Sync iphone with new macbook without erasing info - don´t have backup

robert4949 wrote:
Thank you for the reply. How can the movies, tv shows, etc. live on my computer when I downloaded them to my ipad from itunes on my ipad. No PC was ever involved.

I have the same problem as robert, this is not nice.... i Love apple products but, i BOUGHT a new computer and i can't sync without erasing cause my old one died? thats not right.

I too am having the same issue. My main hard drive died so I had to do a fresh install of Windows. I have things on my iPhone that I'd like to keep on my iPhone, but I have things on my computer that I'd like to add to my iPhone. Trying to get things from the phone to the computer isn't even an issue to me. However, I can't do so because iTunes wants to wipe the whole iPhone and start from scratch if I want to sync anything. I'd feel safer if I knew EXACTLY what it was going to erase, but that information doesn't appear to be forthcoming.

This functionality, or actually lack there of, is pretty silly.

It's the antithesis of Apple's move towards iCloud. I can now grab apps I have purchased from my account, but aren't currently installed on the iPod Touch, directly from the touch. However, I can't back up and sync my Touch with a fresh install of iTunes on my new laptop, after the old laptop died? Huh? Makes zero sense.

As long as they are both linked to the same iTunes account, what the heck is the problem?

I actually have a backup of my old iTunes library from the old laptop. I already have transered the backed up files to the new iTunes library, but the back up was over a month old and I've now had the new laptop for a couple months, so the old backup is three months + old.

I just want to get everything synced back up between the Touch and the new laptop, with out losing data from the Touch. Why make this so difficult? There is zero purpose for this.

What people don't realize (and it is part of your user agreement with iTunes and Apple) is that buying a digital piece of music is not different than buying it on a CD. Once you buy it, it's your responsibility to protect it. Your agreement with the iTunes store specifically requests you to BACKUP your purchases as this is the way that you protect your digital music, just like storing your CD in a protective case protects the CD. If you lose your CD, I'd like to see what the salesperson would say if you walked back into the record store asking for a replacement!

You have been cautioned to backup your music. Due to the agreement Apple has with the record labels, you can only download it ONCE without paying again. Apps, which Apple in a sense owns, can be downloaded multiple times.

Apple has struck a new agreement with the record labels now, at least in the US, that will allow you to redownload purchased music, but currently that's only in the US and only for iOS 4.3.3.

This frustrating flaw goes away with iOS 5.0

The PC/Mac will just be another device and all devices will be synced automatically. Rather than make us wait until the fall for this to be fixed by 5.0, Apple should just allow the iPhone/Touch/iPad to sync to a new iTunes install with out having to erase the device.

In my case, iTunes already allows cloud access to apps. Apps I purchased from my iPod Touch have already been downloaded to my iTunes install, so no lost apps. I haven't added music purchased from the Touch, so no problems there. What I do NOT want to lose is my data on the Touch, data for apps I use and the arrangement of icons on the homes screens. I also don't want to lose pics I have taken or captured on the the Touch since my iTunes backup from three months ago.

All this functionality will be automatic in 5.0, so obviously Apple agrees that these inconveniences are better eliminated. "It just works".

I just hope I'm not going to have to wait until fall and 5.0 to be able to sync my Touch to iTunes again!

This is moronic as was the fact that Lion wouldn't update my Leopard operating system I had to reformat the hard drive before I could install it from the disc a I had to burn because I couldn't buy the DVD. In the process I lost the iTunes library becuase it was saved god knows where... not with the rest of my iTunes music, books, applications, etc. and Library backups. However they all date back to 2009 so they are useless. Looks i'll be waiting until iOS 5 but that probably won't work either because it will need to be backed up before updating. There is no reason at all why I shouldn't be able to back up to a new library. All the music, applications, and other copyrighted material is already there I'm logged in with same account that is on the iPhone. Let me sync already.

Lion can only upgrade Snow Leopard. It can not legally be used to upgrade from Leopard without first purchasing and installing Snow leopard. So you're admitting you're a thief and complaining because you lost data because you didn't bother to back it up.

Get off your holy than now horse and pull your head out of its arse. No where did it say I didn't own Snow Leopard the license says you only need to buy it once and you can put it on all your machines. Its much quicker to zap the machine than update it twice. Its my own fault I didn't backup the library.xml from the default music folder in my rush to put on the new system. I am not looking for pity from you so keep your comments to yourself. It was nice way to vent, I put a lot of work into those playlists and ratings ( by the way apple I would love one more star five just isn't enough ). And while my troubles are minimal some of the people above are whole heartily screwed so unless you are going to offer solutions I don't need your snarky remarks.

P.S. Anyone worried about not having a backup for their iPhone - iOmega has made an app (and dock) for that. http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/smartphone/iphone-backup/?partner=4760