Patterico's Pontifications

4/26/2011

Bleg: Syncing an iPad (or iPod or iPhone) to a new Mac

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 9:58 pm



So I finally took the leap and bought a Mac laptop. Everyone I have talked to who has one likes it. They don’t get viruses and continue to work well 2, 3, 4 years later.

Just one problem. I moved over my iTunes library from the PC and iTunes seems to work fine on the Mac. But if I try to sync up the iPad to the Macbook, it tells me that it can only sync with one library, and that it will wipe my iPad. I de-authorized the PC, so what gives?

This is not a request for people to criticize my decision to get a Mac. I’m just wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue before. You would think it would be the simplest thing in the world, but every solution I see online is ridiculously complicated — download this third-party software, or get a MobileMe subscription, or use a migration utility that doesn’t work with a PC or an external hard drive, etc.

Absolutely nothing simple in the way of a solution — for what ought to be the easiest thing in the world.

Ideas?

26 Responses to “Bleg: Syncing an iPad (or iPod or iPhone) to a new Mac”

  1. Anyone?

    Anyone at all?

    Patterico (c218bd)

  2. The system isn’t smart enough to recognize the de-authorization. You’ll have to “wipe” the iPad, but all that will really do is require you to re-copy your iTunes library to the iPad. As long as you’ve moved all of that over to your new Mac successfully, the move is time-intensive, but you shouldn’t lose anything.

    Hoystory (d0fa8a)

  3. Yeah, basically it’ll wipe/re-sync from scratch that first time, then it’ll be back to normal syncing from then on.

    It should’ve, in the popup about “you can only sync to one library” have a choice along the lines of “Sync to this library.”

    Miguelito (f443a7)

  4. I think that the other two posters are right (it gets complicated if you have loaded programs directly to the iPad by itself). Here is a place to start:

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1386

    Simon Jester (08af0a)

  5. I also got this issue.Can somebody help?

    Galey Yang (8997e8)

  6. Another thing: I consolidated my music library to an external hard drive and moved the iTunes folder to the Mac. But not everything made it. Some songs I purchased are in “Patrick’s library” (which has only a fraction of my stuff) but didn’t go into the “Music” tab. If that makes sense.

    What gives?

    Patterico (c218bd)

  7. Why do they make it so damned complicated??

    Patterico (c218bd)

  8. Try importing Patrick’s library. If you’ve used more than one iTunes account, the machine will need to be authorized for both/all. (My niece accumulated music over three different accounts. Apple says they can’t consolidate accounts, and recommends multiple authorization, which we’d already figured out.)

    Another option, although tedious, is to move everything file by file.

    I’ve no experience w/ an iPad, but I received the “only one…” prompt the first time I synced iPhone and iPod after replacing my main internal drive. It thought I had a new computer, even though I had transferred over all my files. Instructed the machine to sync w/ that machine then restored from last backup, which had transferred w/ my iTunes. And when iTunes prompted me to authorize the “new” machine on my account, somehow the store recognized it as my existing machine, even with the new drive. Took less time to do than to explain. Really.

    Chuck Roast (47faf0)

  9. Just to be safe, I’d recommend making an appointment at the nearest Apple store’s Genius Bar and having them help you through it. You’ll get it done quickly and safely and if it doesn’t work you have someone to strangle right there in front of you.

    Attila (93a821)

  10. heheheheheh…. you bought a Mac… heheheheheh

    good luck Bro!

    Beavis (fb8750)

  11. Without in any way criticizing your decision, is it okay to observe that Mac people just suck?

    Not that there is anything wrong with that . . .

    Estragon (ec6a4b)

  12. AND should we just assume this is an endorsement of Obama’s reelection?

    Estragon (ec6a4b)

  13. Estragon,

    really was all that necessary?

    EricPWJohnson (f872e9)

  14. Patrick, do yourself a favor and just make an appointment at the Genius Bar. These guys have forgotten more about migrating to Mac than most of us will ever learn.

    Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t have them do this when you purchased the Mac. When the old lady and I bought our MacBook Pros a couple of years ago, we brought along our old laptops and had them move everything over before we ever left the store.

    Same for the old lady’s iPad, which they happily set up for her that morning.

    Eric in Chicago (fd42ae)

  15. The reason it will wipe the ipad is because the record companies don’t want people copying media easily, bottom line. It sucks, but that’s reality.

    Your best course of action is to make an appt at the genius bar, or call Applecare (1-800-my-apple). Both are great and will take the time to help you get this resolved. Having said that, I believe this is how you do it.

    First, login with your apple id on your new laptop. Go to the store in itunes, and on the right side is an option to sign in. Next, what you need to do is connect the iPad to the new computer, and when it offers to sync, cancel. The iPad will appear in the sidebar of itunes now. Right click on it (or command click) and select backup. This will backup everything from the ipad to the new computer.

    Once that is done, eject the ipad and reconnect it. When it warns you again, choose the sync option (safe, since you already backed up). Remember, everything you have is still backed up on the old computer, so worst case, you still have it. You can also choose File –> Transfer purchases to copy over apps and music purchased from iTunes. Anything you have purchased can also be redownloaded.

    Once you are synced to the new laptop, remember to deauthorize the old computer (assuming you are not going to use it anymore, or are selling it).

    kalel666 (86f98a)

  16. Doing some more searching there is also this:

    BEFORE DOING ALL THIS, GET A GOOD SYNC WITH THE OLD COMPUTER JUST INCASE YOU NEED TO RESTORE THE IPHONE IF SOMETHING GOES ASTRAY!!!

    The persistent ID in the iTunes library is the ID that’s stored on the iPhone for the first time. Once that no longer matches (i.e. a new or different iTunes library), you’ll be prompted to wipe out your iPhone in favor of the new library.

    I simply moved my entire iTunes library from one machine to another. Just drag the entire Music folder to a flash or USB hard drive, take it to a new machine, and drag it back in.

    Launch iTunes with the Option key held down and choose the Library you want to open.

    Sync as usual. Enjoy.

    kalel666 (86f98a)

  17. Eric in Chicago is absolutely right–those people are extremely helpful. And, if you’re close to a mac store, you can get a year of one-to-one help with the computer once a week for about $100. Well worth it. Mom

    Barbara Frey (c61f87)

  18. You can also manually manage your music (by checking the “manually manage music and videos” box on the summary page ) and never actually “sync” it. Then you can drag music to you iOS device without it wiping what’s already on it. It only works one way, however. You can go from the Mac to the iPad, but not from the iPad back to the Mac (because it’s synced with another library).

    I do this with my wife’s 80G Classic that she has synced with her laptop. She wants to get music off our main library on our home MacBook Pro without losing all the stuff she already has on her iPod. Works great.

    Jonathan Sabin (2085fa)

  19. I’ve had a mac laptop for almost six years now. Its slow, its a brick, its got no memory, but the damn thing still runs like a champ.

    Now ask me why I’ve got a Zune instead of an Ipod…

    I’m sure you’ll get it in one.

    Speaking on that matter, I’ve also got an Iphone, but I haven’t sync’d it since i bought it. I replaced my original Iphone and lost all my free Apps even though they had been sync’d to the Mac because of stupid roadblocks (like… my new bank card number… for free apps that I’d already downloaded…) that just weren’t worth the effort to overcome.

    Spike (4573c4)

  20. Now that I think about it, the easiest way to migrate iTunes libraries between computers now is likely to (before de-authing the “old” one) is to use home sharing and just drag and drop across network from old to new copy of iTunes.

    I use home sharing to keep my main copy on my Mac pro in sync with my mbp. My mbp is what I usually interact with (and where I sync my iPhone and iPad from) and my Mac pro is my big library storage for syncing to appletvs and such (and I’ve got over 3TB in that iTunes library now, mostly video with tons of my own rios and a bunch if tv subs).

    Miguelito (f443a7)

  21. Spike,

    Sorry, don’t get it. Why did you get a Zune?

    Patterico (c218bd)

  22. If you need a genius bar to operate it…

    Just kidding. I know ipods and mac books are nice. Personally, I would try to strip the DRM from the content, simply to avoid these hassles. Sure, use itunes and amazon to buy content, but as soon as you have it, ‘archive’ it in a DRM free format (such as an iso of an audio cd), and manage your audio playback devices with simpler software (I use foobar2000).

    I realize this isn’t compliant with the bleg. I’m sure the new mac is sweet.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  23. Patterico, Spike got a Zune because it is Windows base which means there isn’t any “syncing” involved at all, all you do is “drag and drop” music onto the player.

    You can even copy music backwards (from player to PC), something that iTunes doesn’t natively support (although Expod works great for me).

    Windows won’t delete music files from the Zune unless you specifically perform the action (unlike iTunes during syncing).

    Photos/videos can also be “dragged/dropped” onto Zune, without syncing…

    In short, Windows is a lot easier to use with Music/Video portable players…ergo Window based players are a lot easier to use than Mac based. Ergo Spike bought a Zune…

    GoDaddy (6ed79d)

  24. A couple of important steps:

    1 Connect iPad. Open iTunes if it doesn’t open automatically. Under “File,” (top left in nav bar) scroll down and “Transfer Purchases”, from the iPad to iTunes.

    2. In the left column, find your ipad, click on that, and adjust the settings per needs/tastes/uses. For example, click on “podcasts” at the top, then scroll through that window and choose which ones you will want on the ipad. Do same for music, books, etc.

    3. Good tip: If you have a lot of music, on the FIRST window, under General, click the “convert to 128” checkbox. Saves a lot of room.

    May be forgetting some things. But this way, I think you’ll see how you’re able

    Joel MaHarry (d2d442)

  25. woops,

    …to use iTunes to filter and control all the content that flows from your computer to the iPad.

    People complain about having to tether iOS devices to a computer, but the good thing is that it insures you’re always backed up, so if your device gets swiped, wiped or (as my iPhone once was) run over by a bus, you’ve got your data safe and secure.

    Joel MaHarry (d2d442)

  26. The Zune, according to Bloomberg, is a dead platform. Microsoft has stopped development, and probably let it, and its 3% market share, wither away and die.

    Joel MaHarry (d2d442)


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