Transfer to ipad without sync.

glvr · 11-02-2012, 03:03 AM

Is there a sensible way to add music/movie/other files to an ipad without sync?

I find the whole process too confusing, and have lost stuff when trying to add stuff from a different mac to the one we normally use.

chabig · 11-02-2012, 07:50 AM

It's just my opinion, but no. Products seem to work best when they're used in the manner for which they're designed. I find that people who try to work around the system tend to have more problems with syncing, software updates, etc.

acme.mail.order · 11-02-2012, 09:00 AM

Assuming you mean "without syncing with iTunes on a Mac":

Music / Movies -> iTunes store or match service

Other files: iCloud for compatible apps, wifi drive apps for the rest (many available)

Any other method would require a jailbreak and considerable command-line finesse - there's a lot more to it than just putting files in a directory. See Chabig's note above.

glvr · 11-02-2012, 09:25 AM

Thanks to you both.

I'd expected it to be similar to any other Mac or laptop - network into it and drag/drop etcetera.

Clearly it's not, and hence the frustration. Oh well.

acme.mail.order · 11-02-2012, 07:37 PM

No, it's designed to be simpler than that. Assuming you buy all your content from iTunes it's a matter of signing in and waiting for the transfer to finish. Otherwise you click the 'sync' button and wait. You're just trying too hard.

chabig · 11-02-2012, 07:56 PM

You don't even have to buy your content from iTunes. All you do is drag your media into iTunes and let the software manage it, nor matter its origin.

glvr · 11-03-2012, 02:33 AM

No I don't buy much of my stuff ftom iTunes - although i'm sure that's part of the reasoning behind some of the way it works.

And, a point which others seem to be making too elsewhere, managing through iTunes isn't ideal.

Thanks anyway.

warragul · 11-09-2012, 12:02 AM

A CD of ebooks has arrived. I tried putting them into iTunes but only a few would work that way, and they are all epubs.
So I wondered if I could move them to the iPad via EZShare and use the "Open With..." to read them.
My iPad was still on 5.x. This seems to be significant.
I used the upload capability of the webserver in EZShare to upload the files to the iPad and then selected one. One of the menu choices was "Open With..." which presented a choice of iBooks or "Open In...".
Opening in iBooks resulted in the book being available in the iBooks bookshelf. I suspect I can now delete them from EZShare.
Other file types should work the same way but I haven't tried yet.
But... since I upgraded to 6.x the dialog box for Open in iBooks doesn't appear; instead a blur moves up the screen and the EZShare app locks up.
So far the only response from the EZShare dev is an automated email.

acme.mail.order · 11-09-2012, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warragul


	A CD of ebooks has arrived. I tried putting them into iTunes but only a few would work that way, and they are all epubs.

In what format are the other books? If they are things like Kindle proprietary then you're stuck. If they are .txt or .rtf they can be converted with software like Calibre.

NaOH · 11-09-2012, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acme.mail.order


	If they are .txt or .rtf they can be converted with software like Calibre.

And Pages.

mnewman · 11-09-2012, 05:29 AM

There's an app called It's Playing which lets you transfer, over your LAN, media files that are on a Mac. You can also stream without transferring.

When I'm going to travel I use this app to transfer videos to my iPad that I'll watch while on the road.

I also use GoodReader to transfer files. It connects to DropBox, afp and SMB servers and more.

So, yes, there are several ways to transfer files to an iPad without syncing to iTunes.

mnewman · 11-09-2012, 05:43 AM

I just did an experiment:

Used GoodReader to connect, via SMB, to my Mac. Downloaded an .mkv file. Used "Open With..." to open it in It's Playing. Worked fine.

mclbruce · 11-09-2012, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acme.mail.order


	In what format are the other books? If they are things like Kindle proprietary then you're stuck. If they are .txt or .rtf they can be converted with software like Calibre.

I use calibre on my Mac, which is free, and find it helpful. Converting can be a pain though.

http://calibre-ebook.com/

I also use Stanza on the iPad, which is free:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stanza/id284956128?mt=8

Sometimes it will read books that iBooks has trouble with.

sojourner · 11-10-2012, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glvr


	... And, a point which others seem to be making too elsewhere, managing through iTunes isn't ideal. ....

I agree with you on that. That's the major reason I don't have an iPad.

Gfdad · 11-11-2012, 03:19 AM

Try dropbox, Worked well for me.

https://www.dropbox.com

sliberty · 11-12-2012, 07:21 AM

I find DropBox to be a great way to move files onto my iPad. If it is an eBook for example, I can open the eBook from the DropBox directly in iBooks, and from that point on, even if I delete from DropBox, the book is available. Free space is limited, but manageable. And if you invite your friends, you can get more space

sliberty · 12-30-2012, 08:33 AM

+1 for DropBox

rikke · 03-12-2013, 07:48 AM

I am about to attempt to transfer my old ipad music contacts, notes and bookmarks to my new ipad mini and will be trying to do that with DropBox. I have had quality past experience with dropbox. let's see how this turns out.

I will try not to use itunes at all with my new ipad - i simply do not like the way it syncs data.

11-02-2012, 03:03 AM	#1
glvr Triple-A Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 138	Transfer to ipad without sync. Is there a sensible way to add music/movie/other files to an ipad without sync? I find the whole process too confusing, and have lost stuff when trying to add stuff from a different mac to the one we normally use.

11-09-2012, 12:02 AM	#8
warragul All Star Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 830	A CD of ebooks has arrived. I tried putting them into iTunes but only a few would work that way, and they are all epubs. So I wondered if I could move them to the iPad via EZShare and use the "Open With..." to read them. My iPad was still on 5.x. This seems to be significant. I used the upload capability of the webserver in EZShare to upload the files to the iPad and then selected one. One of the menu choices was "Open With..." which presented a choice of iBooks or "Open In...". Opening in iBooks resulted in the book being available in the iBooks bookshelf. I suspect I can now delete them from EZShare. Other file types should work the same way but I haven't tried yet. But... since I upgraded to 6.x the dialog box for Open in iBooks doesn't appear; instead a blur moves up the screen and the EZShare app locks up. So far the only response from the EZShare dev is an automated email. __________________ warragul - The Real World is a Special Case.

11-09-2012, 05:29 AM	#11
mnewman MVP Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Korat, Thailand Posts: 2,046	There's an app called It's Playing which lets you transfer, over your LAN, media files that are on a Mac. You can also stream without transferring. When I'm going to travel I use this app to transfer videos to my iPad that I'll watch while on the road. I also use GoodReader to transfer files. It connects to DropBox, afp and SMB servers and more. So, yes, there are several ways to transfer files to an iPad without syncing to iTunes. __________________ http://www.mgnewman.com/

11-09-2012, 05:43 AM	#12
mnewman MVP Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Korat, Thailand Posts: 2,046	I just did an experiment: Used GoodReader to connect, via SMB, to my Mac. Downloaded an .mkv file. Used "Open With..." to open it in It's Playing. Worked fine. __________________ http://www.mgnewman.com/

11-11-2012, 03:19 AM	#15
Gfdad Registered User Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 2	transfer to ipad Try dropbox, Worked well for me. https://www.dropbox.com

11-02-2012, 07:50 AM	#2
chabig Hall of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 2,934	It's just my opinion, but no. Products seem to work best when they're used in the manner for which they're designed. I find that people who try to work around the system tend to have more problems with syncing, software updates, etc.

11-02-2012, 09:00 AM	#3
acme.mail.order League Commissioner Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tokyo Posts: 6,050	Assuming you mean "without syncing with iTunes on a Mac": Music / Movies -> iTunes store or match service Other files: iCloud for compatible apps, wifi drive apps for the rest (many available) Any other method would require a jailbreak and considerable command-line finesse - there's a lot more to it than just putting files in a directory. See Chabig's note above.

11-02-2012, 09:25 AM	#4
glvr Triple-A Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 138	Thanks to you both. I'd expected it to be similar to any other Mac or laptop - network into it and drag/drop etcetera. Clearly it's not, and hence the frustration. Oh well.

11-02-2012, 07:37 PM	#5
acme.mail.order League Commissioner Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tokyo Posts: 6,050	No, it's designed to be simpler than that. Assuming you buy all your content from iTunes it's a matter of signing in and waiting for the transfer to finish. Otherwise you click the 'sync' button and wait. You're just trying too hard.

11-02-2012, 07:56 PM	#6
chabig Hall of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 2,934	You don't even have to buy your content from iTunes. All you do is drag your media into iTunes and let the software manage it, nor matter its origin.

11-03-2012, 02:33 AM	#7
glvr Triple-A Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 138	No I don't buy much of my stuff ftom iTunes - although i'm sure that's part of the reasoning behind some of the way it works. And, a point which others seem to be making too elsewhere, managing through iTunes isn't ideal. Thanks anyway.

11-12-2012, 07:21 AM	#16
sliberty Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: East Brunswick, NJ Posts: 49	I find DropBox to be a great way to move files onto my iPad. If it is an eBook for example, I can open the eBook from the DropBox directly in iBooks, and from that point on, even if I delete from DropBox, the book is available. Free space is limited, but manageable. And if you invite your friends, you can get more space

12-30-2012, 08:33 AM	#17
sliberty Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: East Brunswick, NJ Posts: 49	+1 for DropBox

03-12-2013, 07:48 AM	#18
rikke Prospect Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 4	I am about to attempt to transfer my old ipad music contacts, notes and bookmarks to my new ipad mini and will be trying to do that with DropBox. I have had quality past experience with dropbox. let's see how this turns out. I will try not to use itunes at all with my new ipad - i simply do not like the way it syncs data.

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