So this is why I should not download iOS app from iTune

I was trying to use my iTunes to add some music to my iPod Touch in the office using my X60T (but still use the same iTunes library folder I used at home with Mac Mini), and I got a warning message saying that I need to AUTHORIZE my X60T, or 46 apps (which are the ones I installed to my iPod Touch using iTunes, including Instacast) will be removed from my iPod Touch.  I was like, that's just bullshit.

Fortunately, I can hit [Cancel] to bail out of it, and that DOES NOT affect me adding more music to my iPod Touch.  But this idea of managing app using iTunes is just super stupid to say the least.  I hope Apple can get rid of that shit soon.

But then I later figured out a way to get rid of the problem once and for all, and it's actually pretty simple:

• Back up your iOS device to iCloud.  After done, double check to make sure it's there.
• Connect your iOS device to that shitty problematic iTunes.  It will prompt that Authorize-or-apps-will-be-removed message.  Click Unauthorized and let it deletes all those apps that installed from desktop iTunes from your device (you DID back up to iCloud before, right?).
• RESET the iOS device ([Setting]-[General]-[Reset]-[Erase All Content and Settings]
• Once the device back up again, you will have a chance to restore from iCloud backup.  Do that, and pick the backup you just did a while ago.
• Now since all apps are REDOWNLOADED directly on the device, they are no longer tided to any particular iTunes library.  From now on you are free from the chain of desktop shitty iTunes application.

So that's how I solved my iPod Touch music sync problem

So even though I said I don't care about the music sync feature on my new iPod Touch generation 5, deep inside I still find it annoying that some of the feature of my newly brought device doesn't work.  So I went ahead and wiped everything form my device, and tried to see if music sync works.  It did.

So my theory is that the reason why the system seemed to mess up is because I was restoring the system from my iPad 2, and while I got the Puzzle and Dragon setting the same as my iPad 2, I might probably got something internally messed up.  By starting clean, everything works as expected.  The downside, though, is that I have to start Puzzle and Dragon game all over again.

I also found that the podcast app, Instacast, was not available for download anymore.  And then new one, Instacast 3, will cost me 4.99 .  I was like ... errr  ... not yet.  Luckily, I have the iTunes backup on my machine, and I found the old instacast.ipa.  Installed it and it worked out.  Good for now.

Mystery: no music shows up on Music app on my new iPod Touch

I've been using iOS devices for many years, plus I write iOS software, so even though I won't claim myself as an expert, I know enough about this whole iOS, iTunes and iCloud ecosystem so that I can focus on what is good and keep using it, while at the same time avoid the terrible aspects.

Among these, syncing music to iOS devices from iTunes is probably probably the worst, which is ironic since iPod is supposed to be the defecto music playback device.  The reality, though, is that because of those stupid DRM scheme here and there, putting music on an iOS device is always a multistep task, involving managing multiple iTunes libraries and all the crap along the way.

At the end, I am glad that there are ways to just leave music on the Cloud, and access them on demand.

Case in point: right now the "music" area of my iPod Touch generation 5 is like a untouchable  area.  No matter how hard to try using iTunes to sync, WiFi sync, open another library to sync, blah blah blah, no music can be sync to my iPod Touch.  I know it's not the cable problem because I can use it to deploy an iOS native app that I am writing.  I can also transfer photos and other crazy stuff.

So I am stuck in a sense that I can't use the music feature.  To a certain extend I should not care, because I already have my way to listen to music on the cloud.  Still it's annoying.

Back to Mountatin Lion.

Amazing how long it had been since I last use my Mountain Lion OSX.  It was a YEAR AGO.  What brings me back?  A need (from work) of using OSX to develop a bit on iPhone/iPad.