Don't duplicate your MacBook Air and iOS iTunes library

I think I’ve mentioned this in the past, but I love my new MacBook Air! I have the 11.6” version which includes 2Gb of RAM and a 64Gb SSD. It is FAST, FAST and FAST! I purchased the MacBook Air as a supplement to my 15” MacBook Pro and my 27” iMac.

Initially I thought the 64Gb SSD would be a bit cramped; however, I was able to install everything I need while on the road. I won’t be doing any Final Cut video editing or heavy 3D modeling on the road, but for basics tasks, not a problem. What I didn’t have room for was my iTunes library. That was a shame as I like to fire up songs from my iTunes library while I work or while relaxing in a hotel room.

My iTunes library is around 20Gb. 20Gb of music would take one third of my MacBook Air’s SSD storage.  I have around 17Gb left. I want to keep 10Gbs for wiggle room. That leaves me around 7Gb for music and video. I could download a subset of my iTunes library, but then I’m guaranteed not to have a particular song or video when I want it.

Then it came to me. I have a 32Gb iPhone 4. I sync this with my iMac and it contains my entire iTunes library. It travels everywhere my MacBook Air goes. So I wondered if there was a way to play this content on my MacBook Air. There should be no reason to duplicate this library. Right? Right. You can learn how to play the iTunes library content from an iOS device on a Mac by clicking the link below.

Some of you may be wondering why I just don’t play music using the iPhone speaker or plug in headphones. First of all, have you heard music from the iPhone speaker (singular). It’s tinny with no stereo separation or frequency range. Good in a pinch, but not a very pleasurable long term listening experience. Second, I really don’t like headphones. I don’t want to immerse myself in the music. I just want some background sound. While the MacBook Air speakers aren’t the greatest, they are 100 times better than the the iPhone speaker. Third, I don’t like sticking buds in my ears for an extended period. Lastly, some folks my want to listen to their iTunes library at work on their office computer that has some really nice speakers connected. This process will allow them a way to do so without copying music onto their office computer.





So without further commentary (ramblings), let’s learn how to play play the iTunes library on our iPhone (or other iOS device) through the speakers on a MacBook Air (or any other Mac).


Preparation:

• Sync your iPhone with the computer that contains the complete iTunes library - in my case this is my iMac
• Disconnect the iPhone from the primary Mac

Connection to Secondary Mac:

• Connect the iPhone to the secondary Mac, in my case the MacBook Air, using a USB Connection Cable
• If configured, iTunes will automatically start when the iPhone is connected - if iTunes does not start automatically, fire up iTunes manually
• iTunes will display the dialog box shown below

• Select the Cancel option to ensure that you do not erase the contents of your iPhone and link it to the secondary Mac (ATTENTION: Ensure that you DO NOT select the Erase and Sync option!!! I’m serious! I don’t want comments below saying my post erased the contents of their iPhone!)

Configure iTunes:

• Click the iPhone in the DEVICES area on the left-hand pane as shown in the image below
• Ensure that the Summary area is displayed - it is the default
• Scroll down to the Options area of the Summary display
• Deselect all options - this will ensure the iPhone does not bind itself to this copy of iTunes
• Select the Apply button - not displayed in the image below, but should appear above the Sync button

Playing Music on the Secondary Mac:

• Click the expansion arrow next to the iOS device located in the left-hand DEVICES pane as shown in the image above - The iTunes library items, including any playlists, will be displayed as shown in the image above
• Click the playlist or iTunes item - the media within that area will be displayed
• Use the iTunes controls to play or view the media as if the iTunes library were native to that Mac

That's all there is to it. I was actually surprised it was this simple. The side benefit is that at the same time you are listening to music or viewing your video, you are topping off your battery. Before I get to the logical next question, “can I copy my content from my iOS device to my Mac using this method?” The answer is no. You will need a third party app for that application.

I can verify that this process works as I was listening to my iPhone 4 iTunes library through my MacBook Air throughout the creation of this Tech Note. I suspect this will work on a Windows PC that has an iTunes install. If you can verify, drop a comment below and add to this Tech Note. Gotta run, have music to listen to.