ITunes and IPad

[rvipad]

I had to do a restore on my 3G IPad yesterday after the genius bar ran their diagnostics program. This got me to thinking.. We are taking our RV on the road for a couple of months. I got the IPad for the ease of reading publications that I can download.

It's my understanding that you can only have your IPad/IPhone tied to one computer. If my IPad needs to be restored again while on the road, how do I address this issue with my desktop computer back home? Can I download Itunes to my laptop and sync with it while on the road and then sync with the main computer when I get home?

Thanks.

 

[idbirch]

You can only sync your iDevice with 1 iTunes library at any given time. You can switch to another library but you have to let iTunes remove all content and then sync whatever is in the new library.

If you are forced to restore while on the road, that's no problem, just make sure you have all the content you might want to sync back strored on your laptop. When you get back home and connect your iPad to your desktop PC, iTunes will take everything off and sync back the stuff from your desktop.

 

[rowan]

I've been thinking about this issue as well. Since it's possible to start-up iTunes with any library (hold down Option key while starting iTunes & it'll ask you which library to open), then why couldn't you have a copy of your library on your iDisk, then when you need to, borrow a Mac, mount your iDisk, start-up from it & just back up or restore from that?

 

[Abrennan]

Where there is a will there is a way

 

[rvipad]

You can only sync your iDevice with 1 iTunes library at any given time. You can switch to another library but you have to let iTunes remove all content and then sync whatever is in the new library.

If you are forced to restore while on the road, that's no problem, just make sure you have all the content you might want to sync back strored on your laptop. When you get back home and connect your iPad to your desktop PC, iTunes will take everything off and sync back the stuff from your desktop.

If I understand you correctly, you are saying I can sync my IPad to my laptop after syncing to my desktop, come back from my trip and sync back to my desktop and the only items I might lose would be the ones that I downloaded while on the trip?

 

[michali]

I have used my laptop and desktop to sync my iPad. I regularly back up my iTunes library to an external hard drive so I just make sure the same library is on both the laptop and the desktop. I think when you return and sync again, with your desktop, you will be asked if you want to have any new apps removed.....hope I am right on that one!

 

[idbirch]

Hm, I've not tried cloning my iTunes library before so I can't comment on how well that works. Unless you take special steps though (like cloning) iTunes will want to nuke the contents of your iDevice when you switch machines.

From memory, the two options it gives you are "erase and sync" i.e. take everything off and replace with library on this machine or just to cancel.

I'd suggest that before you go away, you try cloning your current library onto your laptop and experiment to see how it behaves when you install apps offline and from the other library.

 

[Mark Dickey]

i have no idea

 

[Cannon Group]

Kind of complicated!