iPhone & iTunes

[Inkblot]

I've never had an iPhone and probably never will so I don't know if this is true or not - maybe somebody can enlighten me please....

I've recently started working in the IT department of a local college, looking after their IT requirements. One of the things I have to do is audit the college owned laptops and remove unwanted applictions - like iTunes. Yesterday I was told by a user who has a personal iPhone that he makes/takes occasional business calls on that he needed iTunes as his battery life is not long enough to last the day and he cannot charge his phone unless he has iTunes loaded  I replied that charging was usually a 'dumb' function - USB lead into laptop at one end and phone at the other and it should charge - my phone certainly does - but he is insistent that he cannot charge his phone (Which he needs to do) without iTunes - he also has both Safari and Quicktime on the laptop, neither of which are 'approved' by the powers-that-be.

Is he right or is he taking the p*ss out of my lack of iPhone knowledge? 

[Steve]

As far as I am aware he's wrong, my iphone will charge off a suitably powered  usb socket (500mA I think?).I charge mine at work and iTunes is not installed.

[Rik]

I don't know, Inky, but like you I feel charging is a dumb function. OTOH, he can't do the things he probably wants to do without iTunes.

[Glenn]

Why does he need his phone in the classroom?

[Steve]

I think the iphone is a bit picky about the amount of power it requires before it will charge.

[pctech]

I agree with Steve, he's trying to pull the wool over your eyes Ink.

Provided the USB socket is powered (laptop is on) it'll charge.

What is it with teachers and computers, they're worse than the kids!

[Rik]

Not just with computers. 

[Inkblot]

Thanks guys, that was my thought too - next time I'm at that site I'll be removing iTunes from his laptop - I have noticed that users regard desktop computers as belonging to the college but laptop computers as being their personal possesions, probably to do with the fact thgat they take them home I guess. Longer term I'll suggest policies to try and prevent this sort of thing from happening again!

[Steve]

Suggest he takes his phone home as well and plug it into the wall usb charger like the rest of the world does.

[Niall]

You even get a little plug to connect the USB cable to, in order to charge the phone. You do need itunes to update apps though as some only download when you're connected to the net, possibly due to file size. I imagine the same is true for the operating system updates.

[pctech]

Yes they do, the teachers at the school I used to work at were the same.

They would often come to me before the actual IT bod because they'd tried to install something that conflicted with the policy enforcement software.

I had no admin access so couldn't do anything so they'd up going to the network manager and getting in deep do do which is what they deserved really.

[Lance]

I don't have iTunes on my work laptop and it quite happily charges it, even though the security software blocks any and all access to the device.