iPad question..

[Maryanne]

Someone gave my husband an iPad. He's not all that tech savvy, and doesn't have an iTunes account, nor would want to bother getting one/learning how to use it, etc. He depends on me to "set things up for him."

I always get confused by iTunes and am wondering if it would let you share an account b/w two iPads. But also, I don't think I want to share the account. I wouldn't want his mail on my iPad and vice versa...

I tried logging out of iTunes. I thought I would make an iTunes account just for him. But all my music and iPhone apps still show up on the screen.

Can anyone shed any light? iPad still in box; haven't done anything with it yet.

[BuffaloGal]

I don't have an iPad (unfortunately) but we have different computers that all access one iTunes account. I don't think you'd be mixing your e-mails etc. Just access the iTunes account from your husband's iPad and log on with your account. As I said, I haven't done this with iPads, but it works from various laptops.

[Anthony]

The email account can be separate (stand alone). Either using the built in mail client or accessing mail through the web (like Gmail). I The thing I don't like is that the iPad is "attached" to one computer (unless I have this wrong). Meaning, that it will sync with one iTunes account or another (on a different computer) but not both. But - you can manually manage most things also so that there isn't really much syncing going on anyway.

Overall to me the way both the phone and iPad have to "sync" however, and that you don't/can't see them as items on the desktop and drag and drop things on them etc. is a real bust from Apple. I hope at some point they get past this -

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

Yes, two iPads can share one iTunes account. The following from the iPad discussion forum might be helpful:

"Other people here have two iPad on one computer with one iTunes account. What you need to do is to turn off automatic syncing in iTunes and do it manually via check marking what you want to sync to what iPad. You are right that the two iPads have to have different names. To change the name of an iPad connect it to iTunes and click on the iPad's name in iTunes and change the name like you would change a file name. You really do not want to have two different iTunes account since it complicates sharing apps and other items between the two iPads."

The key is to select the option to manually manage what gets synced so that you can control the content that gets synced to a particular iPad. As the comment also mentioned, you will want to give his iPad a name that is different from the name for your iPad.

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

This is a great resource:

http://discussions.apple.com/category.j ... goryID=267

[Maryanne]

Thanks so much for this information... however, I'm tearing my hair out a little bit...

When I first plugged the ipad into itunes, I set it up as a "new ipad" and named it Nick's ipad.

But it weirdly, even though I was signed into my iTunes account.... greyed out all of my music and apps when I tried to sync to it.

Did I do something wrong??

I just restored it back to factory settings. But my only options are "set up as new ipad" or "restore" from "Maryanne's iphone."

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

try setting it up as a new ipad. On the "summary" page (the main page that opens when you plug the iPad in), go to "options" and click only the first two boxes...so that itunes will open when the iPad is plugged in and so that you can manually manage content. Then hit apply.

After that, you should be able to control what gets synced to his iPad by placing a check mark next to the item.

[Maryanne]

Thanks, Pete.... I managed to do the music. I guess I was mistaken that iPhone apps transfer to iPad? You have to install them separately?

I guess I was confused because it offered the option of backing up the iPad from my iPhone...

[Maryanne]

Never mind.. I got it...

It's amazing. I've become a real Apple convert but my brain still thinks like a PC and so much of this stuff is not intuitive to me.

Thanks !!