Time Capsule questions

When I bought my MacBool Air (first Mac I have owned) I also bought a Time Capsule and maybe I misunderstood it's capabilities when the salesman explained it to me.

I understand how to backup my Mac, but I thought he also said it would back up any IOS device and I haven't been able to find out how to backup my iPhones.

Second, the MacBook Air I bought only has 128 meg of memory, I wanted one with a flash drive instead of a regular HDD but the salesman said not to worry about the small amount of onboard memory because the Time Capsule could be used as an external hard drive and not just for a backup machine.

Is that accurate? Can I use it as an external hard drive and run programs off it?

Third, can I store items like documents and photos on the Time Capsule without them being on my Mac itself? I have way more than 128 meg of photos I want to keep safe but I don't want them taking up space on my MacBook.

Can I use the Time Capsule for storage, external hard drive?

Thank you for any help you can offer.

AtGame7 said:

I understand how to backup my Mac, but I thought he also said it would back up any IOS device and I haven't been able to find out how to backup my iPhones.

Click to expand...

IOS devices are backed up when you synch them through iTunes. See this video

Second, the MacBook Air I bought only has 128 meg of memory, I wanted one with a flash drive instead of a regular HDD but the salesman said not to worry about the small amount of onboard memory because the Time Capsule could be used as an external hard drive and not just for a backup machine.

Is that accurate? Can I use it as an external hard drive and run programs off it?

Click to expand...

You probably have a 128 GB drive. You can use the hard drive in a Time Capsule as an external drive. Some programs will probably run fine from there though I've never done it. Some will not since they need to be in specific locations. You will find most users keeping large files on the Time Capsule and only keeping files they need with them on the internal Mac drive. See the video below for setup instructions.

Third, can I store items like documents and photos on the Time Capsule without them being on my Mac itself? I have way more than 128 meg of photos I want to keep safe but I don't want them taking up space on my MacBook.

Can I use the Time Capsule for storage, external hard drive?

Click to expand...

Yes you can use the Time Capsule as external drive storage. Here's one example of how it can be done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlJ3n4PEMyk

It is indeed a 128 GB drive, sorry for the brain lapse. Checking out those videos now and I appreciate the information.

The learning curve is certainly steep for someone my age, but I don't regret the decision to switch to a Mac from a Windows machine. I really like the MacBook so far and will be purchasing a desktop soon as those giant Thunderbolt monitors are just too nice not to have one.

AtGame7 said:

It is indeed a 128 GB drive, sorry for the brain lapse. Checking out those videos now and I appreciate the information.

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No problem with the brain freeze. I have those myself on a regular basis.

Just something to think about when it comes to the desktop. If the MMacBook does what you need well enough then an alternative would be to purchase an external monitor, Thunderbolt or otherwise, and attach it to the MacBook.