If you purchase music from the iTunes Store, I think it can appear on your iOS device without involving a desktop/laptop. If you subscribe to iTunes Match, musi

If you purchase music from the iTunes Store, I think it can appear on your iOS device without involving a desktop/laptop. If you subscribe to iTunes Match, music added to iTunes on your desktop/laptop will be transferred to Apple's servers and can then be accessed from iOS devices. Non-music content like contacts and calendar can sync via iCloud, a number of non-Apple apps can only sync using iTunes. I just use iTunes over USB to sync, my wife syncs over WiFi but not very often.