iPad For Dummies, 8th Edition (2016)

Introduction

As Yogi Berra would say, “It was déjà vu all over again”: front-page treatment, top billing on network TV and cable, and diehards lining up for days in advance to ensure landing a highly lusted-after product from Apple. The products generating the remarkable buzz this time around are the iPad Pro and its accessories, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Every iPad is a magical device and the iPad Pro is no exception.

We hope you bought this book to find out how to get the most magic out of your iPad, regardless of its model. Our goal is to deliver the information you need in a light and breezy fashion. We expect you to have fun using your iPad and we hope you have fun spending time with us.

About This Book

We need to get one thing out of the way right from the get-go. We think you’re pretty darn smart for buying a For Dummies book. That says to us that you have the confidence and intelligence to know what you don’t know. The For Dummies franchise is built around the core notion that everyone feels insecure about certain topics when tackling them for the first time, especially when those topics have to do with technology.

As with most Apple products, iPads are beautifully designed and intuitive to use. And though our editors may not want us to reveal this dirty little secret (especially on the first page, for goodness’ sake), the truth is you’ll get pretty far just by exploring the iPad’s many functions and features on your own, without the help of this (or any other) book.

Okay, now that we’ve spilled the beans, we’ll tell you why you shouldn’t run back to the bookstore and request a refund. This book is chock-full of useful tips, advice, and other nuggets that should make your iPad experience all the more pleasurable. We’ll even go so far as to say that you won’t find some of these nuggets anywhere else. So keep this book nearby and consult it often.

Foolish Assumptions

Although we know what happens when one makes assumptions, we’ve made a few anyway. First, we assume that you, gentle reader, know nothing about using an iPad or iOS — beyond knowing what an iPad is, that you want to use iOS, that you want to understand your iPad and its operating system without digesting an incomprehensible technical manual, and that you made the right choice by selecting this particular book.

And so, we do our best to explain each new concept in full and loving detail. Perhaps that’s foolish, but … oh, well.

One last thing: We also assume that you can read. If you can’t, please ignore this paragraph.

Icons Used in This Book

Little round pictures (or icons) appear in the left margins throughout this book. Consider these icons as miniature road signs, telling you something extra about the topic at hand or hammering a point home. Here’s what the five icons used in this book look like and mean.

These juicy morsels, shortcuts, and recommendations might make the task at hand faster or easier.

This icon emphasizes the stuff we think you ought to retain. You may even jot down a note to yourself in the iPad.

Put on your propeller beanie hat and insert your pocket protector; this text includes the truly geeky stuff. You can safely ignore this material, but if it weren’t interesting or informative, we wouldn’t have bothered to write it.

You wouldn’t intentionally run a stop sign, would you? In the same fashion, ignoring warnings may be hazardous to your iPad and (by extension) your wallet. There, you now know how these warning icons work, for you have just received your very first warning!

We put a New icon next to anything that’s new or improved in iOS 9 or with the iPad.

Beyond the Book

We wrote a bunch of things that just didn’t fit in the print version of this book. Rather than leave them on the cutting room floor, we’ve posted the most useful bits online for your enjoyment and edification.

Here’s where you’ll find them:

· Online articles covering additional topics are at

www.dummies.com/extras/ipad

You’ll find the following: a fairly complete list of phrases Siri understands; how to make sense of the alphabet soup of cellular data networks (EDGE, 4G, LTE, HSDPA, GSM, CDMA, and more); why your computer offers a shopping mall for content while your iPad doesn’t; info on international and third-party keyboards; an overview of Apple’s iWork and iLife apps; and much more.

· The Cheat Sheet for this book is at

www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/ipad

Here, you’ll find info on using the iPad’s buttons and icons, tips for mastering multitouch, and where to find additional help if your iPad is acting contrary.

Where to Go from Here

Why, go straight to Chapter 1, of course (without passing Go).

In all seriousness, we wrote this book for you, so please let us know what you think. If we screwed up, confused you, left out something, or — heaven forbid — made you angry, drop us a note. And if we hit you with one pun too many, it helps to know that as well. Because writers are people too (believe it or not), we also encourage positive feedback if you think it’s warranted. So kindly send email to Ed at Baigdummies@gmail.com and to Bob at iPadLeVitus@boblevitus.com. We do our best to respond to reasonably polite email in a timely fashion. Most of all, we want to thank you for buying our book. Please enjoy it along with your new iPad.

Note: At the time we wrote this book, all the information it contained was accurate for all Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G and 4G iPads with the exception of the first-generation iPad, which we no longer cover. The book is also based on version 9 of the iOS (operating system) and version 12.3 of iTunes. Apple is likely to introduce new iPad models and new versions of iOS and iTunes between book editions, so if the hardware or user interface on your new iPad or the version of iTunes on your computer looks a little different, be sure to check out what Apple has to say atwww.apple.com/ipad. You’ll no doubt find updates on the company’s latest releases. When a change is substantial, we try to add an update or additional information at www.dummies.com/extras/ipad.