Apple experts - need iPad advice - managing large amounts of media?
 

Hi,

I don't own any Apple computing devices - just an iPod

Thinking of getting an iPad mostly for music and photo management plus internet.

However, I have about 200+GB of pictures and music on an old Dell PC.

Whats the most cost effective approach to migrating to the apple world but with a focus on the iPad interface?

My wife will be a major user. She loves her iPhone and keeps telling me she wants to start organizing our photos and creating her own playlists. I think an iPad would promote her doing this.

I don't want to get a Mac Book as I want the tablet interface.

Is this the most cost effective approach?:

Get a Mac Mini to use as an apple compatible storage and "home base" after moving all of the media over from the Dell PC and then get a 32 or 64GB iPad to use as the interface?

Will the iPad give me wireless interface via WiFi to manage all of the media (200GB+ music & photos) held within the Mac Mini?

All the iPads have wifi built in. My wife loves her iPad, but not for photo management.

You may want to spend another 100 bucks and get a Apple TV. With air-sharing it is super easy to use the iPhone or iPad to display the photos on your TV. If you ever want to look at them togther it is a way better than passing around a tablet. You can access any photo on the PC system thru the wi-fi and the iPad or iPhone can display them on your TV.

I would also suggest you try Picassa on the PC. It is easy to use and does a great job of organizing the photos.

Many freebie cloud storage and examples are MS Live, Google products, etc. all compatible. Run out of space? Alias another account and repeat for unlimited storage.

Drifting a bit here but something else to consider. My nephew has been into the Walmart Vudu deal for cloud storage of movies, music. Streams everything. You can take all your DVD and Blu-ray disc to Walmart for them to convert at $2.00 each and its uploaded to your own personal locker forever. Works well for those with kids who easily get a hold of disc and damages them.

Walmart Takes To The Cloud With DVD Storage Service - 2012-06-04 04:01:00 | TWICE

I have been considering this

GoFlex Satellite Wireless | Seagate

I have one and it works fairly well.

The interface is a little clunky and it sometimes needs to be restarted, but it does work. You also need to watch your battery life.

When you use the hard drive, you connect to the wifi network that the drive creates. So you can't use internet wifi at the same time. In otherwords, you manage your media, and then you can surf on wifi. If you have wireless on your ipad, you can run both.

Good luck!

What specifically do you mean by 'manage' music and photos?

I use a PC full of big drives as a multi media server and control it with iPhones, iPad and Tivo boxes.

A fast Internet connection and SSD 'C' drive helps keep things moving quickly.

I access video, photos and audio on the i devices using an app called Steam to Me which communicates with a PC based server called Serve to Me. Works great via WIFI and cellular. No real need for idevices with large drives. Everything is streamed.

All you really need is the iPad. Just load itunes (free) on your old dell. Import all your music and photos into it. Turn on home sharing in the itunes software and you're set! No need to "migrate to apple" per se.

edit.. here's a link I found that explains it. The demo is using a Mac, but it works the same on a PC.
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20043585-285/how-to-use-home-sharing-on-your-ipad-iphone-or-ipod/

Thanks - Great advice Davidrivers!