Apps, also known as “programs that run on the iPad” (and iPhone and iPod Touch), make Apple’s tablet a versatile device beyond its role as, say, a Web window or portable email reader. As mentioned in Chapter 1, the iPad gives you several of its own apps right on the Home screen, alongside the previously discussed Safari and Mail apps.

Four of these apps handle personal organization tasks: Calendars (for keeping your appointments), Contacts (your address book), Reminders (a to-do list), and Notes (for jotting down bits of text to yourself). One app, Maps, helps you find yourself and chart your course, while another, iMessage, lets you reach out and send text messages, photos, and more to other iOS users. (Need to keep track of all this? That’s where the Notifications Center comes in.)