Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
(as well as smaller companies) have introduced their own touch-enabled tablets, many that rely on
the Google Android mobile operating system, some on versions of Microsoft's Windows operating
system, and a few on other operating systems. Some solid machines are among them, but the iPad
remains the market leader and a true pioneer in the space.
If you got caught up in the initial mania surrounding the iPad, you probably plotted for weeks about
how to land one. After all, the iPad, like its close cousin the iPhone, rapidly emerged as the hippest
computer you could find. (We consider you hip just because you're reading this book.) You had to
plot in advance to get the subsequent versions as well. We suspect that you've strategized on getting
the iPad mini, too.
Speaking of the iPhone, if you own one or its close relative, the Apple iPod touch, you already have
a gigantic start in figuring out how to master the iPad multitouch method of navigating the interface
with your fingers. You have our permission to skim the rest of this chapter, but we urge you to stick
around anyway because some things on the iPad work in subtly different ways than on the iPhone or
iPod touch. If you're a total novice, don't fret. Nothing about multitouch is painful.
Getting Started on Getting Started
As with its larger sibling, you don't
need
a computer (and the connection to iTunes and whatever
program you use to store your contacts) to use an iPad mini. You see, the current flavor of the iOS
operating system, version 7 as this book went to press, lets you activate, set up, and apply iOS up-
dates to an iPad wirelessly, without having to connect it to a computer. (Chapter
3
has complete de-
tails.)
But even though you don't, technically,
need
a computer, we think you'll prefer using your iPad with
one rather than without one. So we don't recommend using your iPad totally unplugged unless you
really don't have a computer available to use.
In our experience, many tasks — such as iOS software updates and rearranging ap-
plication icons, to name just a couple — are faster and easier to do using iTunes on a Mac or
PC than on the iPad.
Now, here are the four things you need in order to use your iPad (and yes, after thinking about it, we
put a computer on the list):
A computer:
This can be either a Macintosh running Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or later, or a
PC running Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Home or Professional
Edition with Service Pack 3 or later. That's the official word from Apple anyway.
