target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#litres_trial_promo">Chapter 3 is all about syncing (transferring media from your computer to your iPad), but for now, just know that some video content may need to be converted to an iPad-compatible format, with the proper resolution, frame rate, bit rate, and file format to play on your iPad. If you try to sync an incompatible video file, iTunes alerts you that an issue exists.
The iPad as an Internet communications device
But wait – there’s more! Not only is the iPad a stellar iPod, but it’s also a full-featured Internet communications device with – we’re about to drop some industry jargon on you – an email client that’s compatible with most POP and IMAP mail services, with support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. (For more on this topic, see Chapter 5.) Also onboard is a world-class web browser (Safari) that makes web surfing fun and easy on the eyes, unlike what’s on many mobile devices. Chapter 4 explains how to surf the web using Safari.
Another cool Internet feature is Maps, a killer mapping app that’s improved in iOS 10. By using GPS (3G or 4G models) or triangulation (Wi-Fi–only models), the iPad can determine your location, let you view maps and satellite imagery, and obtain driving directions and traffic information regardless of where you happen to be. (See Chapter 6 for the scoop on Maps.) You can also find businesses (such as gas stations, pizza restaurants, hospitals, and Apple Stores) with just a few taps. And in iOS 10, you can even use Maps to get directions for public transportation in a handful of US cities (and China), with more cities in both countries coming soon.
We dare say that the Internet experience on an iPad is far superior to the Internet experience on any other handheld device.
The iPad as an e-book reader
Download the free iBooks app if you don’t already have it, or any of the excellent (and free) third-party e-book readers such as the Kindle and Nook apps, and you’ll discover a whole new way of finding and reading books. The iBooks Store and News app (covered in Chapter 10) are chock-full of good reading at prices that are lower than what you’d pay for a printed copy. Better still, when you read an e-book, you’re helping the environment and saving trees. Furthermore, some (if not many) titles include audio, video, or graphical content not available in the printed editions. Plus, a great number of good books are free. And best of all, you can carry your entire library in one hand. If you’ve never read a book on your iPad, give it a try. We think you’ll like (or love) it.
The iPad as a multimedia powerhouse
The spectacular screen found on second-generation iPads is superb for personal video viewing, and the Retina display on the third-generation and all later iPads makes the experience even more extraordinary. Add an adapter cable or Apple TV, and your iPad turns into a superb device for watching video on an HDTV (or even a non-HD TV), with support for output resolutions up to 1080p.
And iPads include a pair of cameras and the FaceTime video-chatting app, taking the iPad’s multimedia acumen to new heights. Chapter 8 gets you started with FaceTime.
The iPad as a platform for third-party apps
At the time of this writing, more than 1.6 million apps were available in the App Store, with over 100 billion downloads to date in categories such as games, business, education, entertainment, healthcare and fitness, music, photography, productivity, travel, and sports. The cool thing is that most of them, even ones designed for the iPhone or iPod touch, also run flawlessly on the iPad.
Of those million+ apps, well over half are designed specifically for the iPad’s larger screen, with more arriving daily.
Chapter 11 helps you fill your iPad with all the cool apps your heart desires. We share our favorite free and for-pay apps in Chapters 18 and 19, respectively.
What do you need to use an iPad?
To use your iPad, only a few simple things are required. Here’s a list of everything you need:
✓ An iPad
✓ An Apple ID (assuming that you want to acquire content such as apps, videos, music, iBooks, and podcasts, which you almost certainly do)
✓ Internet access – broadband wireless Internet access is recommended
Several years ago, we said you needed a computer with iTunes to sync your iPad. That’s no longer true; you can activate, set up, update, back up, and restore an iPad wirelessly without a computer.
Although you don’t technically need a computer, it’s nice to have a symbiotic relationship between your iPad and your Mac or PC, because many common tasks are faster and easier using a computer with iTunes than they are on your iPad. If you decide to introduce your iPad to your computer (and we think you should), you need one of the following for syncing (which we discuss at length in Chapter 3):
✓ A Mac with a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port, Mac OS X version 10.8.5 or later, and iTunes 12.5 or later
✓ A PC with a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port, Windows 7 or later, and iTunes 12.5 or later
iTunes is a free download, available at www.itunes.com/download.
Touring the iPad Exterior
The iPad is a harmonious combination of hardware and software. In the following sections, we take a brief look at the hardware – what’s on the outside.
On the top
On the top of your iPad, you find the headphone jack, microphone, and the sleep/wake button, as shown in Figure 1-1:
✓ Sleep/wake button: This button is used to put your iPad’s screen to sleep or to wake it up. It’s also how you turn your iPad on or off. To put it to sleep or wake it up, just press the button. To turn it on or off, press and hold down the button for a few seconds.
