Waste of money

[kestrelmusic]

I just got an ipad mini 2, having read about how good they are supposed to be, and I'll be selling it again (unless I get so annoyed that I take a hammer to it).

First of all, it comes with NO instruction manual of any kind. They just leave you to find your way round without help.

Worst thing: I have numerous files on my PC including music, movies and ebooks, which I want to transfer to the new machine. Not possible! No! Tried to connect the machines using the USB lead supplied but the ipad would not "see" the PC.

If I want to listen to, for example, one of the pieces of music I already have, which I have bought perfectly legally online, I can only do so by going to itunes and buying them again. I haven't yet discovered how to get ebooks on to it, but I bet I can't just go to Project Gutenberg and download them.

In my opinion the whole thing is just a waste of money.

 

[Brian 244]

You can import your previously purchased music, movies , etc.. into iTunes and transfer it to your iPad that route.

Also in all fairness, if you buy a new laptop, you will not find an instruction manual for Windows. There are tons of tutorials online (youtube is a great start) , or if you are near an Apple Store, they offer classes on how to use your device. With a little bit of research (and I'm sure that other Forum users here can provide hints) you will find that you can import all of the above into your iPad.

 

[scifan57]

Apple provides a very comprehensive manual for your iPad, they just don't pack it in the box. User guides for all recent and current Apple products can be found here. Apple - Support - Manuals
The iPad guide is available as an interactive online version or a downloadable iBooks version for offline use.

Your music, movies, and ebooks will have to be converted to a format compatible with your iPad, transferred to iTunes and then synced to your iPad.

BTW, you can indeed go to project Gutenberg and download ebooks. I've done it through an app that accesses the project Gutenberg database and let's you download any book you wish.

 

[kestrelmusic]

The problem is that I can't get the ipad to "see" the PC or vice versa so I can't sync anything. Maybe the files are not compatible but that still doesn't explain why, when I plug the USB lead into the PC nothing whatever happens.

I have music mainly in MP3 format which I was under the impression was a standard for all platforms. Movies mostly in MP4 or AVI formats and ebooks in either EPUB or PDF - which again I thought were standard for all platforms.

 

[Brian 244]

I've heard that there is a glitch in Windows 10 that prevents the laptop and iOS device from "seeing" each other. Are you currently running WIndows 10 by any chance?

 

[scifan57]

If you're using Windows 10 and can't get iTunes to recognize your devices, this thread suggested a clean installation of Windows 10 will work. Windows 10 and iTunes sync problem | Apple Support Communities

 

[kestrelmusic]

No, Windows 7. But with any Windows OS I would expect a device connected via USB lead to show up with the next available drive letter in Computer.

 

[LannyC]

Nope, it doesn't work that way. Only iTunes will see your iPad, and all your PC-iPad interactions will be through iTunes. There are a number of third-party apps you can purchase that make an iPad function more like a USB stick, but IMHO they're a waste of time. You can do everything you need in iTunes, once you learn how.

In iOS, all documents (including music and movies) are stored within apps. There is no general file system. It's a different paradigm, and you have to accept it. It's what makes iOS devices almost impervious to malware.

 

[kestrelmusic]

Sorry, but I just don't understand. If the PC is connected to the ipad via a USB lead, there must be some way in which files can be synchronized or shared or transferred in some way from one machine to the other. I've looked at itunes and it just wants me to pay to download stuff from the internet; unless I have missed something (which is perfectly possible) it won't fetch files from the PC. I also want to be able to download things that are in the public domain such as ebooks from Project Gutenberg.

 

[scifan57]

Files cannot just be downloaded to your iPad, they can only be downloaded to an app that can read them and are only available to that one app. iPads are app based, not file based. There is no central file repository on an iPad to download files to, where various apps can access them. This was mentioned in the post just previous to your last post.

As to downloading and reading Project Gutenberg books, you need to download a Gutenberg reader app from the App Store and can download books to that app and read them in the app. Here is the Gutenberg app I use. Gutenberg Books - Free 40k+ books completely free on the App Store

The USB lead is used for charging the iPad battery and for syncing and transferring content to and from iTunes.

BTW, have you read the iPad user guide I linked to in my first post, it will answer your questions about how to use the iPad

 

[LannyC]

The first time you connect your iPad with iTunes, it must be connected via USB cable. Select the iPad icon in the upper-left of your iTunes window. But first, you have to load your music into iTunes, and designate which files you want to be on the iPad. Then connect and sync (back up) your iPad.

Do the same thing to sync your PC's ebooks with iBooks, and movies with Videos, on the iPad.

Download the iPad user guide first, though.

 

[kestrelmusic]

I give up. I have looked, I think exhaustively, at itunes and I cannot find any way in which it will see any folder on the PC in which files are stored.

You say "The USB lead is used for charging the iPad battery and for syncing and transferring content to and from iTunes." What I can't understand is a) why itunes won't sync with the files on the PC and b) how to actually get the files from the PC on to itunes/ipad/iOS/whatever.

I'm really mystified with this. I have been involved with computers since the mid-1980s (remember the old BBC Master?) and have been using PCs since Windows 95 and would regard myself as a fairly competent user. But this has me totally baffled. Also rather concerned because I bought the thing as I will be going on holiday tomorrow and wanted a small, lightweight device to watch/listen to/read on the train and the aeroplane. But it doesn't look as if it is going to work.

 

[twerppoet]

General iTunes Help page: iTunes - Apple Support

How to import content into iTunes: Import music and video from a computer into iTunes

 

[kestrelmusic]

This tells me to 'Drag a file or folder from the desktop to the itunes window'. BUT there is no itunes window on my PC. When I connect the ipad to the PC using the USB lead nothing happens.

 

[Brian 244]

I give up. I have looked, I think exhaustively, at itunes and I cannot find any way in which it will see any folder on the PC in which files are stored.

You say "The USB lead is used for charging the iPad battery and for syncing and transferring content to and from iTunes." What I can't understand is a) why itunes won't sync with the files on the PC and b) how to actually get the files from the PC on to itunes/ipad/iOS/whatever.

I'm really mystified with this. I have been involved with computers since the mid-1980s (remember the old BBC Master?) and have been using PCs since Windows 95 and would regard myself as a fairly competent user. But this has me totally baffled. Also rather concerned because I bought the thing as I will be going on holiday tomorrow and wanted a small, lightweight device to watch/listen to/read on the train and the aeroplane. But it doesn't look as if it is going to work.

The iPad ,( and other iOS devices) are a shift in paradigm as other posters have mentioned. If you prefer the Windows experience there are Windows tablets and ultra books that may be more suitable for your needs.