With the holiday season starting in just a few weeks, there is already a big holiday buzz about the Apple iPad. The iPad is bound to be one of the most popular holiday gifts this season. Whether you are looking for an electronic book reader, the latest apps, a portable media player, or just a fun new gadget, the iPad will be making its debut in many households this December.

Getting a new piece of technology can be a lot of fun. Brand new iPad owners posted entire videos on You Tube featuring them doing nothing more than opening the box. The unboxing ceremonies became a huge hit on the Internet. Now that you have gone through your ceremonial “unboxing”, it is time to use iPad. If you aren’t familiar with Apple iPods, iPhones, or most technologies, this could be a very frustrating task. Fear not as I am here to help show you how to set up your Apple iPad for optimal performance.

The first thing you want to do after your iPad unboxing is to connect your new baby directly to your computer with the USB cable. Open your iTunes software once you are connected to the computer. If you don’t have iTunes, you will want to download it before you connect your iPad. iTunes is free fairly easy to set up.

Once your iPad is connected to your iTunes you will be asked to register. This may be where you experience your first hiccup in the process. If the iPad is not connected properly it is likely your version of iTunes is out of date. Just go ahead and update your iTunes and you should be fine upon restart.

You will be asked to register your iPad once iTunes recognizes it. Make sure you register because if something goes wrong with your iPad, you may be delayed in receiving a remedy from Apple if it isn’t registered.  So go ahead and register your iPad.

Next you will be asked to restore your iPad to its original state or set up your iPad as new. Obviously this is a brand new iPad so you want to choose the option which lets you “Set up a new iPad.” Keep in mind if you do want to restore the iPad it could take quite awhile. So in the future if you do have to do a restore, make sure you set up your restore at a time where you don’t need immediate access to your iPad.

The next step will be to sync your media. You will be asked to set up iTunes so it automatically syncs. I choose not to do this with any of my Apple devices.  If there is one fault with the iPad it is that the iPad apps are huge and you will fill up your iPad fast. So choose carefully when it comes to syncing your media. If you have a ton of movies in your iTunes, you may want to only sync the movies or videos that you intend to watch right away. Otherwise you are going to fill up your iPad quick with a bunch of files you won’t be using in the immediate future. My recommendation is to sync your media manually so you can pick and choose what you want on your iPad.

Email set up is one of the easiest things to set up on the iPad. It is as simple as selecting your email program, entering your login information, and then you are good to go.

I would also recommend taking some time and searching the Internet for Apple iPad tricks and tips. There are a ton of really cool things that some iPad users have done with the device. There are things you would never dream of that some people have figured out and posted step by step tutorials online for new iPad owners like you.

Now you are set up to receive email, download apps, and watch your favorite media on your new toy. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the wonderful world of this amazing piece of technology. It will change your life and before you know it, it will be time to make a race to the store for Apple’s next version of the iPad.

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