Transferring Everything from a WiFi iPad to a WiFi 3G iPad

Question

Transferring Everything from a WiFi iPad to a WiFi 3G iPad

My department purchased a WiFi iPad weeks ago, and I have been using it every day. I have apps, books, etc. on it. NOW we purchased a 3G iPad and I want to transfer everything from the old one into the new one - and give the old one to one of my direct reports for his use (without my stuff on it).

How do I do that?

iPad WiFi & 3G, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on May 12, 2010 7:36 AM

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Answer 1

May 12, 2010 7:42 AM in response to MikeScheuermann

Easy,

In settings reset your iPad to factory settings and sync the new one. Everything that was on the old one will sync to the new one. Think of your iPad contents as a snapshot of the things you have selected in your computer's iTunes.

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Answer 2

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 12, 2010 7:46 AM in response to Newfie Bill

"In settings reset your iPad to factory settings and sync the new one."
Please don't listen to this.
DO NOT reset your iPad to factory settings and then sync the new one.

First, plug the old iPad and choose to back it up. If you're unsure a backup was made, right click (windoze) or control click (Mac) and choose backup.
Then, plug in the new iPad and choose to restore from backup.

Then AND ONLY THEN, reset to factory settings.

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Answer 3

May 12, 2010 7:57 AM in response to kramey74

iPad backs up "every single time" you sync. I outlined the process in the most simplest terms. Seeing that a back up is done on sync, for my information, can you explain why the forced back up is required? In addition, for my information, why restore from back up? Wouldn't a full sync of the newly plugged in iPad do the same thing? Once again, I explained the process in the most simplest procedure.

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Answer 4

May 12, 2010 8:03 AM in response to Newfie Bill

When connecting a new iPhone to iTunes on a computer that was used for syncing another iPhone, you are prompted to transfer the backup for the other iPhone to the new iPhone. This must be followed by a sync with iTunes. I assume the same should apply with connecting a new iPad to iTunes on a computer being used for syncing an existing iPad, but maybe not.

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Answer 5

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 12, 2010 8:12 AM in response to Newfie Bill

1. The user never states his current iPad is synced to his computer.
2. If the user was way way tech savvy, he would not be posting this question.
No offenese to the original poster, it's just the truth.
3. Until recently I was an upper level Apple support rep. If I had a dollar every time someone told me "I always plug up my iPhone blah blah and now there's no backups" I would be RICH. Granted, this is not the iPhone, but same issue.
4. If the user had synced his iPad, user indicates he's at work. Does he always have access to that same computer? Does he have access (at work) to install iTunes and backup his personal information? Most people don't.
5. Restore from backup is the "snapshot" you were speaking of. If you want an exact copy, the backup is the exact copy. A new sync is just that, a new sync and information such as contacts and calendars aren't necessarily included, especially for the novice user.

Need I go on?

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Answer 6

kramey74

Level 1

105 points

May 12, 2010 8:16 AM in response to Newfie Bill

Furthermore:

6. You say to reset the iPad to factory settings and then sync the new one.
Wouldn't you want to have the new one set up and good to go before you delete every piece of information on the old iPad?

I know I would.

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Answer 7

May 12, 2010 8:41 AM in response to MikeScheuermann

Well said, it makes perfect sense to do it as you have stated. Nothing left to chance in your directions. I guess we learn something everyday, after all.

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Answer 8

Feb 15, 2013 1:30 PM in response to MikeScheuermann

Old thread, I know, but I have the same problem. Taking a backup does *not* include everything.

Even this support article states that you have to sync music and stuff after the backup was taken:

"7. When the restore process is complete, your device will restart. Then it will be ready for use. You should keep your device connected to iTunes to sync data not contained in the backup (such as music, videos, apps, and so on). You can verify and change which data are synced by clicking the syncing tabs in iTunes."

Taken from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2109

So - HOW do I move EVERYTHING from the old iPad to the new one?

In this case it's my wife's iPad. She don't have a computer, just the iPad. I can take a backup with my Mac, but I certainly don't want to start syncing her music, apps and stuff. Especially since I don't have all her music in my iTunes library.

(In a logical and simple world I'd just backup her old iPad and restore the new one with the backup. Why isn't it working this way?)

Both iPads are on iOS 6 and my Mac is 10.8.2 with iTunes 11.

😕

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Answer 9

Skydiver119

Level 9

53,399 points

Feb 15, 2013 1:40 PM in response to Andreas Carlsson

If I am remembering right from when I had to restore mine....All my content is locally kept. I rip my own CD's so I had no music to download. Which may be different from others. But when I got a replacement iPad, I hooked it up to the computer. Opened iTunes, signed in with the same Apple ID (for me, only apple ID, but in your case you may have different ones), followed the set up steps and chose 'restore from a backup of.....' and it put the apps etc onto my iPad.

I want to remember that I then synced and the rest of the content - as was laid out on my first one - went onto the iPad. All I had to set up again was the wifi and of course had to re sign into various web pages since if you don't encrypt the backup, passwords don't get backed up. My new one was a clone of the first one.

YOu restore from backup for the settings, etc, then you sync for the content. ANd I want to remember that I didn't need to go in and rechoose that content (has been over a year though)

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Answer 10

Feb 16, 2013 6:45 AM in response to Skydiver119

Understood Skydiver. But - she doesn't have a computer that she syncs to. Hence, there will be no syncing. And I don't want to download all her apps again - In the same order and folders she had them on the old iPad.

I guess she won't get a new iPad - it takes too much time to restore it the way the old one was. 😟

I still don't understand why "Take a backup" doesn't backup evrything. In my world a backup is a backup of *everything* on the device. With the option to restore *everything* from the backup.

Apple have failed on this one. Imagine a large company with hundreds of iPads and hundreds of apps per iPad.

Now, they want to give everyone a new iPad. Good luck with that...

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