What is involved with setup of an Ipad at an Apple Store?

I walked out with a sealed box

flyiguy said:

Hello,
I just received the email about picking up a reserved Ipad with the following line "we'll have Specialists ready to help you set up your iPad". Could a few people that picked up their Ipad at an apple store explain what they do or offer during the setup? How long it takes? Would there be a possible benefit for someone who knows how to work and setup an iphone?

I would expect they setup email and show you the app store and maybe a trick or two and then answer any questions? Is it something more to it? Thanks

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You need to connect your iPad to a web-connected iTunes to "register" (no need for actual registration with Apple, just activate over the Internet) it before use. For some people it's a challenging step, for others it's like breathing. They'll activate and set up your mail account and try to upsell MobileMe if you don't already have it.

It's totally unnecessary for most. For a friend's 60-something mom, it would have been a good idea because she couldn't figure out how to do it when she got home.

When I got my WiFi iPad on April 3rd, I knew that I wasn't going to have a lot of time to set things up on it before I had to go off to work that afternoon, so I went ahead and activated it at the Apple store, setting it up with my MobileMe/dot Mac email address, etc. That way I could spend the little time I had that day (before reluctantly putting the iPad down and going to work) in actually playing with it. Later that night when I was home again I still played with it and it wasn't until the next day that I finally got around to setting it up with the rest of my email accounts and syncing it so that I could get my photos and apps in there.

When I bought the 3G iPad I had plenty of time so didn't bother to activate that one in the store, just did everything at home.

Basically the in-store activation gets the iPad up and running so that one can then begin exploring the internet, checking email and doing whatever else he or she wants to do straightaway, but to add one's own photos and videos and other stuff it will be necessary to properly sync with a computer at home.