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Infinite Loop / The Apple Ecosystem

Ditching the USB hub may help reduce iPhone sync times

Some iPhone users are finding that bypassing the USB hub and plugging directly …

If you're an iPhone owner who has upgraded to the new(ish) 2.0 firmware since it was released in July, there's a good chance you belong to the "insanely long backup" coalition when you plug your iPhone into the computer. And if you're not, you've at least heard about it. It seems that the new firmware, coupled with a new version of iTunes and the App Store, have made for a perfect storm of lengthy iPhone backups when you decide to sync, making syncing a little more of a pain in the ass than usual.

Although there are a few tips and tricks to reduce this problem, the ultimate trick would be to make it go away altogether. One iPhone user appears to have found that magic trick, but it doesn't work for everyone. Scott Paterson wrote on his blog yesterday that, after researching the issue for some time, he came across the suggestion that his USB hub could be at fault. Indeed, Paterson was plugging his iPhone into a Belkin USB hub, but when he plugged it directly into the computer, the sync completed in "about 5 minutes." (Presumably, syncs through the USB hub took quite a bit longer.) 

As for me, I already plug directly into the computer and have never had very long sync times in the first place. However, Daring Fireball's John Gruber says that he tried plugging into the computer instead of a hub, and it worked for him in reducing sync times. On the other hand, when we had our own David Chartier test it out, plugging his iPhone directly into the computer didn't do anything for him. Your mileage may vary, but it's at least worth a shot. 

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