Downloading and Installing a Macintosh Podcatcher

Before we get into using the Juice application, let's cover how to download and install a podcatcher on Mac OS X. If you have OS X, you already have Apple's podcatcher, which is built into iTunes. If for some reason iTunes isn't on your Mac, here are the steps to get and install it:

1 - Open your browser, and type http://www.apple.com/itunes/ into the address field. This takes you to the Apple iTunes and iPod home page. Apple changes the design of this page frequently, but you usually see the iTunes software prominently displayed. Click the Download button in the iTunes promotion. If you can't find the iTunes download link in the main body of the page, look for the Download button in the blue bar at the top of the page below the tabs, which takes you to the iTunes download page.

2 - On the iTunes download page, you can choose which version of the software you want. The Mac version is the default choice, because, we presume, you are using a Macintosh for this process. You don't need to give your e-mail address; just click the Download iTunes — Free button.

3 - As the file begins to download, your browser proceeds to an Apple-hosted page that encourages you to spend lots of money in the future. Ignore this for now. If you are running Safari, Apple's browser, a dialog box opens warning you that the file contains an application. Click the Continue button. The file finishes downloading, decompresses, and appears in a volume on your desktop called iTunes with the current version number of the application. It contains two files: the installer, which is called iTunes.mpkg, and "Before You Install iTunes.app."

4 - iTunes.mpkg is a Mac-specific UNIX installer file represented by an icon of a box with a cube flying out. Double-click this icon, brazenly ignoring the read-before-you-install file, which explains that if you want to use iTunes to listen to audio files, it is compatible with Mac OS X versions later than 10.2.8, and if you want to watch video files, you must be running Mac OS X 10.4.2 or later.

5 - The iTunes installer opens, offering a dialog box explaining that it must check the software before it can be installed on your Mac. You must let this run, so click Continue. It takes a moment to complete the review of the operating system and hardware before displaying the welcome message. Again, click Continue.

6 - iTunes is a carefully protected application. Apple has threatened to pull out of countries, such as France, that have demanded the security features of the iTunes application be revealed. Unlike Juice, the Windows application we installed in the previous section, the license for iTunes, which is part of the About iTunes dialog box, is restrictive and can include notices about how Apple or recording companies may prosecute people who use it to pirate copyrighted material.

7 - After you click the Continue button, which you do twice to get through the About iTunes dialog boxes, if you do not scroll through the full body of the license text, you are presented with a dialog box that insists you agree to the terms of the license. By clicking Agree, you continue the installation. Clicking Disagree closes the installer.

8 - The next dialog box presents you a choice, or lack thereof, about where to install iTunes. Because the application must reside on the startup volume of the computer, the installer selects your boot disc by default — represented by a big green arrow — and you cannot change it. This dialog box exists solely to keep you oriented to where the software is installed. Click Continue.

9 - An Installation Type window opens, offering the ability to select the Easy Install, which puts all the components of the application on the hard drive, or a Customize option that allows you to select which features you want to use. Components you may need are highlighted. This choice is really only necessary if you have not previously installed an iPod driver for some versions of OS X or if you have an iTunes-compatible mobile phone. For almost everyone, except those who have purchased one of the early and poorly received Motorola handsets that play music, the button to choose is Easy Install. Click Install. Depending upon which version of OS X you are using, a dialog box may ask if it is okay to restart the computer after installation; if so, click Continue Installation.

10 -The application installs, and that's it. iTunes can be set as your default media player for podcasts, even if you use other applications to gather subscriptions. For example, in the popular news aggregrator, NetNewsWire (http://www.newsgator.com/NGOLProduct.aspx?ProdID=NetNewsWire), preferences allow you to set the application to hand files directly to iTunes for playback. If you need to restart, the installer tells you it's necessary, and you click Restart. Otherwise, you can close the installer and get started with finding your first podcast.