Syncing an iPhone with a Mac.

[MacArt]

I currently have an iPhone syncing to a PC and so is syncing all data with it (such as contacts, calenders, e-mail settings etc.). After having recently bought a MacBook, I was wondering how I would go about starting the iPhone to sync with the MacBook without loosing any of the data.

Something to note is that at the moment, I have no music stored on the iPhone and so I am not concerned with having to manually download any music from the iPhone to the MacBook. My concern is purely the transfer of personal data.

I have heard and read that I need to sync this data across after connecting the iPhone to the MB - but I worry that as soon as I plug it in, the iPhone is going to be wiped of all this data. Is this what normally happens? Do I need to change some preferrences in iTunes to stop this?

I know there is a thread similar to this one in the forum but it concerned the transfer of music; which as stated I am not concerned about.

Thanks very much,
-MacArt

[Rip]

At the bottom of the info tab in iTunes there are advanced sync options. As long as none of these are checked it will copy your contacts into address book, if you choose sync contacts.

I would also export from Outlook on the PC as a CSV file. You can then import into Mac address book in the unlikely event that it all goes wrong.

At first connection it will see your iPhone as a new device.

If you want to overcome this you can, as I did, copy the iTunes application data folders from your PC to mac and then everything will be just as it was on the PC.

Make sure iTunes backs up the iPhone on the PC first, before copying folders though.

[MacArt]

Sorry but where are these options in iTunes as I cannot find them?

Why export from Outlook on the PC? I do not use Outlook in conjunction with the iPhone - seperate e-mail address. (I just do not want the one set up on the iPhone to be wiped off).

[Rip]

When you plug your iPhone in it displays a page with a bunch of tabs. That's where the options are.

Export from Outlook so you've got a back-up of contacts.

If you have no back-up then go down the copying iTunes App data folders from PC to mac.

It's straightforward but beyond the scope of a brief reply to explain.

I'm sure you could figure it out if you understand file systems.

[MacArt]

Ah I see where these options are now - but do I need to select these options on the info pane on the PC or the Mac? If it is the Mac - won't it automatically start to sync before I can changed these options?

[Rip]

Not if you turn of automatic syncing when you first connect it. It displays that option first.

Even if it did I'm pretty sure it would still copy the contacts over.

Back-up in iTunes on PC first then connect to Mac. If it all goes wrong you can do a restore from back-up on the PC to get everything back (that's right click on the iPhone icon and choose restore - not restore button in the main window!).

[MacArt]

Ok - it is backing up right now. Does that back up everything on the iPhone (i.e. pictures, contacts, notes, applications (+ contents of them such as to-do lists)...)?

[Rip]

Well, you're gonna find out pretty soon!

Whenever I've used it it has backed up everything. Apps as well.

[MacArt]

Ah that is great. Apart from it looking like it will take a week for it to finish backing up; it seems to be doing the trick! Thanks.

[styfle]

This is what I did when I got my macbook. I copied over my entire iTunes folder on my external drive and put it on my macbook (my original comp was on winxp). I then opened iTunes for the first time and I think it asked me to import or something but I just skipped it. When it opened it looked exactly like my desktop version of iTunes with all my songs and apps. There were some songs missing because they weren't in my iTunes folder but if you keep yours organized they should all be there. I then plugged my phone in and it was exactly like syncing to the desktop because all the settings were there. I didnt loose anything.