Confused re: iTunes and iCloud

[Herb9]

Little confused about iTunes and iCloud.
If I do not want to buy anything offered on iTunes, do I need to belong to it to backup my system files?
Is being on iCloud enough for complete backup?
Have a Great Season - Herb9

 

[J. A.]

You need to be logged in to iTunes when you want to back up your iPad, sync it, restore it or use recovery mode.

There are differences between backing up to iCloud and iTunes. You can also backup to both, just to be on the safe side. This site will help you decide which of the options is best for you:
http://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT5262

You don't have to purchase anything when you use iTunes, btw.

 

[Herb9]

Good article on iCloud and iTunes.
Still my question is :
You said:

"You need to be logged in to iTunes when you want to back up your iPad, sync it, restore it or use recovery mode."

Will iCloud also do the above or is it just for data and settings?
Herb

 

[goofy8275]

Good article on iCloud and iTunes.
Still my question is :
You said:

"You need to be logged in to iTunes when you want to back up your iPad, sync it, restore it or use recovery mode."

Will iCloud also do the above or is it just for data and settings?
Herb

iCloud can backup. If you back up your iPad to iCloud, it will only backup settings, documents, contacts, etc. and not app data or purchased media (though you will be able to redownload these free of charge). iTunes backup will back up everything on your iPad, but you must connect your iPad via USB cable or WiFi to backup manually, while iCloud backup does not require a computer.
Also if you want to sync media directly from your computer as opposed to downloading it on your iPad, you need to plug it into iTunes, but you can still sync with iTunes and backup through iCloud.
Hope this helps.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Herb9]

iCloud can backup. If you back up your iPad to iCloud, it will only backup settings, documents, contacts, etc. and not app data or purchased media (though you will be able to redownload these free of charge). iTunes backup will back up everything on your iPad, but you must connect your iPad via USB cable or WiFi to backup manually, while iCloud backup does not require a computer.
Also if you want to sync media directly from your computer as opposed to downloading it on your iPad, you need to plug it into iTunes, but you can still sync with iTunes and backup through iCloud.
Hope this helps.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Your definition was what I was looking for.
Think I will probably use iCloud since it is wireless and I don't need network backup.
I will let iCloud take care of the backup automatically.
Thank You - Have a Great Season - Herb

 

[twerppoet]

I do iCloud backups automatically. About once a month I do another backup in iTunes, manually. This gives a bit more flexibility for restores. Since iCloud backups are automatic, any changes made become part of the backup in less than 24 hours. If you made a big mistake, it's not retrievable after that period.

Also, backups can become corrupt and fail. It's nice to have a second backup source just incase.

 

[Herb9]

Sounds good using both backups for security, but doesn't using iCloud backup affect iTunes backup or visa-verse.?

 

[twerppoet]

Sounds good using both backups for security, but doesn't using iCloud backup affect iTunes backup or visa-verse.?

No. The backups are separate.

Here is the main differences.

iTunes restores your iPad to factory, restores the data and settings, and then re-syncs your apps and music from your iTunes library. It will normally do this automatically, but sometimes you have to initiate the sync. As long as it is done immediately, it works. If you delay then you have to start over again, because when restored data has no app to belong to, eventually it goes away again.

The first two steps are the same for iCloud, but instead of re-syncing from your iTunes Library the apps and other iTunes content are downloaded from the iTunes store. This part can take a long time, depending on your network connection and number of apps. After the initial restore your iPad is usable, but the apps will be ghosts until they finish downloading. If you have lots of apps It is sometimes necessary to restart the iPad a few times, to kick the download process in the rear when it pauses.

I may have the fine details wrong, since I'm typing from memory.

Anyway, that's my experience.

Here are some Apple support pages on the subject:

iTunes Backups
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4946

iCloud Backups
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12519