Automatically Back Up To This Computer?

[ArtOfWarfare]

I was just doing a manual backup of my entire iPhone and I noticed that in iTunes 11 it has the following option for iOS backups:

Automatically Back Up and then under it are ratio buttons, I can either choose "iCloud" or "This Computer". I had "iCloud" selected, but I honestly hate the iCloud backups because they're the biggest PITA to manage (there's never enough space for them and I'm not going to pay for it... and playing the whole "Select the apps you want backed up" game really isn't any fun, either.)

But what does it mean by "This Computer"? Does this mean that it'll automatically backup my iPhone over wifi in the background from time to time, the same as it does with iCloud right now? That would be amazing.

Or does it mean it'll automatically launch iTunes every time I plug my iPhone into my computer - that would be a PITA.

 

[dictoresno]

I was just doing a manual backup of my entire iPhone and I noticed that in iTunes 11 it has the following option for iOS backups:

Automatically Back Up and then under it are ratio buttons, I can either choose "iCloud" or "This Computer". I had "iCloud" selected, but I honestly hate the iCloud backups because they're the biggest PITA to manage (there's never enough space for them and I'm not going to pay for it... and playing the whole "Select the apps you want backed up" game really isn't any fun, either.)

But what does it mean by "This Computer"? Does this mean that it'll automatically backup my iPhone over wifi in the background from time to time, the same as it does with iCloud right now? That would be amazing.

Or does it mean it'll automatically launch iTunes every time I plug my iPhone into my computer - that would be a PITA.

it will only sync over wifi, not back up.

you have to perform the backups manually (to the computer) or over wifi to icloud (which does this automatically). when you plug the phone into the computer and run itunes, it will sync but not back up. like i said, you need to do that manually in itunes. i prefer icloud because it will back up automatically when on wifi and requires no user input to do.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

it will only sync over wifi, not back up.

you have to perform the backups manually (to the computer) or over wifi to icloud (which does this automatically). when you plug the phone into the computer and run itunes, it will sync but not back up. like i said, you need to do that manually in itunes. i prefer icloud because it will back up automatically when on wifi and requires no user input to do.

My iPhone hasn't been backed up to iCloud in 30 weeks (it tells me so) because iCloud is continuously full of garbage. I used to play the whole manage space on iCloud game, but I grew tired of it really fast.

Anyways, one question:
How is syncing different from backing up? Is there anything that's only part of a sync? Is there anything that's only part of a backup? Or does one completely encapsulate the other (which encapsulates which, if that's the cast?)

 

[dictoresno]

My iPhone hasn't been backed up to iCloud in 30 weeks (it tells me so) because iCloud is continuously full of garbage. I used to play the whole manage space on iCloud game, but I grew tired of it really fast.

Anyways, one question:
How is syncing different from backing up? Is there anything that's only part of a sync? Is there anything that's only part of a backup? Or does one completely encapsulate the other (which encapsulates which, if that's the cast?)

i never seemed to have any issues with icloud and i have 3 devices continuously back up to it.

and syncing if for transferring songs, video and other media. it doesnt back up all your data the way icloud or a backup does. its called a sync because thats exactly what it is.

 

[PNutts]

Or does it mean it'll automatically launch iTunes every time I plug my iPhone into my computer - that would be a PITA.

Yes, but you can set iTunes to not launch automatically. I found that I turn off my camera roll and the backup fits and is seamless. My photos go to PhotoStream and periodically I copy them from my phone to the PC so it's not necessary to have them in the iCloud backup.

Every few months I do a manual iTunes backup just to have something local "in case". I'm stuck in my old ways.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

My latest backup to iCloud of my iPhone, from the end of November 2012, took up 4.8 GB. Camera roll was 1.5 GB, the next biggest thing was TWC (weather) with 8.7 MB, Google Drive with 2.3 MB, myAT&T with 1.6 MB, and from there everything is in the KB...Dropbox is 561 KB and I have 22 other apps each storing between 400 KB and 0.2 KB, each. In no world does that add up to 4.8 GB, and in fact, given how tiny a KB is compared to a GB, one may as well ignore those 22 apps and just look at the GB and MBs... they add up to... not even 0.1 GB, thus my backup, with my pictures, should have been around 1.6 GB, not 4.8 GB.

What the heck?