Recycled Computing

File Sharing Between Your Mac and Your iPad

- 2011.03.25

Popularity:

Short link: http://bit.ly/eaTsNG

The traditional way of moving files to the iPad is to use the syncing function of iTunes. Music, videos, apps, notes, and bookmarks can all be moved from your Mac OS X desktop or laptop to the iPad.

But what if you just want to move one file? You probably don't want to fire up your "mothership" computer to load just one file.

I loaded up FileApp, an application in the App Store, and followed the directions to download Cyberduck onto my PowerBook G4 and then, using Bonjour, I was able to take a file from my PowerBook and put it on my iPad. Wow! And fun!

What FileApp does is turn the iPad into a FTP server and then, using Bonjour on your Mac OS X computer, you can throw files at the FileApp application on your iPad. You can also use a USB cable to between computer and iDevice as well. (You first have to install DiskAid on your computer.) This is reassuring, as it will give me the ability to move files without have to use iTunes and sync the iPad to my computer.

One of the things that I want to do with the iPad is link it with a camera and use it to view my images and possibly tweak them a little before emailing them. The iPad Camera Connection Kit used my digital point-and-shoot camera well enough, but I am worried about an old Canon that I have with no USB cable. It uses Compact Flash cards, and because of Evil Apple, my card reader at work doesn't work with it.

Evil Apple

What is Evil Apple? It is the Practical Joke Department at Apple, and from time to time it does something truly crazy and/or stupid.

At one point in time, iOS provided 100 mA (milliamps) to the USB adapter. But then Evil Apple released the iOS 4.2 update and dialed the output down to 20 mA.* Bad Evil Apple! I have heard that a powered USB hub is a workaround, but so far my hub at school is not helping. I will see if there is some other workaround, but Evil Apple may have won this round.

Let's talk about something that won't raise my blood pressure.

Where the iPad Excels

The iPad is the device to use for mobile video viewing. It just blows my iPod touch out of the water! If I am sitting around and want to view a movie or TV show from my iTunes library, it is the way to go.

It's the same with cruising the Web or reading a book. It is just the right size to sit in your lap and amuse you. The iPad is perfect for lying in bed and viewing visual media - it also does a reasonable job of streaming old episodes of Big Bang Theory from the CBS website.

The iPad is not perfect, but it is the device that I will throw into my field bag when I go on vacation. I can read, write, listen to music, and watch a video. And it's in a compact form!

* The USB 2.0 specification requires that a port provide a minimum of 100 mA.

Join us on Facebook!, follow us on Twitter, use our Google+ page, or read our RSS news feed

Recent Recycled Computing Columns

Mountain Lion Obsoletes the MacBook I Just Bought, 2012.02.24. John Hatchett just got his first Intel Mac, a preowned MacBook, in December, and now it looks like it won't be able to run OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.
Improving Tablets: Why Not a Slider Keyboard?, 2012.02.20. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the iPad and other tablets is lack of a buil-in physical keyboard. Many phones have slider keyboards....
Which Apple TV Is Right for You?, 2012.02.15. If you own an older TV set, the original Apple TV may be a better choice than Apple's current unit.
More in the Recycled Computing index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Unitron Mac512, introduced 1985. Unauthorized Brazilian clone of the Mac 512K.
May 24 in LEM history: 99: Mac sales up, iMac sales down? - 01: Speeding up digital photography - 02: The Internet, research, and plagiarism - 04: NewerTech TiBook battery - Optical mice from Contour - 06: Power Mac today or Intel tomorrow? - 07: G5: Apple's last fling with PowerPC - G3: From 233 MHz to 1.1 GHz
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Macpokeronline.com will show you how to download and play Poker on a Mac natively on your Mac in just minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay