Last Sunday I bought an iPad. Did not really plan on doing it, but a friend was getting one, needed me to drive to Seattle so, well, I was peer pressured into the purchase.
The fact that the iPad is not available in Canada and will not be until the end of May at the earliest makes it even cooler.
I have been a life long PC user. Other than an iPod, I have never used a Mac product. So from what I know of the iPad – basically an entertainment, computing device which is bigger than an iPhone but without the phone component. So as you can tell, I am a well informed consumer.
Before buying the iPad I see a cool folding case which doubles as a stand is available – or at least in theory. They are out of stock. No worries, I want the iPad. The Apple Dude swipes my Visa through a device and up pops all my information – I mean name, address, phone number, cell number and email address. All from a swipe of my Visa! We’ll talk privacy concerns another time.
Ok, do I have always heard about how easy Apple products are to configure so here was the test. The single page instruction sheet with the iPad said to connect with your iTunes account and boom – that was pretty much it.
Upon getting home I connect the iPad to my PC, type in my iTunes user name and password and a few minutes later music, videos and photos are synced with my iPad. Cool! A few seconds later I connect the iPad to my WiFi. Easy.
So now I want to start downloading apps – the mini programs which make the iPad special. Cue the screeching tires – iTunes says I cannot download apps because I am in Canada. So now, I go from having coolest cutting edge device to a very expensive digital photo frame.
Never one to allow simple things like rules to stop me – I gave it some thought, did a bit of research and came up with the solution.
Here is a step-by-step outline of how you – fellow great Canadians – can make your pre-Canadian release of the iPad work like a charm.
1) Drive to US, buy iPad, the cool iPad cover and an iTunes gift card of at least $15 in value.
2) Stop for lunch at Jack-In-the-Box. This is key. Almost as key as the iTunes card. Trust me. Make unsuspecting friend pay for meal.
3) Tweet that you have an iPad and your loser friends do not.
4) Once at home, put iPad into the case. This will make the iPad – which apparently arrives greased in a slippery substance so you will drop, break and have to re-purchase (well played Mr. Jobs…well played) – easier to hold.
5) Connect iPad to your computer and sync up via iTunes.
6) There is no six.
7) Connect your iPad to your WiFi and surf away.
8 ) On iPad log out of current iTunes account and click create new account.
9) Sign up for new iTunes account using a different email address from your other account.
10) For the mailing address I suggest using your current house number and street name but put the City as Beverly Hills; the State as California; Zip Code as 90210; and country as US. Really, it was the only Zip Code I can remember off the top of my head.
11) For payment form click “Redeem Gift Card” and enter in the code from the back of the iTunes gift card. Do NOT enter in a credit card as “another” or “additional form of payment” for when your gift card runs out. As soon as you do that, Apple knows you are a Canadian resident.
12) Download a whack of free apps and paid apps – but do not use up the full amount on your gift card. Some basic math skills are involved here so download a free calculator app to help.
13) When you want to sync your iTunes music, etc. log out of your “US account” and log back into your “original iTunes” account. When you want to download apps sign into your new iTunes gift card account.
Boom! Now go have fun and be the envy of your friends.
Coming soon – how to get US based streaming TV playing on your iPad…or how to say, “I have no idea how that video / those videos / those 22gb of videos / ended up on my iPad” in a convincing manner.
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