iPad: The Missing Manual, 7th Edition

Chapter 14. Syncing with iTunes

Just in case you’re one of the six people who’ve never heard of it, iTunes is Apple’s multifunction, multimedia jukebox software. It’s been loading music onto iPods since the turn of the 21st century.

Most people use iTunes to manipulate their digital movies, photos, and music, from converting songs off a CD into music files to buying songs, audiobooks, and movies online.

But as an iPad owner, you need iTunes even more urgently, because it’s the most efficient way to get masses of music, videos, apps, email, addresses, appointments, ringtones, and other stuff onto the iPad. It also backs up your iPad automatically.

If you’ve never had a copy of iTunes on your computer, then fire up your Web browser and go to www.apple.com/itunes/download. Once the file lands on your computer, double-click the installer icon and follow the onscreen instructions to add iTunes to your life.

This chapter gives you a crash course in iTunes and tells you how to sync it with your iPad.

Tip

Technically, iTunes is not required. It’s perfectly possible to use all of an iPad’s features without even owning a computer. You can download all that stuff—music, movies, apps—right from the Internet, and you can back up your iPad using iCloud (described in the next chapter).

Using iTunes, however, is more efficient, and it’s nice to know your stuff is backed up on a machine that’s within your control.

The Three Faces of iTunes

The first thing to understand is that iTunes ...