How to transfer iphone content to new Macbook

Question

I've just replaced my PC laptop with a Macbook and I'd like to know how to transfer my iphone content to the Macbook. I've read various help pages and posts and I'm totally confused about the conflicting information.
I understand that the iphone is designed to be used with only one computer, but getting it to the new computer is the challenge. I have thousands of songs, hundreds of photos, 150+ contacts and 13 apps (some of which I rely on heavily). As well as notes which I was never able to synchronise previously, so they only exist on the iphone.
Most of the songs were loaded from my CD collection and it took weeks to rate and categorise them, which I would prefer to avoid doing again. I suppose I could export as data CDs but it's still a lot of disks and time. Most of the photos were taken by camera (not iphone) which again I could transfer via data CD.
If I've understood things correctly, the authorise/deauthorise option in iTunes refers to items purchased via itunes only? And the iphone backup only backs up settings, rather than content? Would an external hard drive help (I don't yet have one)?? I'd appreciate your thoughts for a simple-ish, not to time consuming solution.
Thanks in advance,
Alison

Answer 1

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from your phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because you replaced your computer, your phone, sees your computer as a "new" computer. The itunes content sync is one way: computer to phone. If you have photos that were synced to your phone or music ripped on your own that were not backed up, you will first have to extract them from your phone using third party software, before you do anything else:
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php
Once you've done that, do the following in the order specified:
1. Disable auto sync when an iPod/iPhone is connected under Preferences>Devices in itunes(under the edit menu if using Windows).
2. Make sure you have one contact & one event in the supported applications(Address Book & iCal) on your computer. These entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect your phone, iTunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on your phone will be in your itunes library).
6. Right click in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore your itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding your contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.
You should be good to go.