iPad 2: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13. Play Music and Other Audio

When the first iPad was announced in January 2010, many technology critics dismissed it as “a giant iPod Touch” before going back to complaining about other things they hadn’t actually experienced. Although that particular response was snarky, it was also correct. Partly, anyway. Among many other things, the iPad is a giant iPod Touch. And what a handsome flat-screen jukebox it is.

Thanks to its larger size, the iPad makes playing music, audiobooks, podcasts, and iTunes U lectures a breeze—it’s easy to find the tracks you want to hear, create your own playlists, control your music, and admire full-screen cover art on the bigger screen.

Granted, the iPad is a bit bulky to haul to the gym or schlep along for your morning jog, but it’s a great music machine for other situations—like when you have a stack of email to get through and you want to bliss out to a little Yo-Yo Ma.

Whether you’re after background music or front-and-center playback controls, this chapter shows you how to get your iPad singing. And if you pony up $5 for Apple’s GarageBand app for iPad, you may even find yourself singing along to your own songs on the tablet. Play on!

Get Music and Audio for Your iPad

Have absolutely no music or audio files on your computer? Here are a few ways to get them on your iPad. (If you’ve had an iPod for years and have the music-transfer thing down cold, ...