Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter
17
, and it turns into a superb device for watching video on an HDTV (or even a non-HD
TV), with support for output resolutions up to 1080p.
You won't even need an adapter cable if you have an Apple TV ($99), a marvelous
little device that lets you stream audio and video to your HDTV wirelessly.
And, of course, all iPads include a pair of cameras and the FaceTime video-chatting app, taking the
iPad's multimedia acumen to new heights. Chapter
8
gets you started with FaceTime.
The iPad as a platform for third-party apps
The App Store offers more than 1,000,000 apps for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at the time of
this writing, in categories that include games, business, education, entertainment, healthcare and fit-
ness, 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 1,000,000+ apps, more than 400,000 of them are designed specifically for the iPad's larger
screen, with more arriving daily.
Chapter
11
helps you fill your iPad with all the cool apps your heart desires. We share our favorite
What do you need 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 said you
needed
a computer with iTunes to sync your iPad.
We've since amended our advice. Because iOS now lets you activate, set up, update, back up, and re-
store an iPad wirelessly without a computer, you don't technically
need
a computer to use with 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. And certain tasks, like reordering your Home screens or performing a full
backup of your device, can only be accomplished with the help of a Mac or PC running iTunes.
If you decide to introduce your iPad to your computer (and we think you should), here's what's re-
quired 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 11.1 or later
