iPad mini For Dummies (2013)

Part I. Getting to Know Your iPad mini

You have to crawl before you walk, so consider this part basic training for crawling. The three chapters that make up Part I serve as a gentle introduction to your iPad mini.

We start out nice and easy in Chapter 1, with a big-picture overview, even letting you know what’s in the box (if you haven’t already peeked). Then we examine just some of the cool things your iPad mini can do. We finish things off with a quick-and-dirty tour of the hardware and the software so that you’ll know where things are when you need them.

Next, after you’re somewhat familiar with where things are and what they do, we move right along to a bunch of useful iPad skills, such as turning the darn thing on and off (which is very important) and locking and unlocking your iPad (which is also very important). Chapter 2 covers useful tips and tricks to help you master the iPad’s unique multitouch interface so that you can use it effectively and efficiently.

Then, in Chapter 3, we explore the process of synchronization over USB and Wi-Fi and how to get data — contacts, appointments, movies, songs, podcasts, books, and so on — from your computer into your iPad, quickly and painlessly.

Chapter 1. Unveiling the iPad mini

In This Chapter

Looking at the iPad mini’s brilliant disguises

Touring the outside of the iPad mini

Checking out the iPad mini’s applications

Congratulations! You’ve selected one of the most incredible handheld devices we’ve ever seen. Of course, the iPad mini combines a killer audio and video iPod, an e-book reader, a powerful Internet communications device, a superb handheld gaming device, still and video cameras, and a platform for over 750,000 apps (at the time this book was written) — and probably a lot more by the time you read this chapter.

Apple has created four other iPad models; to avoid confusion, we refer to them as the first-, second-, third-, and fourth-generation iPads when we mention them in this book. We refer to the iPad mini as the iPad mini when necessary to differentiate it from other models, but we mostly refer to it as simply an iPad (because that’s what it is).

In this chapter, we offer a gentle introduction to all the pieces that make up your iPad mini, plus overviews of its revolutionary hardware and software features.

Exploring the iPad mini’s Big Picture

The iPad mini has many best-of-class features, but perhaps its most notable feature is its lack of a physical keyboard or stylus. Instead, it has a 7.9-inch, super-high-resolution touchscreen — 163 pixels per inch (ppi) — that you operate using a pointing device you’re already intimately familiar with: your finger.

And what a display it is. It’s true that some iPad models offer Retina displays with more ppi, but any way you look at it, the iPad mini’s screen is still gorgeous.

Other things we love include the iPad mini’s plethora of built-in sensors. It has an accelerometer to detect when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape mode and instantly adjust what’s on the display accordingly.

The screen rotates — that is, unless the Screen Orientation Lock is engaged. We tell you more about this feature shortly.

A light sensor adjusts the display’s brightness in response to the current ambient lighting conditions.

And your iPad mini has a three-axis gyro sensor that works in conjunction with the accelerometer and built-in compass. Although all iPads can sense their orientation and direction, the iPad mini senses such things even better and faster than some earlier models.

Last, but definitely not least, Siri — the spectacular, voice-controlled personal assistant — is happy to do almost anything you ask.

In the following sections, we’re not simply marveling about the wonderful screen and sensors. Now it’s time to take a brief look at the rest of the iPad’s features, broken down by product category.

The iPad as an iPod

We agree with the late Steve Jobs on this one: The iPad is magical — and without a doubt, the best iPod Apple has ever produced. You can enjoy all your existing iPod content — music, audiobooks, audio and video podcasts, iTunes U courses, music videos, television shows, and movies — on the iPad’s gorgeous, high-resolution color display, which is bigger, brighter, and richer than any iPod or iPhone display that came before it.

Here’s the bottom line: If you can get the content — video, audio, or whatever — into iTunes on your Mac or PC, you can synchronize it and watch or listen to it on your iPad. And, of course, you can always buy or rent content on your iPad with the iTunes and iBooks apps.

Chapter 3 is all about syncing, but for now, just know that some video content may need to be converted to an iPad-compatible format (with 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.

If you see an error message about an incompatible video file, select the file in iTunes and choose Advanced⇒Create iPad or Apple TV Version. When the conversion is finished, sync again. Chapter 8 covers video and video compatibility in more detail.

What’s in the box

Somehow, we think you’ve already opened the handsome box that houses the iPad mini. But if you haven’t, here’s what you can expect to find inside:

Lightning–to–USB cable: Use this handy cable to sync or charge your iPad. You can plug the USB connector into your Mac or PC to sync or plug it into the USB power adapter, which we describe next.

Note: If you connect the USB cable to USB ports on your keyboard, USB hub, display, or another external device, or even to the USB ports on an older Mac or PC, you may be able to sync, but more than likely can’t charge the battery. For the most part, only your computer’s built-in USB ports (and only recent-vintage computers, at that) have enough juice to recharge the battery. If you use an external USB port, you probably see a Not Charging message next to the Battery icon at the top of the screen.

A powered USB hub, one that plugs into an AC outlet, will probably recharge your iPad. Some USB hubs don’t provide enough juice to recharge an iPad, but others do. If you have a powered hub, try it. If you see the Not Charging message, your hub’s not juicy enough.

USB power adapter: Use this adapter to recharge your iPad from a standard AC power outlet.

Some Apple logo decals: Of course.

iPad instruction sheet: Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you’re the author of a book about using the iPad), this little one-page, two-sided “manual” offers precious little useful information beyond “Learn more about iPad features at www.apple.com/ipadmini.”

iPad Info sheet: Well, it must be important, because it says so right on the cover. You can find basic safety warnings, a bunch of legalese, warranty information, and info on how to dispose of or recycle the iPad. What! You’re getting rid of it already? A few other pieces of advice: Don’t drop the iPad if you can help it, keep the thing dry, and — as with all handheld electronic devices — give full attention to the road while driving (or walking, for that matter).

iPad mini: You were starting to worry. Yes, the iPad mini itself is also in the box.

What’s not in the box is a stereo headset. If you want to use a headset for music, video, games, or anything else, you have to find one elsewhere. Might we suggest that you find one that includes a built-in microphone. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, the headset that comes with it will work just fine. Although the iPad doesn’t come with the Voice Memos app that comes with the iPhone, it can record to many of the apps that are available in the App Store, such as the free iTalk Recorder app from Griffin Technology or the $0.99 Voice Memos for iPad app from KendiTech, Inc. A headset with a microphone also serves you well for FaceTime video chats, telephone calls with the free Skype app, and for working with Siri or translating speech-to-text.

And here’s another tip at no extra cost: The free HandBrake application (http://handbrake.fr) often provides better results than iTunes when converting movie files to an iPad-friendly format. It has a preset for the iPad, so it’s simple to use, and it can often convert movie files that iTunes chokes on.

The iPad as an Internet communications device

But wait — there’s more! The iPad mini is not only a stellar iPod but also a full-featured Internet communications device with — we’re about to drop some industry jargon on you — a rich HTML e-mail 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, unlike on many mobile devices, makes web surfing fun and easy on the eyes. Chapter 4 explains how to surf the web using Safari.

Another cool Internet feature is Maps, a killer mapping application that’s much improved in iOS 6. By using GPS (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) and triangulation, the iPad mini 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 only a few taps.

We daresay 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 and/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 iBookstore and Newsstand app, covered in Chapter 10, are chock-full of good reading at prices that are lower than 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 really good books are absolutely 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 makes watching videos and movies an extreme pleasure. And, if you add an adapter cable, as discussed in Chapter 17, it’s also great for watching video on your HDTV (or even on a non-HD TV), with support for output resolutions up to 1080p.

You don’t even need an adapter cable if you have a $99 Apple TV, a marvelous little device that lets you stream audio and video to your HDTV wirelessly.

And because your iPad mini features not one but two cameras, the included FaceTime video-chatting app takes the iPad mini’s multimedia acumen to new heights. Chapter 8 gets you started with FaceTime and Apple TV.

The iPad as a platform for third-party apps

The App Store offers more than 700,000 apps for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at the time of this writing, in categories that include games, business, education, entertainment, healthcare and fitness, music, photography, productivity, travel, sports, and many more. 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 700,000+ apps, more than 275,000 of them are designed specifically for the iPad’s larger (than an iPhone) 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-sale apps in Chapters 18 and 19, respectively.

What do you need in order to use an iPad?

To actually use your iPad mini, 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 apps, videos, music, iBooks, podcasts, and so on, which you almost certainly do)

Internet access — broadband wireless Internet access is recommended

In previous editions of this book, we say that you need a computer with iTunes to sync your iPad. We’ve since amended our advice. Since all iPads made today let you activate, set up, update, back up, and restore your iPad mini wirelessly without a computer, you don’t technically needone to use your iPad. But it’s still nice to have a computer; many tasks are faster and easier on a computer with iTunes than on your iPad.

If you decide to introduce your iPad to your computer (and we think you should), here’s what’s required 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 10.6.8 or later, and iTunes 10.6 or later

A PC with a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port; Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Home or Professional Edition with Service Pack 3 or later; and iTunes 10.7 or later (free download at www.itunes.com/download)

Touring the iPad Exterior

The iPad mini 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 mini, you find the headphone jack, microphone, and Sleep/Wake button, as shown in Figure 1-1 and described in this list:

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 the button for a few seconds.

Your iPad’s battery runs down faster when your iPad is awake, so we suggest that you make a habit of putting it to sleep when you’re not using it.

When your iPad is sleeping, nothing happens if you touch its screen. To wake it up, merely press the button again or press the Home button on the front of the device (as described in a moment).

If you have an iPad mini Smart Cover (or a third-party case that uses the Smart Cover mechanism), you can simply open the cover to wake your iPad and close the cover to put it to sleep.

Figure 1-1: The top side of the iPad mini.

Find out in Chapter 15 how to make your iPad go to sleep automatically after a period of inactivity.

Headphone jack: This jack lets you plug in a headset. You can use the Apple headsets or headphones that came with your iPhone or iPod. Or you can use pretty much any headphones (or headset) that plug into a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack.

Throughout this book, we use the words headphones, earphones, and headset interchangeably. Strictly speaking, a headset includes a microphone so that you can talk (or record) as well as listen; headphones or earphones are for listening only. Either type works with your iPad.

Microphone: The tiny dot in the middle of the top edge of your iPad mini is a pretty good microphone.

On the bottom

On the bottom of your iPad are the speaker and dock connector, as shown in Figure 1-2:

Speakers: The speakers play stereo audio — music or video soundtracks — if no headset is plugged in.

Figure 1-2: The bottom of the iPad mini.

Lightning connector: This connector has three purposes:

• Recharge your iPad’s battery: Simply connect one end of the included Lightning–connector–to–USB cable to the iPad and the other end to the USB power adapter or a suitable USB port on your Mac, PC, or powered USB hub.

• Synchronize your iPad: Connect one end of the same cable to the Lightning connector and the other end to a USB port on your Mac or PC.

• Connect your iPad to cameras or televisions using an adapter: Such connectors include the Lightning–to–USB Camera Adapter ($29) or the other adapter cables discussed in Chapter 15.

In the “What’s in the box” sidebar, earlier in this chapter, read the note about using the USB ports on anything other than your Mac or PC, including keyboards, displays, and hubs.

On the right side

On the right side of your iPad are the Volume Up/Down control and the Mute switch, as shown in Figure 1-3:

Mute switch: When the switch is set to Silent mode — the down position, with an orange dot visible on the switch — your iPad doesn’t make any sound when you receive new mail or an alert pops up on the screen. Note that the Mute switch doesn’t silence what we think of asexpected sounds, which are sounds you expect to hear in a particular app. Therefore, it doesn’t silence the iTunes or Videos apps, nor does it mute games and other apps that emit noises. About the only thing the Mute switch mutes are unexpected sounds, such as those associated with notifications from apps or the iPad operating system (iOS).

If the switch doesn’t mute notification sounds when engaged (that is, you can see the little orange dot on the switch), look for a little Screen Orientation icon (shown in the margin) to the left of the Battery icon near the top of your screen.

When you flick the Mute switch, you may see this icon, for two possible reasons. The most likely reason is that you’ve selected the Lock Rotation option in the Settings app’s General pane.

Volume Up/Down controls: The Volume Up/Down controls are two buttons just below the Mute switch. The top button increases the volume; the lower button decreases it.

The Camera app uses the Volume Up button as a shutter release button as an alternative to the onscreen shutter release button. Press either one to shoot a picture or start/stop video recording.

Figure 1-3: The right side has two buttons.

On the front and back

On the front and back of your iPad mini, you find the following items (labeled in Figure 1-4):

Touchscreen: You find out how to use the iPad’s gorgeous, high-resolution, color touchscreen in Chapter 2. All we have to say at this time is . . . try not to drool all over it.

Home button: No matter what you’re doing, you can press the Home button at any time to display the Home screen (refer to Figure 1-4).

Front camera: The front camera is serviceable and delivers video that’s decent enough for video chats, but not so hot for still photos.

Application buttons: Each of the 20 buttons (icons) shown on the screen (refer to Figure 1-4) launches an included iPad application. You read more about these applications later in this chapter and throughout the rest of the book.

Rear camera: The camera on the back of the iPad mini is much better than the one in front. It records superb HD video at 1080p and takes excellent still photos.

Figure 1-4: The front and back of the iPad — either way, a study in elegant simplicity.

Status bar

The status bar, which is at the top of the screen, displays tiny icons that provide a variety of information about the current state of your iPad:

Airplane mode: Airplane mode should be enabled when you fly. It turns off all of the wireless features of your iPad — the cellular, 4G, 3G, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), and EDGE (Enhanced Datarate for GSM Evolution) networks; Wi-Fi; and Bluetooth — so you can enjoy music, video, games, photos, or any app that doesn’t require an Internet connection while you’re in the air.

Tap the Settings app and then tap the Airplane Mode switch to say On. The icon shown in the margin appears on the left side of your status bar whenever Airplane mode is enabled.

Disable Airplane mode when the plane is at the gate before takeoff or after landing so that you can send or receive e-mail and iMessages.

There’s no need to enable Airplane mode on flights that offer onboard Wi-Fi. On such flights, it’s perfectly safe to use your iPad’s Wi-Fi while you’re in the air (but not until the captain says so).

LTE (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only): This icon lets you know that your carrier’s 4G LTE network is available and your iPad can use it to connect to the Internet.

3G (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only): This icon informs you that the high-speed 3G data network from your wireless carrier (that’s AT&T or Verizon in the United States) is available and that your iPad is connected to the Internet via 3G. (Wondering what 3G, 4G, and these other data networks are? Check out the nearby sidebar, “Comparing Wi-Fi, 4G, LTE, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE.”)

GPRS (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only): This icon says that your wireless carrier’s GPRS data network is available and that your iPad can use it to connect to the Internet.

EDGE (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only): This icon tells you that your wireless carrier’s EDGE network is available and you can use it to connect to the Internet.

Wi-Fi: If you see the Wi-Fi icon, your iPad is connected to the Internet over a Wi-Fi network. The more semicircular lines you see (up to three), the stronger the Wi-Fi signal. If you have only one or two semicircles of Wi-Fi strength, try moving around a bit. If you don’t see the Wi-Fi icon on the status bar, Internet access with Wi-Fi isn’t available.

Comparing Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE

Wireless (that is, cellular) carriers may offer one or more data networks relevant to the iPad as of this writing. Your iPad can take advantage of them all. The speediest are the LTE networks, which the carriers are rolling out as fast as they can. The second-fastest network is 3G, and the older, even slower data networks are EDGE and GPRS. Your iPad starts by trying to connect via Wi-Fi. If that doesn’t work, it tries to connect via LTE. If that fails, it tries the slower 3G, EDGE, or GPRS networks, displaying the appropriate icon on the status bar.

Most Wi-Fi networks, however, are faster than even the fastest LTE cellular data network — and much faster than 3G, EDGE, or GPRS. So, because all iPads can connect to a Wi-Fi network if one is available, they do so, even when an LTE, 3G, GPRS, or EDGE network is also available.

Last but not least, if you don’t see one of these icons — LTE, 3G, GPRS, EDGE, or Wi-Fi — you don’t have Internet access. Chapter 2 offers more details about these different networks.

Personal Hotspot (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only): You see this icon when you’re sharing your Internet connection with computers or other devices over Wi-Fi. Personal Hotspot may not be available in all areas or from all carriers, and additional fees may apply. Contact your wireless carrier for more information.

Syncing: This icon appears on the status bar when your iPad is syncing with iTunes on your Mac or PC.

Activity: This icon tells you that a network or another activity is occurring, such as over-the-air synchronization, sending or receiving e-mail, or loading a web page. Some third-party applications also use this icon to indicate network or other activity.

VPN: This icon shows that you’re connected to a virtual private network (VPN).

Lock: This icon tells you when your iPad is locked. See Chapter 2 for information on locking and unlocking your iPad.

Screen Orientation Lock: This icon appears when the Screen Orientation Lock is engaged.

Location Services: This icon appears when an app (such as Maps; see Chapter 6 for more about the improved Maps app) is using Location Services (GPS) to establish your physical location (or at least to establish the physical location of your iPad).

Do Not Disturb: This icon appears whenever Do Not Disturb is enabled, silencing incoming FaceTime calls and alerts. See Chapter 15 for details on Do Not Disturb.

Play: This icon informs you that a song is now playing. You find out more about playing songs in Chapter 7.

Bluetooth: This icon indicates the current state of your iPad’s Bluetooth connection. If you see this icon on the status bar, Bluetooth is on, and a device (such as a wireless headset or keyboard) is connected. If the icon is gray, Bluetooth is turned on, but no device is connected. If the icon is white, Bluetooth is on, and at least one device is connected. If you don’t see a Bluetooth icon, Bluetooth is turned off. Chapter 15 goes into more detail about Bluetooth.

Battery: This icon reflects the level of your battery’s charge. It’s completely filled when your iPad mini isn’t connected to a power source and its battery is fully charged (as shown in the margin). The icon then empties as your battery becomes depleted. It shows when you’re connected to a power source, and when the battery is fully charged or is charging. You see an onscreen message when the charge drops to 20 percent or below and another message when it reaches 10 percent.

Discovering the Delectable Home Screen and Dock Icons

The iPad mini Home screen displays 20 icons. Because the rest of this book covers each and every one of these babies in full and loving detail, we provide merely brief descriptions here.

To get to your Home screen, tap the Home button. If your iPad is asleep when you tap, the unlock screen appears. After your iPad is unlocked, you see whichever page was on the screen when it went to sleep. If that happens to have been the Home screen, you’re golden. If it wasn’t, merely tap the Home button again to summon your iPad’s Home screen.

In the following sections, we tell you briefly about the icons preloaded on your iPad’s first Home screen page, as well as the icons you find on the Dock that are always accessible from every Home screen.

Home is where the screen is

If you haven’t rearranged your icons, you see the following applications on your Home screen, starting at the upper-left corner:

Messages: This app provides a unified messaging service dubbed iMessage to iPads, iPhones, iPod touches, and Macs. You can exchange unlimited free text or multimedia messages with any other device running iOS 5 or later (the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch) or Mac OS X Mountain Lion.

Chapter 5 mentions all the intriguing details of managing messages using this mesmerizing messaging app.

FaceTime: Participate in FaceTime video chats, as you discover in Chapter 8.

Photos: The iPad’s terrific photo manager keeps getting better. It lets you view photos synced from your computer, saved from an e-mail or web page, or saved from one of the myriad third-party apps that let you save your handiwork in the Photos app. You can zoom in or out, create slide shows, e-mail photos to friends, crop, do a bit of image editing, and much more. And it’s where you’ll find the Camera Roll album with photos, and videos you’ve shot with your iPad camera, screen shots, as well as pictures saved in Safari, Mail, and Messages. You can even look at pictures from another camera or SD card (using the optional $29 Lightning–to–USB Camera Adapter), To get started, see Chapter 9.

Camera: This app is for shooting pictures or videos with your iPad’s front- or rear-facing camera. You find out more in Chapters 8 (videos) and 9 (camera).

Maps: This application is among our favorites. View street maps or satellite imagery of locations around the globe, or ask for directions, traffic conditions, or even the location of a nearby pizza joint. You can find your way around the Maps app with the handy tips you find in Chapter 6.

Clock: The Clock app includes alarm clocks, timers, and more. You hear more about this nifty new app in Chapter 13.

Photo Booth: This one is a lot like those old-time photo booths, but you don’t have to feed it money. You discover details about Photo Booth in Chapter 9.

Calendar: No matter what calendar program you prefer on your Mac or PC (as long as it’s iCal, Calendar, Microsoft Entourage, or Microsoft Outlook or online calendars such as Google or iCloud), you can synchronize events and alerts between your computer and your iPad. Create an event on one device, and the event is automatically synchronized with the other device the next time the two devices are connected. Neat stuff.

Contacts: This handy little app contains information about the people you know. Like the Calendar app, it synchronizes with the Contacts app on your Mac or PC (as long as you keep your contacts in Address Book, Contacts, Microsoft Entourage, or Microsoft Outlook), and you can synchronize contacts between your computer and your iPad. If you create a contact on one device, the contact is automatically synchronized with the other device the next time your devices are connected. Chapter 12 explains how to start using the Calendar and Contacts apps.

Notes: This program enables you to type notes while you’re out and about. You can send the notes to yourself or to anyone else by e-mail, or you can save them on your iPad until you need them. For help as you start using Notes, flip to Chapter 13.

Reminders: This app may be the only to-do list you ever need. It integrates with iCal, Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud, so to-do items and reminders sync automatically with your other devices, both mobile and desktop. You’ll hear much more about this great app, but you have to visit Chapter 13.

Newsstand: This relatively new app is where you find iPad editions for magazines and newspapers that you subscribe to. You shop for periodical apps at the App Store and then purchase subscriptions and individual issues as in-app purchases. You can read more about Newsstand in Chapter 10.

iTunes: Tap this puppy to purchase music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more. You find more info about iTunes (and the Music app) in Chapter 7.

App Store: This icon enables you to connect to and search the iTunes App Store for iPad applications that you can purchase or download for free over a Wi-Fi or cellular data network connection. Chapter 11 is your guide to buying and using apps from the App Store.

Game Center: This is the Apple social-networking app for game enthusiasts. Compare achievements, boast of your conquests and high scores, or challenge your friends to battle. You hear more about social networking and Game Center in Chapter 13.

Settings: This is where you change settings for your iPad and its apps. D’oh! With so many different settings in the Settings app, you’ll be happy to hear that Chapter 15 is dedicated exclusively to Settings.

Sittin’ on the Dock of the iPad

At the bottom of the iPad screen, four icons sit in a special shelf-like area called the Dock.

The quality that makes the icons on your Dock special is that they’re available on every Home screen page.

By default, the Dock icons are

Safari: Safari is your web browser. If you’re a Mac user, you know that already. If you’re a Windows user who hasn’t already discovered the wonderful Safari for Windows, think Internet Explorer on steroids. Chapter 4 shows you how to start using Safari on your iPad.

Mail: This application lets you send and receive e-mail with most POP3 and IMAP e-mail systems and, if you work for a company that grants permission, Microsoft Exchange, too. Chapter 5 helps you start e-mailing everyone you know from your iPad.

Videos: This handy app is the repository for your movies, TV shows, and music videos. You add videos via iTunes on your Mac or PC or by purchasing them from the iTunes Store using the iTunes app on your iPad. Check out Chapter 8 to find out more.

Music: Last but not least, this icon unleashes all the power of an iPod right on your iPad so that you can listen to music or podcasts. You discover how it works in Chapter 7.

Apple puts four icons on the Dock, but it can hold up to six. Feel free to add or remove icons from the Dock until it feels right to you. To rearrange, add, or delete icons from the Dock, press and hold the icon until all the icons wiggle. Then drag the icon to wherever you want it. Press the Home button to save your arrangement.

Let us mention one last feature: the totally useful Notification Center. We wanted to mention it even though it doesn’t have an icon of its own. You hear much more about it in Chapter 13; to see it now (we know you can’t wait), swipe your iPad screen from top to bottom to make it appear. Then swipe from bottom to top to put it away again.