| Home Catalog FAQ | Log In |
Bundle Discount!
Save 30% when you build your own bundle of three or more books, including Take Control of...
(30% discount overrides other coupons and is calculated on the first screen of our cart.)
Take Control of Your iPad
Optimize your iPad experience!
Whether you're new to the iPad or you're the person your friends and relatives turn to with iPad questions, this ebook is for you. You can load it on any iOS device (or computer) to use as a handy reference whenever you need fill a gap in your iPad know-how, or you can read it from front to back to become an iPad expert.
You'll benefit from the many hours that Tonya Engst has spent setting up and syncing her iPads as she teaches you to configure your iPad correctly, both through the new Setup Assistant and with key options that require extra effort. You'll also pick up important skills for gesturing, typing, and generally moving around. And, with all those basics under your belt, you'll find tips and techniques for getting more out of many of Apple's apps, plus real-world advice on buying and managing third-party apps.
This ebook covers the original iPad and iPad 2, with iOS 5.
Shopping on your iPad? Read Device Advice to get help with reading your ebook on your iPad.
- More Info
- Contents & Intro
- What’s New
- FAQ
- Blog
Tonya walks you through the entire iPad experience:
Shop: Decide which iPad will best meet your needs (and wants!) and which types of accessories you should considering purchasing.
Get started: Learn how to answer the questions asked by the iPad's Setup Assistant, and get help with important configuration options that the Setup Assistant doesn't cover, including security, Bluetooth, Picture Frame slideshows, and notifications. You'll also find detailed directions for managing a Wi-Fi or USB-based iTunes sync.
Sync data wirelessly: Find advice for integrating your iPad with iCloud, Google Contacts and Calendars, and Microsoft Exchange. (The ebook has solid iCloud coverage, but for all the details, read Take Control of iCloud.)
Handle the hardware: See where all the ports and buttons are on your iPad, plus find out how to turn it on and off, and how to reset and restore in case of a problem. Also, learn how to use the camera in the iPad 2 for photos and videos, or to participate in a FaceTime video call with another iOS user.
Get around: Learn the most important gestures, and find out how to type on the iPad's virtual keyboard, with advice on typing faster, as well as how to copy and paste.
Make the Home screen feel like home: Find friendly guidance on customizing the Home screen and Dock, making folders, and managing the multitasking bar.
Get organized: Learn how to send email and exchange text messages; run the Calendar and Contacts apps; and use Maps, Find My Friends, and Find My iPad.
Enjoy media: Discover how to find and read ebooks and magazines, enjoy music and movies, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, browse the Web, and generally become an iPad media maven.
Add apps: Read real-world advice on locating, purchasing, downloading, configuring, organizing, and sharing third-party apps.
But does it cover...? If the list above doesn't mention a topic that you're interested in, check the table of contents (accessed through the Contents & Intro tab above) to see if your topic is listed. Also, although this ebook focuses entirely on the iPad in iOS 5, if you have an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 5, a great deal of the information here will apply to your device as well.
Book Info
iPad & KindleAn EPUB is available to purchasers of this ebook; log in to your account to download it. More info... A Mobipocket file is available to purchasers of this ebook; log in to your account to download it. More info... |
About the Author
|
Book Reviews
Author Interviews
|
Tonya Engst co-founded the TidBITS online publication in 1990 with her husband Adam Engst. Tonya is Editor in Chief of the Take Control series, which is published by TidBITS Publishing Inc. She has edited over half of the Take Control titles.
Table of Contents
|
Read Me FirstRead this ebook to stay in control of your original iPad or iPad 2, whether you’ve only recently begun using an iPad or you’re a power user exploring everything that the iPad makes possible. You’ll find many real-world tips that will help you optimize your iPad experience and avoid problems. It was written by Tonya Engst, edited by Michael Cohen and Adam Engst, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc. |
Introduction
This ebook is for you if you’re on the cusp of buying an iPad, if you’ve just bought an iPad and aren’t sure what to do with it, or if you’ve had an iPad for a while but want to become more expert with its features and possibilities.
I don’t want to waste your time with loads of trivia or obscure facts, so I have done considerable legwork to present you with the most important information about using an iPad. I look at the hardware itself, talk about key accessories, explore core aspects of setting up and customizing an iPad, and look at several noteworthy iOS 5 apps from Apple. All the while, I point out helpful tips and habits that will help you work productively and entertain yourself more fully with your iPad.
I talk about all models of the original iPad and the iPad 2, running iOS 5, the version of the iPad operating system that Apple released in October 2011. Unlike with previous versions of iOS, with iOS 5, your iPad does not need to connect to a conventional computer for tasks like upgrading the operating system. Even so, you may wish to connect your iPad to a computer, and to that end, I discuss Macintosh and Windows PC connections in iTunes.
iPad Quick Start
This ebook first looks at how to buy an iPad and related accessories. After that, if you read from start to finish with a new iPad in hand, by the end of the ebook your iPad will be fully operational, your Home screen will be customized, you’ll know how to get around, and you’ll be using lots of apps. You’ll also know how to handle an iTune sync.
You can jump in and start reading anywhere—just tap a link below. If you want to learn about the iPad through the lens of what’s new in iOS 5, read What’s New in iOS 5.
Decide what to buy:
- Whether you’ve not yet bought an iPad or you’re thinking of buying one for someone else, see Which iPad Is Right for You?.
- Learn about AppleCare and Accessories for your iPad.
Learn iPad fundamentals:
- For help with the Set Up Assistant that runs when you turn on a new iPad, read Basic Setup.
- Learn how to Turn Your iPad Off and On.
- If you’re not sure what all those buttons and ports around the edge of your iPad are for, read Know Your Hardware.
- Flip to Learn the Interface to discover simple (and complex) gestures, learn how to type faster, manage the multitasking bar, find a lost app, copy and paste text, and more.
Take your setup beyond the options in the Setup Assistant:
- Foil thieves and snoops in Lock Screen, Security Measures, and Secure Safari.
- Make your iPad play a sound or show a message when something important happens. Read Notifications.
- Get networking help in Wi-Fi Network Connections, 3G Network Connections and Bluetooth Connections.
- Install the latest version of iOS in Updating the Operating System.
- Customize the Home Screen with a special photo and folders.
- Learn how to Find Great Apps and to Shop for Apps.
- Get directions for setting up a wired or wireless iTunes sync in Manage an iTunes Sync.
Use apps on your iPad:
- Find out how to Start Using a New App, and learn how to Update Apps, Share Apps, and Delete Apps.
- Employ your iPad as a personal information manager by reading Work with Calendars, Reminders, and Contacts and Send and Receive Email. Also learn how to send text messages in Messages and place video calls in FaceTime.
- Use your iPad as an ebook reader extraordinaire! In Read Ebooks, Magazines, and More, you’ll discover the difference between a PDF and an EPUB, plus locate reading material and learn how to put it on your iPad. Also, get tips for how to Read in iBooks.
- Learn to take photos (and videos) with an iPad 2, and how to load and view photos and videos on any iPad in Take and Enjoy Photos and Videos.
- Make your iPad sing (and talk) in Listen to Music, Podcasts, and Audiobooks.
- Get advice on how to use some of Apple’s map-related apps in Find Yourself, Your Friends, and Your iPad.
- Fill in forms faster, take advantage of tabs, and use the Read Later list and bookmarks, with the tips in Surf the Web with Safari.
What’s New
This ebook is effectively the second edition of Take Control of iPad Basics, a book that I wrote (and updated thrice!) during the lifespan of iOS 3 and iOS 4.
This ebook is all about iOS 5, the version of the iPad’s operating system that Apple released in October 2011. iOS 5 has nifty changes that are worth learning about—more gestures, the Notification Center, Find My Friends, a split keyboard, and the wireless iTunes sync. Also in this ebook, since many readers will have read the first edition—or already have iOS experience, I focus less on the basics to make room for more advanced topics.
Does this ebook talk about the iPhone or iPod touch?
Good question! This ebook is nearly entirely about the iPad. Quite a lot of it applies to the iPhone and iPod touch, but Tonya didn't try to check all the details in the ebook to see if they are the same on those smaller devices, or include screenshots from those devices. In so doing, she was able to focus more narrowly and she was able to finish writing the ebook before Apple released iOS 6!
What version of iOS does this ebook cover?
iOS 5. The ebook was originally drafted with iOS 5.0 (and earlier), but much of it was written after 5.0.1 was released.
Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Kindle?
There are lots of great ways to read our ebooks on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.
Ask a Question
Feel free to ask us or post on our GetSatisfaction site if you have a question about this book!
Send Us Your Comments!
How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!
Update Plans
December 1, 2011 -- Although I have no specific plan to update this ebook in the near future, it seems likely that I will update it at some point in 2012.
—Tonya Engst
AT&T Revises iPad Data Plans
January 23, 2012 --
As of January 22, 2012, AT&T has modified its iPad data plans. Although the lowest level plan—250 MB for $14.99 a month— remains available, the upper tier has been split in two: new subscribers can choose between $30 for 3 GB or $50 for 5 GB a month. Those who have subscribed to the previously available 2 GB for $25 plan and automatically renew it can keep that plan for now. Glenn Fleishman slices and dices the new AT&T data plan offerings (including those that affect iPhone and tethered account users) in his TidBITS article, AT&T Raises Data Plan Prices for New Customers.
—Michael E. Cohen
Hear Tonya Discuss Take Control of Your iPad
December 21, 2011 --
Taking time off from producing and editing other Take Control books, Tonya Engst went on an instant virtual world-wide book tour (from her own desk) to discuss her own iOS-5-covering edition of Take Control of Your iPad. You can hear the interview at MacNotables, or see it at MacVoicesTV.
—Michael E. Cohen
Visit our catalog to see all the other books we publish!
Teach classes? Check out our discounted class copy pricing!
Orders are processed for us by eSellerate (ebooks) and QOOP (print books) on secure sites.
Copyright 2012 TidBITS Publishing Inc. | Privacy Policy | Contact | Follow on Twitter