One Major Reason iTunes Sucks

[Yellowstone2012]

You can't sync your iOS device to the iTunes library if it is synced to another, meaning you have to "erase and sync" which most users do not want to do, including me.

If you need to sync without erasing, I recommend "CopyTrans". It's pathetic that Apple hasn't allowed us to do what CopyTrans is capable of.

 

[andalusia]

An alternative is to Manually Manage your music, and then you can add music to your iOS Device from any machine.

 

[Hal Itosis]

You can't sync your iOS device to the iTunes library if it is synced to another, meaning you have to "erase and sync" which most users do not want to do, including me.

Sorry but, "most users" simply need to sync their iPod (or whatever) to a single iTunes library. That much is totally sensible (not to mention obvious). What you're wanting to do is not mainstream, by any measure.

It's pathetic that Apple hasn't allowed us to do what CopyTrans is capable of.

Why should Apple have to cater to every single, possible, imaginable, oddball, and/or off-the-wall usage scenario? That's usually why 3rd-party shareware exists in the first place. Pay the fee and be happy the app even exists.

[there well may be some valid reasons why "iTunes sucks" in general... but this isn't one of them.]

 

[ender land]

I thought you were going to mention how there is no now-playing feature

 

[ehoui]

I agree -- the synching options are very limited in a family situation with multiple computers and ios devices. It definitely needs improvement.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Another reason iTunes sucks so bad is cause it doesn't have a derive triple integrals button on it. Seriously, when I'm listening to music I am also generally doing complex calculus problems. Jeeeeezz!!!!!

 

[ehoui]

Another reason iTunes sucks so bad is cause it doesn't have a derive triple integrals button on it. Seriously, when I'm listening to music I am also generally doing complex calculus problems. Jeeeeezz!!!!!

Time to get your head out of your calculus book -- synching is a feature of itunes, and it needs improvement.

 

[Eclipse278]

I thought you were going to mention how there is no now-playing feature

Command - L
I think. This is from memory.

 

[0007776]

It's not that big of a deal, manually managing music works well enough for the few times I've needed to sync with more than one library.

 

[mjsmke]

You can sync manually.

If you sync with 2 machines it will always be deleting and adding files. Syncing means mirroring. So iTunes doesnt suck.

 

[Cougarcat]

You can sync manually.

If you sync with 2 machines it will always be deleting and adding files. Syncing means mirroring. So iTunes doesnt suck.

IMO, it shouldn't be a hassle to keep an identical iTunes library on two different machines. It should work more like merging:

Computer 1: Syncs to iPhone.
Computer 2: Syncs to iPhone, adding everything from Computer 1 as well as any additional files that it finds.
Computer 1: The next time you sync, the added files from computer 2 will be added to computer 1.

 

[logandzwon]

While I agree I'd like this, there are actually a few reasons it doesn't work that way.

For one, explicitly not allowing this was a recording industry requirement they had before joining iTunes.

For two, iTunes syncing specifically does not work this way. Itunes considers the iPod to be an extension of itself. If anything is weird, (new songs added or whatever,) it will erase and start over.

 

[benhollberg]

Just use manually manage music, it will let you take files from five different iTunes libraries. Even if you could automatically sync with multiple libraries and iOS device doesn't have enough storage to do that for most people.

 

[mjsmke]

Also the 2 iTunes libraries would have to be identical. So one cloned from the other, otherwise the iPad/iPod will be forever deleting and adding files.

An alternative is to keep your itunes libraby on an external drive with the 2 machines set up to use it. Then just take the drive with you to work or wherever.