And as usual for this OP, abandoned the thread after the initial posting.
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iPad Pro Why do we still need iTunes for the iPad Pro ?
- Thread starter TheRealAlex
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The following statements are silly...
...because they imply that someone bought a PC/Mac just as an alternative to using iCloud for their backup, which is obviously a ridiculous premise. If you personally bought a computer that you don't actually need, that's on you. But when anyone else says that they are using iTunes to backup their device locally for free, I think it's fair to assume that they are using a device that they already own or would have purchased anyway, and thus, it's not costing them anything to use iTunes whereas more iCloud storage would. So if your backup(s) require more than 5GB, yes, iTunes is the only free option available.
You do if your device backup, mine is ~10GB, is larger than the available space on your iCloud account and you don't want to buy more space. That being said, many people do not need iTunes to sync.
But his question wasn't just about syncing, but why you needs iTunes at all and we have listed many many thigns that iTunes is needed for that the iPad doesn't do.
With everything listed thus far, I'd say "needed" is a strong word. There are options for everything.
I'd also add that I hardly think Apple is done eliminating the reliance on iTunes.
What are the options for:
Gifting a single song?
Streaming to more than one speaker in addition to your iPads speakers?
Editing song tags?
Gifting a Song?
There are several options:
- Give the person a $5 iTunes gift card and tell them to "buy this song!"
- If you're going to be doing this a lot, get the pair of you a subscription to Apple Music - then you can exchange entire playlists (all via the iPad) - if they're not already subscribed.
- If it absolutely HAS to be the single song, and you absolutely don't want to spend more than $0.99 on the person, source the song on Amazon, Google Music, or another service.
- Given the state of the physical media industry, odds are you can buy them the entire album for a couple bucks.
The most obvious solution would be to stream to a receiver instead of directly to a speaker.
Editing Song Tags?
If you really, absolutely need to do this, you could extract the XML file used to track album metadata and modify it manually. Or use a different Music app.
We still need itunes inorder to back up all the apps on the Ipad pro. I had 16 apps that i paid for removed from the App store when the developer vanished and did not have them backed up. I found that out when i tried to re download them after my phone died. I contacted apple and was told i was out of luck and wouldn't get a refund and it was impossible to get the apps back if i did not back them up.
That is a huge issue that needs to be addressed by both Apple and the developer community at large. Once you purchase an an app, you should always have access to it - no matter what the developer does. I believe you should also have access to the history of the app (in case you install the latest version and there's some sort of screw up and you need to revert back to a later version - not that the developer has to support older versions, it would be at your own risk with the understanding that only the current version receives support).
You must not realize how many people out there do not have a laptop or desktop, or have one and don't actually need it.
I'm not sure why you're even arguing cost with me because that's not what OP asked about at all. iTunes is not required for the iPad, period. There are alternatives for everything you'd use iTunes for, except manually installing firmware if you messed something up with your iPad from jailbreaking.
I am arguing cost, since that was the point you raised when it was suggested that an iTunes backup is free. It just seemed like you were splitting hairs, saying that it isn't free because of the cost of the computer. Obviously no one was suggesting buying a computer just for iTunes.
$5 is more than $1 or &1.29; I am not doing it as lot so i am not going to buy someone a subscription to Apple Music.
How will you integrate that song back into your iTunes music library without iTunes?
How will I get ripped music back onto he iPad without iTunes?
I have speakers connected back to several airports to extend the wifi in my house, how do I stream to several or just one in addition to using my iPad's speakers? For that matter, if I have my iPad set as the streaming source how do I remote control it with my iPhone like I can if I have my MBP as the streaming source?
iTunes has mediocre song tags if you actually care about organizing your music, how do I get those changes back into my song library without iTunes? Why should I have to remember which app a particular song is in?
I do like how your suggestions either require spending more money or are less convenient.
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Okay, so you're arguing for one group of people and I'm arguing for another. This won't go anywhere.
I only use iTunes to do a local backup of my iPad roughly once a month. I like having multiple backups of my devices.
Your original question was stated so there is only one solution offered - that by the desktop version of iTunes. I gave examples of how you can solve the root issue (not the issue caused by lack of a feature in the mobile version).
You don't have to like the alternate solutions I offer, but the fact remains that, if you want to do those things there are solutions available - it depends on how dedicated you are to going "iTunes Free".
It's pretty clear that you are so tied to your opinion that you won't accept any other solution - which is fine, just don't try to pretend that you're open minded.
Right. It just seemed obvious to me that the point was that for people who already own and use a PC/Mac, the iTunes option for backups comes with no additional cost.
I know it's not always the case, but in my experience, most people with mobile devices do still have a desktop or laptop computer.
May not be mandatory to have a computer with iTunes but I still do hard encrypted backups every month along with the nightly cloud backups. Things do go wrong and I have had an iCloud backup go bad and would have been out of luck.
When ever I move from one phone to another I prefer to use my iTunes back up as it is fast and complete.
When ever I move from one phone to another I prefer to use my iTunes back up as it is fast and complete.
Question for those who never use a computer, is there is any way to load non-iTunes movies onto an iPad without syncing? I can't figure out a way to do it.
Edit: Also, how can I get them off? I have a movie in the TV app and there doesn't seem any way to select it and delete it, without syncing with my pc.
Edit: Also, how can I get them off? I have a movie in the TV app and there doesn't seem any way to select it and delete it, without syncing with my pc.
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You can load non-iTunes movies into other apps (like GoodReader which includes a media player), but not into iTunes (as far as I know).
To remove content, Open the TV App. In the Library drop-down touch Downloaded. Touch the item you want to delete from the iPad. Touch the blue Downloaded button, then touch Remove Download.
Thanks, but I guess I need to go in and make sure the video isn't classified as Home Video first. This seems like a lot of steps for an easy thing. Unless I just want to manage an iTunes movie library. Thanks though!
I only use my iPad for surfing internet or reading books and PDFs on iBooks. I have to sync it to my computer to add PDFs that I have downloaded at work then brought home and added to iBooks on my Mac (I have bad internet at home).
Its a big pain in the ass because the interface for adding books from iTunes to my iPad is total garbage - I have to select each thumbnail of a book individually, there is no way to select 10 new books all at once and sync. Also when I delete a PDF or book from my iPad it stays in iBooks... so I have to remember to go to my Mac and delete the PDF from iBooks there.
Its a big pain in the ass because the interface for adding books from iTunes to my iPad is total garbage - I have to select each thumbnail of a book individually, there is no way to select 10 new books all at once and sync. Also when I delete a PDF or book from my iPad it stays in iBooks... so I have to remember to go to my Mac and delete the PDF from iBooks there.
I do not connect my iPad to iTunes for months. Why? Movies can be downloaded nPlayer from the NAS by Wi-Fi 802.11ac, documents in Documents similarly, photos and books for a long time in iCloud. What are the reasons for using the old-fashioned cable and itunes in the 21st century?