iTunes: a huge albatross on Apple devices

Having both an Android phone and an iPad I get to experience both platforms' advantages and disadvantages.  I recently got a big reminder of a big disadvantage of Apple devices: iTunes.

I recently tried to buy an app in the app store that requires the gyroscope in my iPad 2.  The install failed because the app couldn't recognize the gyroscope.  A little googling revealed that this is an iOS bug and an iOS update would be required to fix it.  This is what had to happen to accomplish that:

1. Plug iPad into the laptop and start iTunes
2. Wait a few minutes for iTunes to recognize the iPad
3. Wait about 20 minutes while iTunes synchs the iPad 
4. Select update iPad software in iTunes.  iTunes then informs me that it must be udpated before it can do this software update on the iPad.
5. Update iTunes.  This includes a several megabyte download and about 20-30 minutes of updating.    Oh, and this update requires the laptop to be restarted so...
6. Restart laptop
7. Restart iTunes, again plug in iPad and wait for it be recognized
8. Select update iPad software in iTunes.  iTunes warns me this may take over an hour, and whatever you do don't interrupt the process.  Oops, check the laptop battery, better go get the cord and plug it in since the above steps have used so much of the charge that it may not last for the whole rest of the process.
9. Watch the 45 minute download of new iPad software to iTunes. I wrote most of this blog entry while waiting for this. 
10. As part of the installation of the update, iTunes first backs up the iPad, even though it just did it in step 3 above and absolutely  nothing has changed on the iPad since then. This is apparently  not a smart backup because it takes just as long as step 3 did. 
11. Finally, the update is applied to the iPad. 
12. After the update is installed, the iPad is restored to factory settings and reboots
13. iTunes restores the iPad from the backup created in step 10.  About 20 minutes here. (note that when Android updates, it leaves the user data in place and no back/restore is required)
14. Now on the iPad, I am prompted to manually restore my location services setting, my Apple ID (hope I haven't forgotten the password!), my birthday, agree to  terms and conditions (even though I already had to agree to them to download the update in the first place)
15. I'm counting this as a separate step than the above because it involves new features that the previous iOS didn't support so seems reasonable to ask me to set up or decline: iCloud, backup to iCloud, and "find my iPad" service.  Finally my iPad is ready to use again. Phew, the better part of a weekend morning is gone!  Oh, and my iPad desktop icons have all been moved, thanks Apple!

Oh and by the way you better have ensured the iPad had enough battery power left to complete this process, because the iPad doesn't charge when plugged into a PC. 

By contrast, this is how I update the Android software on my Evo:

1. On the phone, click "update" to the push notification that pops up when an update is available
2. The phone downloads the update in the background, when on wifi, to avoid using up the data plan. If I leave a wifi spot it pauses the download and resumes again when back on wifi.  While the download is underway, can do other things on the phone.
3. After the update downloads, respond positively to the prompt to install it
4. The update installs, phone reboots itself, finished.