Come On Board at the Apple iPod Dock

If you are a serious music lover, who wants to hear their own choice of songs, the iPod will soon be come your most used accessory, all it takes it the right accessories, and for the house this may well be the Apple iPod dock or docking station. If this all sounds a bit like you are setting up a spaceship jetty in your lounge don’t panic! In reality an Apple iPod dock is a small plastic stand, which you can slot your iPod into when get home at night, and can serve one of two functions.

The Apple iPod dock connects via the USB or FireWire ports on your computer or laptop, and can remain in place indefinitely, eliminating the need to scrabble for the right wire every time you want to connect your iPod to your computer. The convenient holder sits on the side, and you simply place the iPod onto the connector, and you're ready to go.

You can then upload new tunes to your iPod, change videos, swap pictures, whatever it is you would normally do. The added bonus is that the iPod will charge from the Apple iPod dock whilst your laptop power is on, so you can get on with other things and never run the risk of the power failing mid track – ideal!

The other use for the docking station, and one that may appeal to many, is that you are also provided with a stereo line out, making connection to your speakers or stereo system simple. Once connected, much like the Apple iPod car connector, you have turned your iPod into a multi-change music player that can be enjoyed by the whole room not just the person with the headset.

Again this can be left wired in, no need to remove, making it easy to drop the iPod onto the Apple iPod dock when you walk into the room. Before you buy any accessory for your iPod, it is worth shopping around, the Apple iPod dock is available at many outlets, and there are other companies offering non-Apple compatible products that do the same.

The only other key thing to remember is to check your iPod model number against the Apple iPod dock, as not all models are the same shape, or connect in the same way, in which case it won't work. Price varies depending on retailer, but this useful piece of kit isn’t terribly expensive, and may prove to be a useful purchase.