Connect your iPad to your computer and work with iTunes

Connect the iPad to your computer

Odds are you had that iPad from its box about five seconds once you got it. Yeah, you have been running your hands over its smooth edges, turning it on and tapping your way round the screen. In addition to that sleek tablet, you will find the following in the box:

A white USB cable with Apple's flat 30-pin Dock Connector plug on one end and a standard flat USB plug on the other.
A square-shaped10-watt USB power adapter.
Just a little quick-start information.

What you want right now is the USB cable. Connect the little, narrow end to your computer's USB port and the wide, flat end towards the iPad. The first time you connect your iPad to some computer, the iTunes Setup Assistant walks you thru a few steps to get your iPad all set.

Set up the iPad in iTunes

The first time you plug in your new iPad, the Setup Assistant leaps into action, suggesting that you name your iPad, and if you'd like to sync all the photos, videos, along with other content on your computer to the tablet. If you use iTunes already to handle an iPod or iPhone, odds are you already have a healthy media library on your computer.

Depending on the size your iPad's drive, you may be able to fit all your stuff on it - or maybe not, if you have more than 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of digital treasures on your computer. If you have less than that and want to go all with you, just click the Finish button in the Setup box. iTunes loads a copy of everything in its library that fits onto your iPad.

During this process, the Setup Assistant lets you turn on the iPad's VoiceOver feature, that is part of Apple's accessibility software for its products VoiceOver is really a screen reader for the visually impaired that announces menu names and titles aloud. It basically narrates what's on the iPad screen, speaks up whenever you get new messages, and describes whatever icon you touch.

Disconnect the iPad from your computer

When it comes time to disconnect your iPad in the computer, you don't really have to do anything whatsoever special: Just unplug the cable and take off, iPad in hand. The only time you don't want to unplug the cable is when the iPad screen says Sync in Progress. This means the iPad and computer are exchanging data and if you disconnect the USB cable, one of those devices is not going to get all the files you're attempting to copy between the two.

Now, the simplicity of this disconnection process sounds scary to longtime iPod owners who remember ominous error messages and often scrambled iPods if they pulled the plug. If you want to go oldschool with an Eject button, iTunes gives you a couple of options:

Click the small Eject icon next to the name of your iPad in the iTunes Source list.
If your iPad's already selected in the Source list, choose Control, then Eject iPad or press Ctrl+E.

Now you can unplug your iPad without any fear.

iTunes on the iPad

iTunes not only lets you decide which songs, books, and videos end up on your iPad, it may also help you keep your iPad's internal software up to date, shows you how much space you have left on your tablet, and lets you change your music, video, and podcast synchronization options.

Whenever you connect your 'Pad to your computer, it turns up in the iTunes Source list, Click the iPad icon to determine your options, represented by a series of tabs towards the top of the screen. Each tab enables you to control a different type of content, like music, photos, or games. On the Summary screen, iTunes tells you:

The size of your iPad's storage space and its serial number.
Whether your 'Pad has the latest software on it.
Whether you place iTunes to automatically synchronize with your iPad or whether you need to update its contents manually.
The various media types filling your iPad.
Your iPad's contents and playlists.

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