I have an iPod Classic (160gb), iPod touch 4g (64gb) and an iPad (64gb). Do you have to put all your songs on all the devices or can you just put some songs on each individual device?

iTunes knows which device is which when you plug it in to your PC. Probably the easiest way to put some of your stuff on a device with less space is to create playlists. When you plug your iPad into your PC, you can set it to sync only a particular playlist (or playlists) instead of the whole library (which obviously won't fit)

I use my iTunes library, as you do, with a number of different devices. First you should turn off iTunes from automatically syncing with a connected device, and then you can manually select which songs you want to load to each device.

You can do this by starting iTunes before you connect your device, and then go to Edit > Settings > Devices. Select the tab under "Devices", and then look for the checkbox which says "Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically." Click on the checkbox, then click on "OK."

Once you have auto-sync turned off, you can plug your device into the computer safely. When the device shows up on iTunes, just drag-and-drop the songs you want from your iTunes music library onto the respective device's music folder.

Hi! As a first-time apple user, I'm gonna ask a stupid question:
How can I drag and drop the songs from itunes to ipad? Could you please explain step by step?
Thanks very much for the patient replies!

Originally Posted by incig

Hi! As a first-time apple user, I'm gonna ask a stupid question:
How can I drag and drop the songs from itunes to ipad? Could you please explain step by step?
Thanks very much for the patient replies!

OK - couple of questions. I guess you've got these songs on your PC in iTunes? What I'm really asking is whether you've already downloaded them?

If not, then you can download them directly to your iPad from the iPad's iTunes app - over WiFi.

If they're on your PC and you want to transfer them to your iPad then there's no 'drag and drop' facility. If you sync your iPad to your PC than all of your music will be transferred automatically to the iPad.

However, in case you've tried this and thought it didn't seem to work (I'm reading between the lines a bit in your question) then you need to be aware that Apple played a sneaky trick on users. You might have thought that music on your PC in iTunes would end up in - well - iTunes on your iPad. Seems sensible to me! But that would have made life far too easy!!

Music transferred from your PC to your iPad is placed in the iPad's iPod app - which is where you play the music from. On a similar note, movies imported from your PC from iTunes end up in the iPad's Video app.

If you haven't already bought the music, you can purchase music directly from within the iPad's iTunes app and download it directly to your iPad - no need to go via your PC. Just as before though, music ends up in the iPod app and movies end up in the Videos app.

Good luck - enjoy your iPad and please don't hesitate to get in touch with us again if you have any concerns or problems.

Tim
Scotland

Hi, Tim. Thanks for the detailed reply. I added the music folder I want to sync to my ipad to itunes library, and then I tried to sync music. When I clicked the sync music radio button, a dialog box appeared saying "are you sure you want to sync music? All existing content on the ipad will be removed and replaced with sngs and playlists from your itunes library." Of course I don't want that to happen! I can't get rid of THIS DIALOG BOX!! What is that for? Why is itunes trying to remove all the existing content on the ipad? How can I get rid of this dialog box? What am I doing wrong?

Originally Posted by incig

Hi, Tim. Thanks for the detailed reply. I added the music folder I want to sync to my ipad to itunes library, and then I tried to sync music. When I clicked the sync music radio button, a dialog box appeared saying "are you sure you want to sync music? All existing content on the ipad will be removed and replaced with sngs and playlists from your itunes library." Of course I don't want that to happen! I can't get rid of THIS DIALOG BOX!! What is that for? Why is itunes trying to remove all the existing content on the ipad? How can I get rid of this dialog box? What am I doing wrong?

This is the issue with iTunes - it wants to make your iPad and PC exactly the same - with the PC predominating. So, if that music on your iPad isn't on your PC then the sync operation will delete it.

One of our frequent posters, twerppoet, is the world's greatest expert on iTunes and syncing. He lives on the West Coast of the US, so he's probably asleep now. I'm sure you'll get some expert advice from him as soon as he's awake and got iPad Forum up and running. He's by far the best person to advise you on this so I'd wait for an answer from him; it's all too easy to lose everything.

Tim

Tim, thanks so much. I'm gonna wait for twerppoet to wake up.

Last time I checked, I didn't have any music on my ipad! So when I sync, what will iTunes remove from the ipad? Just music files or all the apps? Because I don't have anything but apps on my ipad right now. And I'm very concerned about them mistakenly being deleted from the ipad. I think all this "sync thing" is the weakest point of ipad! I can't believe that this thing is so popular!

Originally Posted by incig

Tim, thanks so much. I'm gonna wait for twerppoet to wake up.

Last time I checked, I didn't have any music on my ipad! So when I sync, what will iTunes remove from the ipad? Just music files or all the apps? Because I don't have anything but apps on my ipad right now. And I'm very concerned about them mistakenly being deleted from the ipad. I think all this "sync thing" is the weakest point of ipad! I can't believe that this thing is so popular!

He's around now, so you should get an answer soon....

Tim

Well, color me stupid, but I have searched both iPad for Dummies as well as the iPad manual and I just can't get to where I want to be from here. From my PC I bought the complete Beethoven symphonies album and downloaded it to the PC. When I open iTunes I can see the entire listing sitting there and it shows as PURCHASED under the STORES category. Now, you know what is coming next from the newbie, don't you? Although I've synced my iPad with the PC, nothing has transferred.

Okay, I know I've got to transfer it from where it is to the PURCHASED category under my DEVICES. But, unfortunately, something is missing in my brain and I can't figure out how to do that. Obviously it is a very basic thing I'm failing to comprehend and I am hopeful someone here will tell me.

Also, it looks like I'm better off just buying from the iPad than I am from using the PC to shop the store, yes, or am I missing something there, too.

Many thanks for your indulgence.