This is another iPad Basics tip that seems to come up often in forum and support discussion threads: what to do when the space bar key is missing from the iPad’s keyboard in the Safari browser app.

In this case, it’s just as much about what to know as what to do. What you need to know is that at the top of the Safari screen there are both an Address Bar and a Search Bar. In the Address Bar you can only type website addresses, which do not ever have spaces in them – so the iPad removes the space bar key when you place your cursor in the Address Bar.

In the Search Bar – which is farther right at the top of the Safari screen – you type search terms, which can have spaces. So the iPad keyboard includes the space bar when you place your cursor in the Search Bar.

So if you find that the space bar is missing in Safari, it just means that you’re in the Address Bar, not the Search Bar – and you need to move your cursor over to the Search Bar if you need to type in search keywords and use spaces.

In iOS 7, Safari gets a new ‘unified smart search field’ which is just one bar that lets you enter a website address or a search term – as the Chrome web browser does in its omnibox. This is a much easier way to do things and will be a welcome improvement to Safari.

Here’s a handy tip for newer iPad users. If you don’t like the default font in the iPad’s built-in Notes app, it’s very easy to change it.

You don’t have a broad range of choices, but there are 3 fonts you can choose to use with the iPad Notes app. Here’s how to select the one you want:

– Open the Settings app.

– Tap on the Notes item in the left sidebar, just below the entries for iCloud and Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

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There are a number of reasons why it might be important to identify which iPad model you have, or which iPad model you are considering buying. For starters, it might well influence what price you are willing to pay or can expect to receive when buying or selling an iPad.

Luckily, it’s a very easy thing to do. Here’s how to identify which model an iPad is:

– Look at the back of your iPad. Down towards the center bottom you’ll see the word iPad, and below it the amount of storage space it has (16,32, or 64GB). Below that you’ll see some fine print about the iPad. The first line begins with ‘Designed by Apple in California.’ At the end of that line you’ll see ‘Model’ and a 5 character model number beginning with the letter ‘A’. For example, my iPad is Model A1430 – an iPad 3rd gen 64GB WiFi + Cellular model.

– Once you have your 5 character model number you can check it against Apple’s listing of all iPad models, found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5452

Apple’s listing will tell you which generation your iPad is, when it was released, and whether it is a WiFi only model or WiFI + Cellular.

That’s it. That’s all you need to know in order to identify which model an iPad is.

An Apple ID is used on the iPad, and all iOS devices, to sign in to all the built-in stores – the App Store, iTunes, and the iBookstore. You need an Apple ID in order to download and install apps, songs, movies, and books on the iPad.

One of the most common questions I see on iPad discussion forums is how to change the Apple ID on the iPad. It’s a very easy thing to do. Here’s how:

– Open the Settings app

– Scroll down the sections in the left sidebar and tap on ‘iTunes & App Stores’ (if you are running an older version of the iPad operating system than the current iOS 6, then this section will  just be labeled Store).

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