out how to rip my music files into MP3. Well, in case you are trying to do the same thing, here's how:

1. In the iTunes menu bar, select Edit>Preferences
2. Click the Importing tab
3. Choose to Import Using MP3 Encoder
4. Select the desired sound quality in Setting. The default is High quality (160 kbps) which is pretty good.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.

And to import the files to your computer, simply
1. Slot the CD into the tray
2. Click Audio CD on the Source panel and
3. Click on the big Import button on the right hand side of the screen.

It's that easy and to top it off - it's also really fast. Within minutes, my entire album was added to my library. Whoopee! I've transferred my MP3s to my portable hard drive. Now I get to listen to all my CDs whereever I go :-)