So now, because of the IOS upgrade to IOS 17, I can no longer connect my ipad or iphone with itunes. Very frustrating. My mac is Mac Pro Early 2008 which can not be updated to High Sierra and I have no intention of replacing my computer. It has years of work and play on it. I invested in Apple because it is so reliable and steadfast. So, what now?
[Edited by Moderator]
iPad, iPadOS 17
Unfortunately you are stuck. Apple only supports back so far. Also unfortunately, you cannot downgrade iOS to a version still supported by your device. I sympathize with you because I too use old equipment. It's a lot of work but you really have to stay on top of hardware capabilities and version compatibility to make sure you don't get stuck like you are. I do a lot of research before I upgrade iOS versions and Apple mobile hardware.
You can investigate if you can instead backup to iCloud, and maybe use Apple Music or Match (if it is still around) to sync with your device via iCloud.You can try other iCloud services (such as Photos) to act as an intermediary for syncing. Even if your computer iTunes won't work directly with those services, some are available with a web browser using the apps at iCloud.com , though this is all adding extra steps in trying to work with both systems.
when iTunes split, support for iDevices moved into Finder.
see if your iDevice will appear "like a drive" in Finder. (You open that device and the iDevice interface shows up in place of the list of files.)
Apple often smuggles advanced capabilities into versions of MacOS FAR in advance of when they will actually be pressed into service. In the case of Finder support for iDevices, every new MacOS version seems to require a tiny software update, that completes in under a minute.
Updated iOS and iPadOS 17 devices can no longer connect to iTunes
