Introduction

Conventions Used in This Book

This book uses certain conventions to help you find your way around, including

Text you type in a text box is in bold. Figure references, such as “see Figure 1-1,” are also in bold, to help you find them.

Whenever I mention a website address, or URL, I put it in a different font, like this.

Figure callouts draw your attention to actions you need to perform. In some cases, points of interest in a figure might be indicated. The text tells you what to look for; the callout line makes it easy to find.

Tip icons point out insights or helpful suggestions related to tasks in the step lists.

New icons highlight what features of iPad 2 or iOS 5 are new and exciting, in case you’re moving up from earlier versions.

If you bought this book (or are even thinking about buying it), you’ve probably already made the decision to buy an iPad. The iPad is set up to be simple to use, but still, you can spend hours exploring the preinstalled apps, finding how to change settings, and syncing the device to your computer or through iCloud. I’ve invested those hours so that you don’t have to — and I’ve added advice and tips for getting the most out of your iPad.

This book helps you get going with the iPad quickly and painlessly so that you can move directly to the fun part.

About This Book

This book is specifically written for mature people like you, folks who may be relatively new to using computing gadgets and want to discover the basics of buying an iPad, working with its preinstalled apps, and getting on the Internet. In writing this book, I’ve tried to consider the types of activities that might interest someone who is 50 years old or older and picking up an iPad for the first time.

Foolish Assumptions

This book is organized by sets of tasks. These tasks start from the beginning, assuming that you’ve never laid your hands on an iPad, and guide you through basic steps provided in nontechnical language.

This book covers both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G iPad features. I’m also assuming that you’ll want to download and use the iBooks e-reader app, so I tell you how to do that in Chapter 9 and cover its features in Chapter 10.

Why You Need This Book

The iPad is cool and perfect for many seniors because it provides a simple, intuitive interface for activities such as checking e-mail and playing music. But why should you stumble around, trying to figure out its features? Using the simple step-by-step approach in this book, you can get up to speed with the iPad right away and overcome any technophobia you might have.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is conveniently divided into several handy parts to help you find what you need:

Part I: Making the iPad Your Pad: If you’re about to buy your iPad or are ready to get started with the basics of using it, this part is for you. These chapters highlight the newest features in iPad 2 and iOS 5 and help you explore the different specifications, styles, and price ranges for all iPad models. You find out how to set up your iPad out of the box, including

• Opening an iCloud account to register and push content to all your Apple devices automatically.

• Opening an iTunes account to buy entertainment content and additional apps.

These chapters also provide information for exploring the iPad Home screen when you first turn it on, and useful accessibility features to help out if you have hearing or vision challenges.

Part II: Taking the Leap Online: In Part II, you find out how to connect to the Internet and use the built-in Safari browser. You putter with the preinstalled Mail app and set up your iPad to access e-mail from your existing e-mail accounts. In this part, you also get to shop online for multimedia content, such as movies and music, and additional fun iPad apps. You explore the exciting FaceTime feature, used for making video calls to other people who use the iPad 2, a Mac, the iPhone 4 or 4S, or the iPod touch.

Part III: Having Fun and Consuming Media: The iPad has been touted by some as a device for consuming media such as music, podcasts, and movies. Built into the iPad are a Music app for playing music and the Videos and YouTube apps for watching video content. In addition, in Part III I explain how to use iBooks, the free e-reader app from Apple. You also explore playing games on your iPad, which — trust me — is a lot of fun. Finally, explore playing around with the Maps app to find your favorite restaurant or bookstore with ease. You also discover the wonderful possibilities for using still and video cameras on iPad 2, and the amazingly fun things you can do with Photo Booth and videos in Chapters 12 and 13, respectively.

In this part you also explore the new Newsstand app for subscribing to and reading magazines.

Part IV: Managing Your Life and Your iPad: For the organizational part of your brain, the iPad makes available Calendar, Contacts, and Notes apps, all of which are covered in this part. I also offer advice about keeping your iPad safe and troubleshooting common problems that you might encounter, including using the Find My iPad feature to deal with a lost or stolen iPad. You can also use the new iCloud service to back up your content or restore your iPad.

The new Reminders app and Notification Center feature in iOS 5 are great for keeping you on schedule. Reminders is a great to-do list feature that allow you enter tasks and details about them, and can also display tasks from your online calendars. Notification Center sends you alerts for apps and items you select to be notified about.

Where to Go from Here

You can work through this book from beginning to end or simply open a chapter to solve a problem or acquire a specific new skill whenever you need it. The steps in every task quickly get you to where you want to go, without a lot of technical explanation.

Note: At the time I wrote this book, all the information it contained was accurate for the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G iPads and iPad 2s, version 5 of the iOS (operating system) used by the iPad, and version 10.5 of iTunes. Apple is likely to introduce new iPad models and new versions of iOS and iTunes between book editions. If you’ve bought a new iPad and its hardware, user interface, or the version of iTunes on your computer looks a little different, be sure to check out what Apple has to say at www.apple.com/ipad. You’ll no doubt find updates on the company’s latest releases. When a change is very substantial, we may add an update or bonus information that you can download at this book’s companion web site, www.dummies.com/go/ipadforseniors.

Please note that some special symbols used in this eBook may not display properly on all eReader devices. If you have trouble determining any symbol, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 800-762-2974. Outside of the United States, please call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at www.wiley.com/techsupport.