New Apple iPad, iPad Air, or iPad Mini set up steps

Christmas Day is here, Apple fans, so you know what that means: iPads being unwrapped from coast to coast. The newest additions to the iPad family are the iPad Air$479.00 at Target.com and iPad mini (with Retina Display)$399.00 at Apple Store. If you happen to be a fortunate techie who receives one of these slates—whatever the holiday you celebrate—let us say congratulations on acquiring one of the best tablets on the market today. The Apple iPad, after all, is a wonderful combination of excellent design and deep app-store integration.
But the iPad isn't quite ready for use out of the box. Oh, no: you must first set up the device. Thankfully, it isn't at all difficult. If you want to know exactly what you need to do to set up an iPad Air or iPad mini, follow these simple steps.
After you do that, don't forget to check out The 10 Best Free iPad Apps and The 100 Best iPad Apps for software suggestions. Because, while the iPad is a great tablet piece of hardware, it's the software that really makes it sing.

1. Select a language. There are over two dozen languages available including English, Spanish, Dutch, and Polish.

2. Select a country or region. Same deal here. There are many locations to choose from including Thailand, the United States, and Zimbabwe.
3. You have the option to set up the iPad over Wi-Fi or by using iTunes. We recommended going the Wi-Fi route as you can set up the new iPad from anywhere (you don't have to physically connect the tablet to a PC).
4. After you do that, select "Set Up as New iPad."

5. Select "Create a Free Apple ID."
6. Enter your birthday. This is used to determine age-appropriate services and apps, and to help recover your password should you forget it.
7. Enter a first and last name.
8. Decide if you want to use an existing email address or create a free iCloud email address.
9. Select three security questions and answers. These, too, will help you when recovering a forgotten password.
10. Enter a rescue email account that you'll use to recover your password should you have problems with your primary email address.
11. Determine if you want email updates turned on/off. This will send Apple news and software announcements to your inbox. Or not.
14. Read the terms and conditions.
15. Do you want to use iCloud? Make your choice here.
16. If you want to use iMessgae and FaceTime, associate it with your Apple ID. Or, simply skip this step.
17. You have the option to create a four-digit passcode.
18. Diagnostics & Usage is the final step. Choose to have the iPad automatically send/don't send diagnostic and usage data to Apple.
19. That's it! Tap "Start Using iPad" to finally arrive at the iPad's home screen.