The gods have bestowed upon you the gift of a new Apple iPad Air or Retina display iPad mini. Gee golly yay! Now what?
Whether you're a seasoned iOS veteran, a technically inclined relative, or a tablet n00b, here's a simple guide on what to do once you power on that new iPad.
Backup and Syncing
When you get a new iDevice, you can either set it up from scratch or you can restore from a backup. If you choose the latter, you have two options: syncing via iTunes over USB or Wi-Fi, or using iCloud. Apple has instructions on how to do both here and here, respectively.
Setting up and using iCloud for syncing and storage is theoretically more painless than manually syncing over the course of your iPad use -- just set it up, and your photos and data sync automatically to the cloud. But iCloud periodically has outages and developers continue to have issues with implementing the service in their own apps. Manual iTunes syncing takes more time, but is generally more foolproof.
Apps
Below are some of this year's must-have iPad apps. The list isn't exhaustive (so share your personal suggestions in the comments), but it will get you started on your iPad with a wide variety of creative and entertaining offerings.
Netflix - (Free) Netflixing on the tablet before bed is one of my favorite pastimes. This is the sort of thing the iPad was made for.
YouTube (Free) - The best way to watch cat videos on the go. YouTube doesn't come bundled with iOS like it used to, but that's fine because the app has a ton more useful features and is better looking now.
HBO Go (Free) - If you have a subscription, you can get HBO's offerings right on your tablet, which is awesome if you're as obsessed with Game of Thrones or The Wire as we are.
iBooks (Free) - It's super easy to grab book titles from Apple's book store. The app offers several options as far as text size, font, and colors go. If you're already a Kindle user, you may prefer the Kindle app though.
Facebook (Free) - If you've got a Facebook account, you should install the Facebook app. We do find it still crashes on occasion, but the iPad experience is definitely superior on the app than on the website.
Twitter (Free) - Unless you're a Twitter power user, Twitter's own iPad app will serve your 140-character messaging needs just fine -- especially if that's what you already use on the Mac and your iPhone.
Candy Crush Saga (Free) - If you haven't played this game yet, be careful: It's unapologetically addictive. Flip colorful candies around onscreen to make matches, earn points, and unlock boosters in this saccharine puzzle game.
BADLAND ($4) - Use finger taps to guide a puffball-like creature around onscreen obstacles. With beautiful graphics and an entertaining premise, it was chosen as Apple's top iPad game of the year.
Infinity Blade III ($7) - Utilize your new tablet's processing prowess with this epic sword-fighting adventure. The stunningly detailed visuals look like they could be out of a movie.
IMDB (Free) - You'll be watching movies on your iPad, and you'll inevitably have questions like, "Wait, what else was that actor in?" Be prepared with IMDB's extensive iPad-optimized database of cinematic information.
Rdio (Free) - Rdio is tops when it comes to discovering new music, although if you're more into the classics, Spotify does have Led Zeppelin now. You'll want to grab a subscription if you don't have one already.
Yahoo Weather (Free) - A weather app? Yeah, a weather app. Yahoo Weather features gorgeous full-screen visuals catered to your location sourced from its vast Flickr stores. It's a truly pleasant way to glean the weather forecast each day.
Settings
Once you've downloaded a solid app lineup, it's time to go into the settings menu and do some tweaking. Most of the default settings are fine, but if you're sharing the device with a family member or setting it up for an older relative, these may adjustments may come in handy.
__Gestures: __
Under Settings > General, turn Multitasking Gestures on. This gives you a couple extra ways to navigate around using four or five fingers, including pinching out of an app and into the home screen, or swiping left or right to toggle between apps.
__Text Size and Accessibility: __
Apple's iOS 7 offers a number of useful features for the visually impaired and for anyone will less than optimal eyesight. Under Settings > General > Text Size, you can adjust the display type for the system, and for third-party apps that support Dynamic Type.
Under Accessibility, there's a host of other settings too. You can switch on VoiceOver and tap onscreen text to have it read out loud to you. Switch on Zoom so you can double tap with three fingers to zoom in on the entire iPad screen. You can also adjust the contrast on the screen.
For the hearing impaired, Hearing Aid Mode (located under Settings > General > Accessibility > Hearing Aids) is designed to improve audio for those wearing hearing aids.
__Restricted Access: __
If your new iPad is going to frequently get used by the kiddos, you can use Guided Access (Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access) to lock them into a certain app and even restrict what parts of the screen they can tap on. Similarly, you can use Settings > General > Restrictions to choose what apps and services are available for your younger iPad users to access.
__Battery Saving: __
If you want to get the most out of your iPad's already substantial battery life, you can do a couple things. In Control Center (accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen) or the Settings menu, turn down the brightness. You can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn that feature off for all apps, or just data-hungry ones, to reduce the amount of silent updating going on in the background. If you're not using apps that require your location you can also go to Settings > General > Privacy and turn off Location Services to stop your GPS from constantly pinging Wi-Fi and cell towers to pinpoint your location.
__Lock Rotation: __
If you always want to use your iPad in a specific orientation, whether landscape or portrait, go to Settings > General and select lock rotation. You can always change your mind and switch it off later.
__Turn Off Parallax: __
Some folks find the parallax effect in iOS 7 more nausea-inducing than awesome. Others find it messes up their iPad wallpaper choices. If either is the case for you, go to Settings > General > Accessibility and turn off Parallax. If your wallpaper is stretched out or has black borders along the edges, go here for instructions on how to fix it.
