Syncing for the novice user

Question

I'm going to 'fess up here. I have never used iTunes. Our children do, but so far we have managed our music with our CD collection. But all that will change now we've got an iPad and can have our music on the move like the rest of the western world. I have a wifi network, but I've connected my iMac to the router with an ethernet cable for speed.
I've just been looking at my iPad user guide to find out about my next step into this new-fangled world where my iMac and iPad can share all they have. There's a new word 'syncing' and it appears that I can sync via iCloud or iTunes, so now I'm completely confused, and a bit nervous because it says that I shouldn't sync my contacts, calendars, bookmarks and notes with iCloud if I've synced them with iTunes. Why are there two ways of syncing? Is one better than the other? Or are they better at different things? How do I choose? What if I get it wrong? Help! I don't understand!

Answer 1

Syncing with iTunes will transfer content from the iTunes library on your computer to your iDevice - your iPad, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch....
I recommend using iTunes in order to get started with learning how to do this and leave the iCloud stuff for later on when you have a better understanding of how the process works. That is just my opinion - others will feel differently than I do.
All of these kb articles will give you a basic understanding of what is involved. You should prbably start with these before you sync with the Mac.
iOS: Syncing with iTunes
Apple - Support - iPad - Syncing
iOS: How to transfer or sync content to your computer
You can connect the iPad to the Mac with the supplied cable in order to sync and use iTunes that way. You do not need to sync over WiFi if you don't want to do so. Again, I would recommend holding off on WiFi syncing as well.
If you have never synced with your computer yet and you have content already on the iPad that you downloaded, you will get a message that iTunes will erase your iPad and replace it with the contents of your iTunes library when you try to sync the first time. You need to make the iTunes library on the Mac your own syncing library before you can sync with iTunes.
Syncing contacts and calendars with iCloud is over the air WiFi syncing and it will keep all of your other iDevices in sync if you choose to do that. You add an event on the iPad calendar and it will show up on your iPhone. That is just one example of what iCloud syncing does. The same thing will happen when you add a contact on an iDevice or edit that contact.
Why don't you start by reading those articles, then come back with more specific questions ... a couple at a time....rather than a whole laundry list of "how do I ..." types of things.