a bare minimum, to make standard cellular phone calls, you need to have a service plan with a cellular carrier (such as AT&T or Verizon), as well as a data plan that supports iPhone. The data plan allows you to exchange information over the Internet (such as emails and text messages) and download content (such as movies and music). Try to verify the strength of coverage in your area, as well as how much data your plan provides each month, before you sign up.
You also need to be able to update the iPhone operating system (iOS) and share media (such as music) among Apple devices. Though these functions can be utilized without a phone carrier service plan, you have to plug your phone into your computer to update the operating system or you may also update wirelessly over a network. You need to use a local Wi-Fi network to go online and make calls using an Internet service, such as FaceTime or Skype.
You should open a free iCloud account, Apple’s online storage and syncing service, to store and share content online among your Apple devices. For example, you can set up iCloud in such a way that photos you take on your iPhone will appear on your iPad. You can also use a computer to download photos, music, or applications from non-Apple online sources (such as stores or sharing sites like your local library) and transfer them to your iPhone through a process called syncing.
Apple has set up its software and the iCloud service to give you two ways to manage content for your iPhone — including apps, music, or photos you’ve downloaded — and specify how to sync your calendar and contact information.
There are a lot of tech terms to absorb here (iCloud, syncing, and so on). Don’t worry. Chapters 3 and 4 covers those settings in more detail.
Where to Buy Your iPhone
You can’t buy an iPhone from just any retail store. You can buy an iPhone at the brick-and-mortar or online Apple Store and from mobile phone providers, such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You can also find an iPhone at major retailers, such as Best Buy and Walmart, through which you have to buy a service contract for the phone carrier of your choice. You can also find iPhones at several online retailers (such as Amazon.com and Newegg.com) and through smaller, local service providers, which you can find by visiting https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204039.
What’s in the Box
When you fork over your hard-earned money for your iPhone, you’ll be left holding one box about the size of a deck of tarot cards.
Here’s what you’ll find when you take off the shrink wrap and open the box:
iPhone: Your iPhone is covered in a thick, plastic-sleeve thingy. Take it off and toss it back in the box. Save all the packaging until you're certain you won't return the phone. Apple's standard return period is 14 days.
Documentation (and I use the term loosely): This typically includes a small pamphlet, a sheet of Apple logo stickers, and a few more bits of information.
Lightning to USB-C Cable: Use this cable to connect the iPhone to your computer (if your computer has a USB-C port), or use it with a USB-C power adapter (not included).
That’s all there is in the box. It’s kind of a study in Zen-like simplicity. Where's the charging plug? Apple now feels that just about everyone has several chargers laying around their home, so they think it's wasteful (not to mention a little cheaper) to include one in the box with every new iPhone. If you need a charger, Apple will certainly sell you one, and there are many third-party options available as well.
Take a First Look at the Gadget
In this section, I give you a bit more information about the buttons and other physical features of the newest iPhone models. Figure 1-3 shows you where each of these items is located on the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Here’s the rundown on what the various hardware features for iPhone models without Home buttons are and what they do:
Side button: You can use this button to power up your iPhone, put it in Sleep mode, wake it up, lock it, force a restart, power it down, and much more.
Lightning connector: Plug in the Lightning connector at one end of the Lightning to USB-C cable that came with your iPhone to charge your battery, listen to audio with EarPods (not included), or sync your iPhone with your computer (which you find out more about in Chapter 4).
Ring/Silent switch: Slide this little switch to mute or unmute the sound on your iPhone.
Built-in stereo speakers: The speakers in iPhones provide rich stereo sound and deeper bass than previous models, and are located on the bottom edge of the phone and at the top part near the earpiece.
Volume Up/Down buttons: Tap the Volume Up button for more volume and the Volume Down button for less. (You can use the Volume Up button as a camera shutter button when the camera is activated.)
Built-in microphones: Built-in microphones make it possible to speak into your iPhone to deliver commands or content. This feature allows you to make phone calls, use video calling services (such as Skype or Zoom), and work with other apps that accept audio input, such as the Siri built-in assistant.
https://support.apple.com/iphone to discover the hardware features specific to your device.
Chapter 2
Exploring
