Chapter 7
Macs and Mobile Devices
Mobile technology has improved to such an extent that we no longer talk about phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). They’ve become pocket computers. Mobile devices do so much more for us now that some speculate they may end up replacing our desktop and laptop computers entirely. Apple played no small part in this quiet revolution with the release of the iPhone and iPad. Regardless, no matter which mobile device you use, there is a way to use it with your Mac.
iOS Devices
Not surprisingly, Apple makes the mobile devices easiest to use with Apple computers: The iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch all run Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. Although most synchronization between iOS devices and your Mac takes place through iTunes, there are limited wireless syncing options as well.
iTunes Sync
Originally designed to manage music libraries, iTunes has now expanded far beyond its original intention. Figure 7-1 shows the iTunes synchronization interface for an iPhone. The options work the same for the iPod Touch and iPad.
You can select a specific iOS device to manage in iTunes’ left sidebar. Only iOS devices currently plugged into your Mac appear in the Devices list. Clicking on the iPhone (named Trane in Figure 7-1) brings up the device in iTunes’ ...
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