Q: Software update on iPad from IOS 5

Thank you -  that has worked with my iPod (that hadn't been sync'd for a couple of years) but hasn't happened with the iPad.

The iPad is recognised when I plug it into iTunes, and it goes through the motion of syncing, but the iTunes on the iPad remains on the home page and doesn't show the podcasts, playlists, music or audiobooks that I have in iTunes on the PC.

I have a MacBook that is running an old IOS and I know that when there's a gap of two or three updates, I am unable to 'leapfrog' to the most recent software update.  Is the same true for iPad?

I have restored the pad to factory settings but it contunes to tell me that the ios 5.1.1 is the installed version and the most recent update, that no more are available.

Is there a way to get around this?  And can the hardware handle the most recent update?  It's unfortunate if it's now outdated as I like the utility of it, but I can't even push my email to it because that app requires a more recent ios.

Help!!

Thank you Stedman1 - that makes sense now.  Although it's incredibly frustrating to find it's now obsolete in so many ways.