App backups in iTunes

[AppleCrisp]

Hey,

I have a MacBook Air, and my iPad and iPhone apps sitting in iTunes take up a lot of space. Is there any reason to have them there? Do they contain app-specific backup data or are they simply copies of the apps downloaded from the app store? Has anyone deleted them and had no issues?

Thanks!

 

[Defender2010]

I guess there is no real reason to have them there. I dont allow my devices to transpfer purchases to iTunes so they dont copy over. I agree, it takes up a lot of space! Now I just delete apps and re-download if necessary on the device, where previously I used to mainly download to iTunes and sync it over. Now its only books I sync, as the cloud takes care of music, apps and video.

 

[dancj]

As long as the apps are still in the App Store there's no reason to back them up, but if the apps ever get removed from the app store then the only way to get them on a new (or restored) device is through your local backup.