iPad™ For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Unveiling the iPad

In This Chapter

• Looking at the big picture

• Touring the outside of the iPad

• Checking out the iPad's applications

Congratulations! You've selected one of the most incredible handheld devices we've ever seen. Of course, the iPad is a combination of a killer audio and video iPod, an e-book reader, a powerful Internet communications device, a superb handheld gaming device, and a platform for over 150,000 apps at the time this was written — and probably a lot more by the time you read this.

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

Exploring the iPad's Big Picture

The iPad has many best-of-class features, but perhaps its most unusual feature is the lack of a physical keyboard or stylus. Instead, it has a 9.7-inch super-high-resolution touchscreen (132 pixels per inch, if you care about such things) that you operate using a pointing device you're already intimately familiar with: your finger.

And what a display it is. We venture that you've never seen a more beautiful screen on a handheld device in your life.

What's in the box

Somehow we think you've already opened the handsome black box that the iPad came in. But if you didn't, here's what you can expect to find inside:

• Dock connector–to–USB cable: Use this handy cable to sync or charge your iPad. You can ...