iPad: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition

Introduction

APPLE ANNOUNCED THE ORIGINAL iPad on January 27, 2010, and the technology world hasn’t been the same since. Customers rushed to buy the tablet, snapping up more than 300,000 the day it went on sale. Competitors rushed to copy it, with Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Motorola, Amazon, and others creating their own variations on the app-friendly touchscreen device.

In the fall of 2012, Apple released the fourth generation of the iPad and the first version of its smaller sidekick, the iPad Mini. Building on its success with the original iPad, the iPad 2, and the third-gen iPad with Retina display, this latest pair of iPads adds zippier WiFi performance, FaceTime HD cameras for videochats, and the new Lightning connector for charging and syncing.

Apple has now sold more than 100 million iPads. So why has its tablet proven so popular, even as competitors stampede to put their own interpretations in stores? One theory: It’s a mobile world, and a thin Internet-connected device that can expertly handle communications, entertainment, and school/business tasks—and look extremely stylish to boot—is going to be a winner.

You can add to that Apple’s new emphasis on the “post-PC” world, where you don’t have to connect your iPad to your computer to set it up, fill it up, or back it up. The arrival of Apple’s iCloud service in 2011 means that your iPad can be your primary window to the Internet for work, play, and cat videos—no heavy, bulky laptop needed, because you’re living in an airy ...