An iPod can do a number of things. It has unlimited capabilities. It can play so many things. To name a few, it can play:

" WAV audio file formats
" MP3 audio file formats
" M4A / AAC LC audio file formats
" AIFF audio file formats
" Protected AAC audio file formats
" Apple Lossless audio file formats
" Audible audiobook audio file formats

The latest version of the iPod (5th generation one) can also play .mp4 MPEG-4 video file and .m4v formats.

Non copy-protected WMA files can be converted to an iPod supported format with the help of iTunes (Microsoft Window version). WMA files which have copy protection can neither be copied to an iPod nor played in iTunes.

The iPod is unable to play some of the formats like the FLAC and Ogg Vorbis formats. IPod can also not play MIDI files though there's an option. By choosing the advanced menu on iTnues, MIDI flies can be converted to a compatible audio file format.

iPod works in collaboration with iTunes, the media library software. It is because of this software that you can manage your music libraries on your iPod and computer. The iPod can be automatically synchronized with a particular play list. It can also be synchronized with all the contents of the music library.

You can also rate your songs. Give them stars, anywhere between 1 and 5. This information can then be synchronized with the music library. However this software cannot transfer the songs from your iPod to your computer and this is because of some legal factors.

To overcome this problem, there are some other programs also that can provide the same music synchronization facilities as iTunes. These other programs can also transfer music from your iPod to your computer. Some of these third party programs are the Ml iPod plugin and vPod (for Winamp).