1. Buying and Unboxing Your iPad

Apple’s iPad is the most popular tablet today, as it has been for a number of years. In fact, Apple pretty much defined the tablet market when it released the very first iPad in 2010. Today you can use the latest iPads to browse and search the web, keep in touch with people through Facebook and other social media, send and receive email and instant messages, participate in video chats, watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, take and edit photographs and video, play games, control smart home devices, and even do word processing, create spreadsheets, and manage other productive activities. There are lots of reasons why iPads are popular among users of all ages.

This chapter examines the various models of iPads available and what they offer, and then it explains the “out-of-box experience”—what to expect when you unbox and first turn on your new iPad. (If you’ve had a previous version of an iPad, you can probably skip over parts of this chapter.)

Put simply, the iPad is a tablet computer—that is, a small computer in the shape of a handheld tablet. Instead of a keyboard and separate display screen, you have a touch-sensitive display. Not only do you view whatever is on the screen, you can also touch or tap or otherwise poke and prod the screen with your fingertips to make things happen. Instead of tapping the keys on a physical keyboard, you tap the virtual keys and buttons on the display, and the tablet reacts.

The iPad itself is relatively small and thin. Like most tablet computers, Apple’s various iPad models weigh less than two pounds, with newer ones being markedly lighter and thinner than older models. The displays come in all sizes for your viewing pleasure, from around 8 inches diagonal (for the so-called “mini” model) to around 10 inches (for the standard models) to almost 13 inches (for the largest “pro” unit).

The iPad was not the first tablet computer, but it was the one that defined the market. When Apple released the original iPad in 2010, it established a new product category. That original iPad sold like proverbial hotcakes, and millions of people discovered that they needed something that really hadn’t existed before. People thronged to Apple Stores everywhere to get this newfangled device that promised to redefine their everyday lives.

It didn’t take long for other companies to get on the tablet bandwagon and Apple soon had plenty of competition, primarily from tablets running the rival Android operating system. (Apple’s operating system is called iOS, and I discuss it a little later in this chapter.) Even though many of these competing tablets were significantly lower priced, the iPad remained the gold standard and the singular best seller.

What can an iPad (or any tablet computer, for that matter) do? Like a computer, it can run productivity programs that let you write letters, crunch numbers, give presentations, and edit photos and videos. You can use a tablet to communicate with others, via email, text messaging, and video chats. You can use a tablet to access the Internet and do whatever it is you want to do online, from surfing and shopping to keeping in touch via Facebook and Twitter. You can even use a tablet for fun stuff, like watching movies and playing games. Like I said, it’s like a computer but crammed into a very small package.

Most of what you do on an iPad is done via apps. An app (short for “application”) is nothing more than a software program running on the tablet. You tap to open an app and then use that app to do some specific task. There are apps for just about every task imaginable, from editing photos to writing music to tracking your weight and heart rate.

Now, you may read all of this and note that just about everything an iPad can do, you can also do on your smartphone. This is true. In many ways, an iPad is just a larger iPhone, but without the phone functionality. Or maybe an iPhone is just a smaller iPad with calling capability. However you approach it, the two types of devices are very similar in what they can do.

The big difference between smartphones and tablets is the size of the screen. Even the largest smartphones have relatively small screens. The larger tablet displays—even on the mini models—simply make it easier to view and do certain things. Watching a movie or reading an ebook or online newspaper is more enjoyable on a larger tablet than on a smaller phone, and it’s a lot easier to edit photos, create newsletters, and even play virtual musical instruments on a tablet than on a smartphone.

For many people, an iPad or similar tablet is a viable replacement for a notebook or desktop computer, especially if you don’t do a lot of heavy-duty technical stuff. Or you may view a tablet as a useful supplement to your smartphone, one that’s just easier and more comfortable to use for many tasks.

In any instance, tablet computers have proven quite popular over the past few years, and the most popular of them are all Apple’s various iPads.

All of Apple’s iPads share a number of common features. They all have touchscreens, so you can control what you see with a tap or drag of your finger. They all have built-in speakers for listening, as well as a headphone jack to which you can connect your own earphones or headphones. They all have two cameras, one on the rear for shooting normal photos and videos and one on the front for shooting selfies or doing video chats. They all have built-in storage, to store those photos you take, as well as other data and apps. All will last about 10 hours on a battery charge, depending on your usage. And they all have built-in Wi-Fi so you can wirelessly connect to the Internet.

Beyond that, the models differ mostly in terms of screen size and resolution, storage capacity, processing speed, and a few extra features, such as cellular connectivity (so you can connect your iPad to your mobile phone network). Naturally, the bigger models with more speed, storage, and features cost more than the smaller, less fully featured ones.

So which model you choose depends on a number of factors—how big a screen you want, how much storage capacity you need, what you want to do with the iPad, and how much money you want to spend. Let’s look at what’s available.

Of course, the smaller display also makes it a little more difficult to read what’s on the screen. The text on some web pages gets a tad small for some readers, who might be more comfortable with the larger screen on the traditional iPad. That said, the screen on the current iPad mini 4 has the same resolution as the regular-sized model (measured in terms of pixels, or individual screen elements), which actually provides a sharper picture.

Price-wise, you don’t save much by going with the smaller screen. There’s only one iPad mini 4 model, priced at $399 for 128GB of storage. (The larger iPad actually offers lower-priced models with less storage.)

One of the benefits of the current iPad over the model it replaces is the price. This newest model is priced $70 less than the previous model, and offers more onboard storage. This price reduction has spurred an increase in iPad sales, which is a good thing; people like lower prices.

The current iPad, available in 32GB and 128GB versions, is priced at just $329 and $429, respectively.

Because of the enhanced productivity (and slightly larger screens), the iPad Pro models aren’t cheap. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro (slightly larger than the 9.7-inch iPad) starts at $649 for 64GB of storage, and goes up to $949 for a 512GB model. The larger 12.9-inch model, which is better suited for office use, starts at $799 and goes up to $1099. Both Pro models have a faster processor than you’ll find in the main iPad and offer slightly higher resolution (but similar ppi, thanks to the larger screens).

In general, the most popular model with both home and casual users is the new full-screen iPad. At just $329 for the base model, you just can’t beat the price.

Now, some home and casual users prefer the iPad mini 4 simply because of the size. Given that it’s actually priced higher than the larger base model iPad, it’s quickly becoming a niche model, however.

If you want to do serious work on your tablet, or are using your tablet in your business, then you should consider the iPad Pro models. Know, however, that you’ll spend more (a lot more) for the slightly larger screens and enhanced functionality. Nice as they are, the iPad Pros are just too pricey for most home and casual users.

Whichever iPad you choose, they all run the iOS 11 operating system, and all run pretty much the same apps you can find in Apple’s App Store. It really is a matter of size and storage capacity; choose the one that best fits your needs.

Underneath the iPad are a white cable and power adapter, which you use to both charge your iPad and connect it to a computer. One end of the cable has a small Lightning connector that plugs into the bottom of the iPad; the other end of the cable has a USB connector that you can connect to a computer’s USB port or to the USB port on the power adapter. The power adapter, of course, plugs right into any wall outlet.

During the course of the initial setup, you’re asked to supply some or all of the following information:

• Your language and country or region. This determines how specific information, such as date and time, appears on your device.

• The name and password for your home wireless network or nearby Wi-Fi hotspot, for your iPad to connect to the Internet.

• Whether or not you want to enable Location Services. (You probably do; it’s how you use Maps and other apps that need to know your current location.)

• Your fingerprint, to enable Touch ID fingerprint log in. You also might be asked to create a six-digit numeric passcode or longer alphanumeric password for your device.

• If you have another Apple device handy (and it’s also running the new iOS 11 operating system), you’re prompted to use the new Automatic Setup features to wirelessly transfer settings from the other device to your iPad. Just hold the two devices close together until they’re properly “paired,” and then let Automatic Setup do all the work for you.

• If you have an Apple ID for another Apple device (another iPad, iPhone, or Mac), you can use it to log in and transfer some system settings. You can also go this route if you have an older iPad from which you want to transfer settings and apps.

• If this is your first Apple device, you’re prompted to create a new Apple ID. This is free.

You see the word “Hello” in many languages. Press the Home button (at the bottom front of the case) to continue, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the ­initial setup.