Customer Reviews

iPad: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The extensive features in Apple's newest creation, the "magical" iPad, deserve this new book in The Missing Manual series. In addition to its paperback version, iPad: The Missing Manual is available from the publisher, O'Reilly, in four different electronic media versions including ePub. This reviewer downloaded the ePub version to the iPad in order to read it there while exploring the very device it described.

A veteran author of books in The Missing Manual series, Biersdorfer, a New York Times tech columnist, provides clear, detailed explanations and helpful illustrations of the iPad's many features in a very readable, often entertaining way.

Experienced Apple users and iPhone users will find much of the text very elementary (e.g., "Turn the iPad On and Off" and "Find the Home Button," in Chapter One). The five chapters devoted to the multi-media iPod functions of the iPad, music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, photos and the newest addition, books, will be very helpful to those who come to the iPad without any prior experience with Apple products. But for those who have used a Mac, an iPod or an iPhone even for a short time, they seem superfluous. Not only do all these Apple devices have an easy and intuitive user interface, but also they are similar.

Justifiably, an entire chapter is devoted to the newest feature on any Apple device, books. Helpful sections on how to find books in the new iBookstore and elsewhere, ways to make the reading experience pleasant (changing font size, searching within a book, using bookmarks, etc.) are included in Chapter 8.

Owners who rely on the iPad as a productivity tool will welcome the chapters on email, the internet, and the iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote). There are many useful explanations and tips such as "all the programs in the iWork suite can export files as PDF documents [and] can export files in their native iWork formats...[but] although Pages can export to the native Microsoft Word .doc format, Numbers and Keynote can't export their contents as Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint files. Yet, anyway." Important information to know--and not obvious.

A very helpful feature of the ebook version of iPad: The Missing Manual is that tapping on any entry in the Table of Contents and/or the Index takes the reader immediately to that precise point in the book.

iPad: The Missing Manual will be most valuable to those with little or no previous Apple device experience. Nonetheless, even those who have used Apple products for years will find insights and tidbits that make using the iPad a more productive and pleasurable experience.

However great the iPad is, and however much you like the Missing Manuals series, don't buy this book in the kindle format until it is fixed. I downloaded the kindle sample, and was shocked by how badly formated this version is. The figures are all mixed up, the cover is missing, symbols seem to confused with figures, single paragraphs can take up entire pages, etc..

Before you buy this book for the kindle, try the free sample and see if you have the same problems I had.

I even tried reading it on the Kindle for iPad app. The colors looked nice, but the formatting was just as bad.

iPad, The Missing Manual (May 2010 First Edition) by J.D. Biersdorfer with David Pogue doesn't hold up to the usual standards of the Missing Manual series published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.

The book attempts to cover the latest and greatest from Apple, Inc, the iPad. While it follows the previous format set out by Mr. Pogue it lacks the value of previous titles. Ms. Biersdorfer seems to have taken much from the earlier work entitled: iPod, the Missing Manual. The reasoning is pretty clear. Once you've learned a skill on the older iPod it translates immediately to the iPad. With the possible exception of button placement everything is very similar. Her coverage of the iPod was considerable and here she struggles to define the uniqueness of the iPad over the iPod.

She does cover almost everything the beginning user will need to operate the iPod. If you are totally a novice in regard to Apple's iPods then this may help. I doubt, however, there are that many folks who have not experienced the iPod before purchasing an iPad. Therefore if you have purchased the Missing Manual for the iPod you will find it difficult to justifying purchasing the iPad book.

There were opportunities for improvement that could have made this book more productive. The mere mention of supportive programs like HandBrake do not suffice. A small tutorial on use of programs that are integral to fully benefiting from the iPad would have been nice. A section on best applications would have helped. Suggestions on alternatives to Apple accessories would be most useful and help defray the cost of the book too.

Unfortunately, opportunities did slip by and duplication of information from other books were the hallmark of this work. The new knowledge could have been better contained as a website update or pamphlet added to the back of the iPod book. Equally disconcerting the information may prove to be completely out of date by September when Version 4.0 of the software arrives from Apple.

Apple electronics owners are keenly aware that Apple devices seldom come packed with a useful operating manual; instead, they usually have a short "how-to-turn-on" the device and instructions to refer to online operating information. The Missing Manual series is a very useful and meaningful addition for Apple newbies and the "iPad" addition to this series provides an excellent how-to reference work characterized by clear, concise, easy-to-understand instructions supported by hundreds of photos of screen shots useful in its explanations.

Apple devotees understand that ease of use and intuitive interfaces and software are a hallmark of Apple products. Certainly Apple regulars or Apple iPhone users will quickly adapt to the iPad interface. This manual serves to assist first timers or simply those who want to fully experience the Apple product without unwittingly "missing" a key activity or action that was not discovered by experimenting with it. I have the missing manual series for all my Apple products and find them useful not only in learning about my new device, but also as a bookshelf resouce for questions that may arise later.

Whether a newbie wanting information about how the iPad functions, accessing iTunes, exploring the iPad's music/photo/video capabilities, or most any other introductory aspect to owning and utilizing this creative Apple product, the reader will appreciate the ongoing utility of this manual. True, it does not offer much new material for long time Apple users and/or "techies" but there appear to be a number of useful "nuggets" for them also. Recommended for those who miss having an operational manual accompany their purchases.

I have not read very much in iPad: The Missing Manual because my wife is reading it. My wife will not read, or even look for answers to questions in, computer books because they are written by computer people in a language that she cannot understand.

iPad: The Missing Manual is different. It is not like computer manuals. It is written by a real writer, J. D. Biersdorfer, in sentences real people can understand. It even has a touch of humor. For example after explaining how to edit a Safari history list so that you understand what it is and how to edit it, she adds, "Congratulations. You have just rewritten history!"

Contrary to the myths, not everything about iPad is intuitive and obvious. As an example, editing and reorganizing bookmarks is easy to do, but not obvious until you do it. With iPad: The Missing Manual learning to do it is easy, fast, and even enjoyable.

My wife likes her iPad. She is learning how to do more with it, and how to get the most out of it by reading iPad: The Missing Manual.

She sometimes asks me computer questions, but she does not ask me iPad questions. She knows I have not read yet iPad: The Missing Manual.

The entire "Missing Manual" series is dedicated to providing a solid users manual for a given product. This one is dedicated for the iPad and it does a very good job at providing a broad overview of the device, it's software, and basic functionality.

If you are an experienced iPhone or iPod Touch user you will not find a lot of value with this book. If you are new to iOS devices or are buying one for some then this book is a great starting point.

The chapters are organized to progress you through the usage of the device. The earlier chapters walk you through the iPad itself while the later chapters cover how to work with it.

The only criticism that I have is that I wished the author would have include a chapter regarding things you can't do or can't do very easily with an iPad. Topics like printing, website downloads, and other are thing real people will run into and need to know where they can go or what are the limitations.

If you are searching for a fairly complete and detailed iPad manual, this is it. If you want a quick reference with tips, don't choose this book. It is more detailed with lots of information and therefore is not a quick and easy reference guide. However, I love it and found it very useful.

I love the title of The Missing Manual for this line because it's so RIGHT. The whole line of books scales the spectrum from good to amazing. I have yet to read a single Missing Manual book that I didn't think was as advertised. This book is no exception as you will learn to get the most out of your iPad, from watching videos to buying stuff on the app and book store to everything in between!!

The iPad is a "game changer" piece of hardware and this book is the perfect companion for anyone that finds this under their Christmas tree from Santa Claus. You will be happy you did!!

***** RECOMMENDED

Great little book with lots of great info. Ordered the book before I purchased the iPad! Got the iPad on the run picked it up on Monday, leaving for Italy on Saturday and knew how to use it. Lots of little tips that would not known otherwise.

Well worth the money - easy to read and great layout.

Not a bad book, but depending on your knowledge level, you might learn very little.

I am no expert, but I did feel like the nuggets of information were few and far between. Much of the book is expecting as if you hadn't even turned the thing on -- that you've kept it in the box waiting for this book to arrive. So it's a fast read, and that made it even faster, since I've owned it for 3 months.

I think you could have found most of this on your own, by reading the Apple owner manual, etc. And there wasn't a lot of reviews of apps, etc., which to be fair, is probably pretty hard to pull off in a published book vs. a website, or even a magazine.

I do like David Pogue, and the writing style. I also can't say that there's a better book, just that I didn't feel like my point of reference I learned a lot.