iPhone: The Missing Manual, 3rd Edition

Playlists

A playlist is a list of songs that you've decided should go together. It can be any group of songs arranged in any order, all according to your whims. For example, if you're having a party, you can make a playlist from the current Top 40 and dance music in your music library. Some people may question your taste if you, say, alternate tracks from La Bohème with Queen's A Night at the Opera, but hey—it's your playlist.

Any music you wanted to copy to the original iPhone had to be in a playlist. Fortunately, these days, you're free to drag individual songs to the iPhone, as described in a moment. Still, playlists are handy things to have if you're in a specific mood.

To create a playlist, press ⌘-N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (Windows). Or choose File→New Playlist, or click the button below the Source list.

A freshly minted playlist starts out with the impersonal name "Untitled Playlist." Fortunately, the renaming rectangle is open and highlighted. Just type a better name: Cardio Workout, Shoe-Shopping Tunes, Hits of the Highland Lute, or whatever you want to call it. As you add them, your playlists alphabetize themselves in the Source window.

Once you've created this new playlist, you're ready to add your songs or videos. The quickest way is to drag their names directly onto the playlist's ...