iPad mini Basic Training - iPad Mini - page 23

The iCloud service has higher requirements: Mac OS X Lion (10.7), OS X Mountain Lion
(10.8) or OS X Mavericks (10.9) or higher for Macs; or Windows Vista or Windows 7 and 8
for PCs. Flip to Chapter 3 for details about iCloud.
iTunes software: More specifically, you need version 10.7. or later of iTunes — emphasis on
the later because by the time you read this, it is later.
Thatis,unlessyou'reafanofthepopularTVshow Mad Men andcan'trememberwhatdecade
you're living in. All kidding aside, Apple constantly tweaks iTunes to make it better. You can
go to www.itunes.com/download to fetch a copy. Or, launch your current version of
iTunes and then choose iTunes (Help in Windows) ⇒ Check for Updates.
For the uninitiated, iTunes is the nifty Apple jukebox software that owners of iPods and
iPhones, not to mention PCs and Macs, use to manage music, videos, apps, and more. iTunes
is at the core of the iPad as well because an iPod is built into the iPad. You can use iTunes
to synchronize a bunch of stuff from your Mac or PC to and from an iPad, including (but not
limited to) apps, photos, movies, TV shows, podcasts, iTunes U lectures, and of course, mu-
sic.
Syncing is such a vital part of this process that we devote an entire chapter (Chapter 3 ) to the
topic.
An Apple ID account: Read Chapter 7 for details on how to set up an account, but, like most
things Apple, the process isn't difficult. You'll want an account to download content from
iTunes or the App Store or to take advantage of iCloud.
Internet access: Your iPad can connect to the Internet in one of two ways: Wi-Fi or cellular
(if you bought an iPad mini with the capabilities of tapping into 3G or 4G networks when
available). You can connect your iPad to cyberspace via Wi-Fi in your home, office, school,
favorite coffeehouse, or bookstore, or in numerous other spots.
At press time, 3G (third-generation) and 4G (fourth-generation) wireless data
connections were available from many carriers in countries too numerous to mention; in
the United States, you can choose between AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile.
Those wireless carriers are still building the zippier 4G (fourth-generation) networks across
the USA, with Verizon in the lead with the fastest variety, called LTE — shorthand for Long
Term Evolution. While the others play catch-up on LTE, the latest iPad mini on AT&T and
T-Mobile makes nice with other pretty fast networks, including something known as HSPA+ .
Unlike the cellphone contract you may have with your cellular carrier, no long-term service
commitment is required to connect your iPad to the network.