iTunes sync is not a true sync in my opinion

[patent10021]

So I'm wondering why if an iPhone is a mobile device with which we are always on the go and downloading apps from, why is it that an iTunes sync only sends data to the iPhone and not the other way around at least as an option?

I remember the old Palm/Apple iSync days when you'd sync your devices and both the PDA and desktop computer would inherit data they didn't have. The sync was two-way. You could choose to sync one-way and also choose which would be the main device. Seems quite logical.

Every time I download new apps from my iPhone and go home and sync to my MacBook, iTunes erases the apps and layout because iTunes is replacing the iPhone data with the iTunes data. Quite frustrating. It ends up getting quite messy because if I deselect iTunes sync options and then reselect iTunes sync options a few days later, iTunes ends up replacing everything.

Am I overlooking an option somewhere? Simply not seeing some options?

 

[rorschach]

Something is definitely wrong, because the iTunes sync is two-way. It shouldn't be changing your home screen layout.

 

[TimShady]

Yeah somethings wrong dude. When I update apps on my iPod Touch it updates them on iTunes next time I sync. It doesn't take the updates back off.

 

[patent10021]

Well if something is wrong or I am doing something wrong I'd be very happy because I've ben pulling my hair out.

Ok so let me clear this up.

I have 250+ apps and my own layout etc on my iPhone. Sync check box is selected in iTunes.

iTunes has all my iPhone apps because I transferred them from my iPhone using the transfer purchased apps option in iTunes.

When I change the layout of my iPhone home screen or have new apps on my iPhone or even delete apps off my iPhone manually using my iPhone then sync to iTunes, everything gets replaced by the older iTunes layout/apps.


EDIT: Hmmm seems everything is ok now. I don't know what I'm doing differently though. But I've experimented with updating, changing layout, deleting apps and adding apps and it does what I want so that's great. Maybe because I had a few different devices always connecting to iTunes before I was having some kind of sync problems who knows.

I've also had problems syncing when reformatting my HD or installing new HD with new OSX/iTunes. iTunes doesn't allow syncing of iDevices that have already been synced with other iTunes libraries so iTunes forces you to erase all and resync with the new iTunes. Can be a real pain when you have hundreds of apps.