Can I get around having to use iTunes for my iPad?

In that case, sell the iPad and buy something that does do what you want.

Blunt and to the point (in the same way that you were in your response to lifeluvr, so don't complain).

Plenty of people do like iTunes and happily use it with their iPad. So why are you different?

1. Are you trying to use iTunes/iPad in the same way as Windows, or another tablet device? If so, stop. Instead, learn how to use iTunes. It really isn't that difficult.
2. Is it simply that you have a grudge?
3. You haven't been reading Steve Jobs' biography, have you?
4. Did you fail to carry out any research into the way the iPad works with iTunes before you bought it?
5. You're right - jailbreaking is not an option. Note that discussions about jailbreaking are in violation of Apple's Terms of Use (to which you agreed) and will void the warranty on your iPad. If you attempt to discuss jb, don't be surprised if your post gets deleted.
6. If all else fails, you may have to admit that the iPad simply isn't for you. In that event, go for the option I suggested at the beginning of my post. There are plenty of alternatives on the market and I'm sure you will have no trouble selling the iPad.

By the way, I have an iPod Classic and an iPod Touch, and I find iTunes a not-far-off-perfect way of managing both devices. I'm almost at the point where I'll buy an iPad, and a major selling point of the iPad for me is iTunes.

1. That's precisely why the iPad is the way it is. Perhaps you should read Steve Jobs' biography, then you might understand why it's a positive thing that the iPad isn't like other products.
2. Defintion of fanboy: An extreme fan or follower of a particular medium or concept... Hhhmm! And there was I, worried for a minute that you had a grudge against me. Seems I was wrong! Right about the grudge though!
3. So now that you do, learn how to use it instead of whining about it.
4. And what's the hidden part of this? Are you being made to have this by your employer?
5. The most positive thing about this entire thread.
6. "iTunes isn't for you" I think we knew that from the beginning. "No problem with the iPad so far beyond the strange requirement of being locked in to using a ****-poor piece of software." And you think you're the first person to say that here? You didn't even have a user name such as "ihateeverythingappleverdo123". It's not even strange, it's thinking different - the very thing you mentioned yourself and yet the very thing you don't want iTunes to be!

Why make all these assumptions? Who me? That's rich coming from someone who assumes that iTunes cannot meet their own requirements or assumes that they cannot adapt to it's "thinking different" concept.

You can moan about iTunes as much as you like, but since this is the place (provided by Apple, I might add) for you to get advice on how to get the best out of Apple products from other users (your fellow users), don't you think it might produce better results if you didn't start of with "In short, I really dislike the software. It does nothing I want it to do and everything I don't want it to do."

Not really a good start, was it?

I've just seen one of your other missives and it appears that I was correct, you've been given this iPad by your employer to use at work.

At a guess, your employer will probably take a very dim view of you avoiding the use of iTunes. Especially if ever (when) the iPad has a hissy fit and requires a Restore, or you're off sick and said employer needs access to your iPad's content.

What do you want to do with the iPad?

iTunes on your PC would let you backup the device to the PC and add media content to it.

Most of the things you do with an iPad have no need to involve iTunes. You can backup the device to iCloud, restore it over Wi-Fi, purchase and download apps & media directly to the device. You can browse the web, read email, access a dropbox, read documentation, run your business related apps etc. without ever firing up iTunes.

You don't need to have iTunes installed on your computer to make use of an iPad, but if you want to put non-iTunes store purchased media onto the device, then iTunes is the tool for the job. If it is to be used as a businees tool, and all the apps you need are on it, then there is nothing to fret about. Install iTunes if and when a pressing need arises, or pass it back to the IT dept. to sort out.

tt2

I don't like itunes 11.1.0.126 because it seems you can't delete old podcasts permanently unless you subscribe to iMatch in the cloud. I don't need the cloud services and I have other backups so why should I have to pay to just delete what are typically free podcasts??? Anyway, it is a big time waster since they don't tell you that upfront but make you search through all this mess to find out that is why you can't delete -- it's a "feature".

I've used iTunes for years but it seems Apple isn't pretty anymore. Time for something else.

Not being able to delete/hide old podcasts from the feed is nothing to do with iTunes Match. I suspect that the next build or two will help tidy things up again, in the meantime the My Podcasts view should only show the downloaded episodes.

tt2

The informationabout deleting permanently in both cloud and itunes came from the apple help manual about their cloud.

"To delete an item from iCloud in iTunes

1. From a computer with iTunes Match enabled, open iTunes 10.5.1 or later on your computer. You can download the latest version of iTunes here.
2. Click Music on the left side of iTunes.
3. Select the item you would like to delete. Right-click the item and then choose Delete.
4. You will be asked to confirm this action.
5. If the item you want to delete exists in iTunes on your computer as well as in iCloud, click the checkbox to also delete the item from iCloud."

• Deleting from iCloud can only be done from a computer that is enabled for iTunes Match. When you delete an item from iCloud, the item cannot be recovered.
• When deleting an item from iCloud, the deleted item will also be deleted from any iPod, iPhone, or iPad enabled for iTunes Match which syncs with your iTunes library.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4915

They don't mention podcasts specifically.

Check the wikipedia article on podcatchers. They list the ones that will work on various devices. I was looking there this AM for alternatives when podcasts kept downloading in iTunes. I noticed a couple that listed ipads. I don't know how well they work - I don't have an ipad. Miro has a nice interface but it can be unstable sometimes - it is donation ware. It can import informatioon from iTunes without kludging up the device with duplicate files.

Make good backups. 🙂

I agree, the interface is diabolical. I could list why it's so horrid but no point. I am indeed about to take the very patronizing advice above and sell the iPad but the key question is, can the device be freed from this strangulating interface? Simple things like using the device as a usb so that files can be dragged and dropped in without all the mad 'synch' stuff to single folders on a few computers, easy deleting from the device, no 'libraies' of icloud-ready songs etc.

I suspect the first bit means "If you have iTunes Match, upgrade to iTunes 10.5.1 or later to do the following..." There is also the problem of overlapping uses of the terms iCloud and iTunes in the Cloud.

(Most) purchases from iTunes are available to redownload on demand from any authorised computer or device. This facility is refered to as iTunes in the Cloud. You can hide past purchases that you no longer want to see by deleting from iTunes and then confirming that you want to hide from iTunes in the Cloud when prompted. You do not need to be an iTunes Match subscriber to use this feature,

iTunes Match subscribers get their library scanned and matched or uploaded, and then have the ability to download any content in their account on demand from any authorised computer or device. iTunes Match has a similar tool to remove matched items from the iCloud account when deleting things from the library. I'm not a subscriber so I haven't tested personally, but the implication is that once removed the items cannot be recovered, whereas past purchases hidden from iTunes in the Cloud can always be restored by visiting the account history pages.

Neither feature has any impact on the current display of old podcast episodes. Note these are only links. You don't have to download them.

tt2

Apple products in general are very locked down and controlled- not entirely safe but one has difficulty getting beyond what the designers want you to be able to do - especially on a tablet or phone where there is little space for competition. Hence the term jail-breaking comes into play. Steve Gibson of Security Now at TWIT.TV said he could hardly wait to get his hands on one of the new iphones to see how long it would take him to get around the fingerprint "security" feature. But he is an expert.

Freedom comes with some risks of wading into deep water, but is available in Surface Pro. And for the courageous who want control in their own hands with Open Source there are Android tablets, phones. And there are other systems - mostly sold in the UK and China - where one can do whatever one has in mind to do if one is clever enough.. It makes me feel very old but the last products mentioned are often used by the school kids in places like China and the UK. . they become really good programmers. 😉

Microsoft products are typically designed for business use where people want some level of control, want efficiency to do what they want to do, and are willing to learn a little bit more to be able to do that. Typically speed, flexibility, and compatibility are more important than games, songs or movies. One wants to download customized information from the internet - articles, journals, newspapers and one wants access to the company data, memos, manuals and a way to post email, photos, some compact videos to a few key people (not the world).

IT people at companies wish to keep things locked down and easier/cheaper to manage so it is always a bit of a struggle to do your own thing. That you are annoyed with the waste of space and lack of control tells me you are either an exec, or will soon be one if you find workarounds. Chances are others are having the same difficulties in your company. Develop a realtionship with the IT people -- if they know you have a need for something they will sometimes help you to get it. So make a little specific list of what you don't like and what gets in your way, and see what they can do for you.

Some really good reviews of available products of most brands, what they will and won't do, can be found through the programs at TWIT.TV. Tech News Today is a good place to jump in... one can get the programs via streaming or podcasts so one has a choice if a TV connection is not convenient or available. http://twit.tv/

My personal pet peeve with the newer products is the "gallery view" where everything is tiles and carousels. Ugh. Dizzying at best. I like a list tucked into a small space, I don't mind using a stylus and I really loved my Axim 5 PDA with the touch screen (now obsolete but dang, it still works if "they" would just upgrade the software to new protocols - LOL). Even Netflix has done away with their wonderful sortable lists and moved over to tiling... Ugh. When I want a movie I want to be able to mine for it fast based on my own criteria, not to have to wade through many screens full of images with little or no info.

.

That is how it used to work with the cloud. However, the podcasts in the last week keep dowloading from the cloud even if one deletes them on one's PC or phone or other device. And podcasts suddenly list all past episodes - even ones one has discarded -- which means a lot of valuable screen real estate is wasted and annoying. I really, really do not want to see ALL the myriads of NJHK news broadcasts available to me from Japan and unable to do anything about it withot abandoning my playlists and succumbing to the mindless "My Podcasts" interface. The only way currently to fix the cloud information is to use iMatch. It may very well be a strategy to get us to subscribe. If not, then somebody made a huge programming error with itunes 11.1.0.126 and took the rest of the week off so he or she is not around to fix it.