I have a set of music files I want to transfer to an iPad and have them available for listening.
It’s my mom’s iPad, and though I have plenty of experience with Macs I don’t think I’ve ever turned it on myself. She’s tech savvy, but this is beyond her.
I have a set of USB cables, but from what I understand Apple modified their port to use a proprietary Apple cable. Is that correct?
Both computers are on the same network. Is there a way I can turn on sharing either on the iPad or PC and browse?
I can upload the files to a web server and make the directory browsable. If I do so, will the iPad see the directory and easily download the files?
Is there an easier way of transferring the files?
If I manage to get copying, where/what to copy? Where do I copy the files to? What directory will be easiest for iTunes to work with?
Lastly, what format should I copy? Right now I have the files in .flac, .wav and .MP3. Can I put any of them on there or do I need to use a specific format? Do I need to recode?
If it makes a difference, I have WinAmp and RealAlternative on my machine. I will not install iTunes on it.
Why are you opposed to using iTunes as a music manager? Doesn’t cost anything. Then you can use Home Share to wirelessly transfer music files to her Ipad.
Also, your Mom’s iPad doesn’t come with a charging cable? One end of the cable should be a male USB.
ETA: the Itunes program on the iPad can read mp3’s. I’m not sure about the other formats.
The ability to transfer files to the iPad comes free if you do it Apple’s way. If you want to do it differently you should expect it to a)work not as well; b)be less convenient; c)cost more; d)some combination of the above.
If she just wants to listen to the music, given the constraints, I think Dropbox is probably the easiest solution. Upload the music to dropbox, sign in to dropbox, I think you can access the files (once they sync) offline. You won’t, I don’t think, be able to access them through the iPad’s music player.
Also, you’re setting your mother up to hate her iPad.
Got the charging cable, found the USB end, plugged it in to the laptop, opened to view files, and can see computer\Apple iPad\Internal Storage\DCIM.
That’s where I usually look for pictures or video on other devices; I’ve never transferred sound files to an Appl device. Now that I’m almost there, can I just dump MP3s in a \music folder in the \DCIM?
Following up on the aside, iTunes isn’t good for me, and I’ve read too many stories about trouble uninstalling it to just do it for a quick on-off. I use Rhapsody (service and player), which for our purposes is astronomically better than iTunes or its store.
You can’t just drag and drop music files into one of the folders you’re looking at. Itunes is terrible, and it’s pretty much your only option. Just suck it up and install it, then bitch about it on the internet like everyone else.
That… looks really dodgy.
Anyway, to recap, don’t treat the iPad like a computer, because you will make your mom hate her iPad, and there’s really no reason for it. Just install iTunes, put the music in the library, and sync it. iTunes also keeps backups of the iPad in the event you need to do a wipe/reimage, which is really really really good.
Stay calm, iTunes isn’t going to snip your nerdy gonads off, you don’t have to be all hipster and pretend you know what a USB cable is but don’t know that the iThings use a proprietary connector. Just do it, click the button, and be on your merry way.
I loathe iTunes with every fiber in my body, however I love iDevices. Solution: a vitual machine running xp+iTunes.
I can put stuff on my iStuff in the idiotic manner Steve wanted, and never be bothered by apple update, quicktime update, itunes helper or other hellspawn bundeled with iTunes.
The trouble with iTunes, and anything that makes decisions for you, (like automatic transmissions in cars) is when they work, they’re great, when you want to do something they don’t it’s a pain.
Itunes is basically your music manager. No easy way out.
You can’t just “put music onto an iWhatever”, because it also has to go in the database on the device.
If you plug it into a different computer/iTunes (or wipe and reinstall it) then your iPad will offer to erase all the music so you can sync to the new iTunes.
This is what Jobs had to do to suck up to the music companies to get the right to sell their digital music originally. An iPod/Pad is just an appendage to one iTunes, you can’t add or give music from several sources (i.e., from/to your friends). Originally it was all copy-protected and “only on the Apple Mac” so the record companies signed without realizing the eventually gave away the store.
As others mentioned, you can add other apps that play music instead - but you can’t use the basic, included i-Player without going the whole router.
I hate th system because (a) it re-arranged my neatly sorted music files, (b) I don’t want 100% of everything using up all the space on my i-Device.
Simplest -create playlists or folders in iTunes of what you want on the iPad, then manually sync (one option) just that stuff onto the iPad. Move stuff in and out in iTunes, resync.
Jobs was no different than Gates, he just looked cooler. Both WIndows trying to tie you into IE and Apple trying to tie you into iTunes and App store, are simply trying to use their infratructure control to monopolize the market.
Another voice for OplayerHD lite. Easy to use and you can upload any mp3 file from the net or through home wi-fi network without iTunes. Another alternative is sending files via e-mail. Hold attachment icon and then chose open with Oplayer.
Apple purposely gives you NO access to the filesystem of their iDevices. The DCIM folder you found is just for photos. Not sure why they made an exception in that case.
Unless you “jailbreak” your iPad, you pretty much have to do it Apple’s way, or find some software like others have mentioned that will do the same thing as iTunes. It used to be that even the third-party software required you to activate the device on iTunes first, is it still that way?
Android is much much nicer in this respect, you can access the file system freely and/or use the device like a big flash drive if you choose to.
Because unlike music, you can create new photos on the iWhatever and then need to upload them. "Sorry, we wipe your photos because your home PC crashed "- not a good idea. Whereas your music - it came from that home computer, you can always put it back on the iPad, and if your PC crashed, well, PC backups will take care of that - the iPad is not a backup device.
I even have the iPad camera accessory, for uploading cameras or cards onto the iPad before you get home to your computer. In that case, it is a backup device.
The virtual machine suggestion is a brilliant way out** thanks**. Relatively easy, too—I run a Linux guest on my desktop, so am familiar with VirtualBox. I’d rather have a dormant XP box doing nothing more than taking up extra (unneeded) hard drive space than iTunes running on my machine.
I’ve thought about installing an OSX guest, but there are a few hoops to jump through and it hasn’t been worth it time-wise. I figure it’ll eventually get smoothed out and I’ll be able to build hackintoshes for the office rather than pay the Apple tax, but that’s another thread (so is bemusement at the fanboy insistence that I should just install iTunes WEEEEeeee!).
Hey, you’re the one bitching about how you can’t do a simple task. If you don’t want to use something the way it was designed to be used, don’t then complain when it’s not as easy as you’d like.
…speaking of fanboys.
Bitching? Care to take off the Apple Underoos, reread the OP and see where you find “bitching”? Heck, what about my other posts in the thread? Care to point out what you find as “bitching”? Or is any reluctance to use your favourite product “bitching”?