Table of contents for Issue 74 in iPad User Magazine

With iPadOS 15 on the horizon (it might even be out by the time you read this) we feel a bit like we’re spinning our wheels until we can enjoy all the new features that Apple has got in store for us. Check out the feature on page 4 this month where we compile our 10 favourite new features. What are you most looking forward to? For me it’s the improvements to multitasking and the new Notes features, including the new system-wide Quick Note ability to swipe up from the bottom right of the screen to start writing a quick note. Of course, software is only one side of the iPad coin - it’s the hardware that makes an iPad special. And thanks to the iPad’s ability with Bluetooth, it’s…

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes YOU WILL LEARN You will learn how to make music on youriPad YOU’LL NEED GarageBand. iPadOS 14 or later We love GarageBand on our iPad and iPhone: it’s tons of fun, easy to use, and it works brilliantly with GarageBand  and Logic Pro X on the Mac. (Check out our Make Music on Your Mac feature in MF365.) That means it’s as happy in a serious music production workflow as it is being poked and prodded by a young kid on the sofa. We use it to demo songs or capture musical ideas before turning them into finished songs in Logic; but it’s as easy for complete novices to experiment with unusual instruments and make block-rocking beats. There are lots of great music apps for…

1 Open any app First of all, we’re going to use Slide Over. This lets you view a second app in a panel that floats over the top of the first. Start by opening an app – we’ve chosen Safari here. 2 Launch another Ready to open another app? Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock. Tap and hold on the second app’s icon, drag it to the centre of the screen, and let go. 3 Move the app Once the second app is on the screen, you can start using it. You can also move the panel left or right by tapping and dragging the top handle, swiping instead to hide it. 4 Add another app If you want to work with a third…

FROM £179.99 FROM Logitech, logitech.com FEATURES Backlit keyboard, High-precision trackpad, Smart connector With Apple doing its own bit to blur the lines between Macs and iPads by enabling more cross-over between devices, third-party peripheral companies such as Logitech, have been aiding the cause by releasing cool contraptions like the Combo Touch that instantly turn your iPad into a Mac in all but name. Track and trace With many of us likely to continue flexible working, iPad keyboard cases are proving themselves as effective tools for hot-desking or home working and provide a cost-effective way of creating a lightweight laptop. And the Combo Touch, recently updated to accommodate the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), is as good as they get and is Logitech’s largest-ever to…

Multitasking In iPadOS 15, there is a new tool that sits at the top of your open apps, and tapping on it reveals the multitasking menu. From this menu, you can make your current app go into split-view and then open another from your Home Screen. You can also minimise apps to a ‘shelf’ and come back to them later. System-wide translation Thanks to the arrival of the Translate app, translation is possible from within any of your other apps, including Photos. Just tap to highlight foreign text in images using Live Text, and then you will be able to get the text instantly translated, as if by magic. Updated widgets While the option to drag widgets to your Home Screen was introduced with iPadOS 14, there is now a…

1 Pick what to play Install and launch GarageBand then create a new song. Let’s pick an instrument from the Sound Browser. Swipe left or right for different instrument types and tap to select a specific one such as Alchemy Synth. 2 Make some noise We picked this synth because you can play it with one finger: select Fast Gate from the middle section and hold down a piano key to hear a bubbling synth pattern. To record it, press the red circle icon before pressing the key(s). 3 See your stuff the third icon Tap on from the very top left to enter Tracks view. The green block is what you just recorded. Drag the ends to trim it, double-tap and select Loop. This repeats the recording to fill…

B&O Beosound Explore > £169 > bang-olufsen.com WE’RE IMPRESSED Excellent balance; attractive, tough design; great small size. WE’D IMPROVE Sound isn’t expansive; no 3.5mm audio jack input. THE LAST WORD Small and ultra-tough, the Explore excels in both looks and build quality. It also sounds seriously impressive, although it’s a bit lacking in oomph when compared to the JBL. However, once you factor in its much smaller and more portable package – not to mention that epic battery life – it rapidly becomes the obvious choice for your backpack, whether you’re heading to the park or the mountains. JBL Charge 5 > £159.99 > jbl.com WE’RE IMPRESSED Loud, powerful sound; 20-hour battery life; can also charge. WE’D IMPROVE No EQ settings; can’t use PartyBoost with Connect+ speakers; no 3.5mm audio…

It’s important to know that not all iPads support the first-gen Apple Pencil YOU WILL LEARN How the Apple Pencil works and the main differences between the two generations The difference between an ordinary pencil and an Apple Pencil is pretty clear. The former is for writing, drawing and shading on paper; the latter, for writing, drawing and shading on iPads. The Apple Pencil may look a lot like a normal pencil but there’s a lot of technology crammed into its compact case. Which is just as well, as it costs quite a bit more than a normal pencil does. The first-generation Apple Pencil was launched in 2015 and is still on sale; the second-generation launched in late 2018. If you’re buying one, it’s important to know that not all…

1 Magnetic charging The first-gen’s Lightning charging involved sticking a pencil into your iPad’s charging port – which felt like a broken connector waiting to happen. The second-gen doesn’t have any connectors – it uses MagSafe-style inductive charging when you magnetically attach it to a compatible iPad. 2 Tap sensor The second-gen Apple Pencil doesn’t have buttons; inside it has a tap sensor that can detect a tap or double-tap. In Apple apps, double-tapping near the tip switches back to the tool you used last; you can configure this in Settings > Apple Pencil. Third-party drawing or notes apps offer different options. 3 Tilt and pressure sensors Sensors inside the Apple Pencil can identify the angle you’re holding it at and how hard you’re pressing down. That’s useful for drawing…

1 A big library Toolbox Pro initially looks like a list of normal Apple shortcuts that are separated into categories, but the reality is that the app is required for many of them to work properly. 2 Check the detail Some of the shortcuts are not so easy to understand, but descriptions are included showing exactly what they do and how they manage the process. It’s all very clear. 3 Change one setting You will need to go to Settings > Shortcuts and enable ‘Allow Untrusted Shortcuts’ for many of the shortcuts to work. Without this, many of the shortcuts will fail to run. 4 The first way From the official Shortcuts app, you can select Toolbox Pro in ‘Apps’, and then choose one of the listed shortcuts. You can…