While words and images do not do the iPad 2 justice, they are necessary in order to enjoy the full power of this transformative device. Apple’s online manual is a start. However, even though the iPad 2 is a sleek device with a familiar user interface that enables it to function out of the box and facilitates learning about its intricacies, users need a more developed guidebook that details the iPad hardware, applications, and third-party products. This book fulfills that need with clarity and completeness. Because it helps users maximize their command of the iPad 2, I highly recommend it as an adjunct to the device.
Unlike the typical user manual, this book starts with useful information about decisions regarding storage and wireless services that need to be made before purchasing the device. In addition, the book is careful to note what is often neglected in support material: a computer with a universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 port and iTunes is essential for setting up and maintaining the iPad 2.
The book opens with four chapters on software and hardware issues that users need to master to develop their iPad 2 skills. For example, one of the most useful sections details how to employ iTunes to manage the iPad 2. This section is an example of how the book teaches a skill--how to put data and media on the device, and how to synchronize the iPad 2 with a computer--that is given little treatment in the user manual. The ensuing chapters are particularly useful in treating aspects of hardware, maintenance, and accessories, and in walking the reader through using and customizing the device. A chapter on connecting to the Internet will help readers avoid some of the frustrations that can arise when trying to gain access.
After these initial chapters that broadly apply to using the iPad 2, the book devotes chapters to specific programs that users are likely to employ. In the process, the book reveals details that casual users are likely to miss. For example, the chapter on Safari, the Apple Web browser, explains the effects of disabling JavaScript and lists the supported audio and video formats. The chapter is, in effect, a full tutorial on Safari in that it exhaustively covers its features, including helpful notes on how to clear the cache and cookies. It also provides a succinct but important section on the inability of iPad to play videos encoded in Flash.
The iPad is noted for its capacity to display images and play music, and the book does not neglect these features. Three chapters, which are unfortunately separated by other chapters, cover running music and videos; using the photo application; and using the built-in multimedia hardware to record videos. Furthermore, they masterfully cover such ancillary but helpful topics as how to use the iPod app and how to project the iPad screen for multiple viewers. The chapter on digital photographs is especially strong in its comprehensive treatment of how to import and export images to and from various media. As with the rest of the book, the treatment of these topics is clear, precise, detailed, informative, and amply illustrated. Moreover, these chapters include discussions about useful accessories in the context of deploying iPad apps.
Although the iPad 2 is not thought of as a device for displaying and producing text, the book clearly presents its power and range in this area by devoting chapters to iBooks, email, and iWork, a software suite that encompasses word processing, a spreadsheet, and a presentation manager. The most useful material in these chapters covers iWorks, because its range of applications is not as well known as that of other productivity packages. This chapter dispels the myth that iPad 2 is purely a conduit for entertainment and an instrument for data consumption rather than production. The theme of productivity is carried through in chapters that: demonstrate how to use the desktop as a business tool for taking notes, keeping track of contacts, and using the calendar; display the multifaceted ways to use maps; and discuss such utilities as news and weather apps.
This book is comprehensive without being tedious, and lively without being shallow. It is well written and well illustrated, with images that teach rather than merely adorn. The book ably supplements Apple’s iPad 2 manual. I recommend it for users who want to have an in-depth knowledge of the device. With this book, casual users can easily become experts.
