How to use iPad's secret calculator

December 04, 2021

Apple devices are easy to use -- that's one reason we love them. But they also pack features that you might never know existed.

Like, for instance, the calculator functions built into iPads. Use the tips in this week's top how-to post to access this "secret" functionality.

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

P.S. After you master iPad math, why not watch Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues? The holiday special just premiered on Apple TV+, and according to our reviewer, it's a great way to spend 20 minutes getting into the Christmas spirit.

How-tos

There is a full-featured calculator hidden in your iPad, even though Apple never ported the iPhone Calculator app to its tablets. Actually, there are two of them. Here’s how to use them.

Now that the ever-popular Spotify Wrapped has launched for 2021, Apple Music users might want to know how they can review their favorite music from the past year. The answer is Apple Music Replay.

News and opinion

Apple also identifies “Connection” as the Trend of the Year, thanks to games like Among Us! and apps like Bumble, which “brought people together in meaningful ways.

Plus, more year-end surprises:

Apple’s largest tablet will supposedly add MagSafe, and it’ll be something of a game changer. However, Apple is allegedly considering using the iPhone version of MagSafe, which makes little sense.

Small businesses can now purchase new MacBooks for as little as $30 a month.

AirPods come in white, white and also white. But a collector scored a prototype pair in very unusual translucent blue casings.

Cupertino continues to work on a wireless charger, similar to the abandoned AirPower mat, that will allow users to juice up several devices simultaneously. And truly wireless charging might be on the horizon.

Some say their machines fail to charge when powered off, with the LED light on the MagSafe charger flashing amber, indicating a charging glitch.

They utilize them to track cars they’d like to swipe. The York Regional Police outline this new, high-tech method for stealing high-end vehicles.

Deals

I’m not a digitally savvy person, which is why people I know looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to start a digital marketing agency. But truthfully, I didn’t think I would ever need to get into the weeds in terms of the technical stuff.

You don’t have to shell out for AirPods Pro if you’re looking for a nice pair of noise-canceling earbuds. xFyro Active Noise Canceling AI-Powered Wireless Earbuds deliver the clarity and comfort of Apple’s earbuds.

The Desklab Portable Touchscreen Monitor is a plug-and-play screen for your laptop. And now this portable 4K touchscreen monitor is on sale for just $231.99 (regularly $700) with coupon code CMSAVE20.

If your iPhone is jammed to the gills with files, and giving you major fits as a result, this app will deliver the tools you need to correct the situation.

Reviews

iPad Pro is the best tablet on the market, but it can be more. Add a stand and you have a pretty good desktop. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Lululook Urban Magnetic iPad Pro Stand.

Apple TV+ brings back the "Queen of Christmas" to sprinkle more of her magic on the holiday season.

Plus, more Apple TV+ reviews/recaps:

STM Goods' MagArm is an iPhone mount that attaches to your Mac display, either in the office or at a coffee shop. (Slip in Apple’s MagSafe charging puck, and MagArm will charge the iPhone, too.)

This gadget works with AirPods Pro and your iPhone to help filter out crowd noise. It’s for people who aren‘t ready for hearing aids but would like help tuning into conversations in noisy environments.

Setups

Three screens and a MacBook make a magnificent workstation. This setup with one big display in landscape mode, bookended by two portrait-mode monitors, looks truly stunning. And it took some special connectivity tricks to make it happen.

Ever wonder what to do if you damage your laptop’s screen? If you have no insurance or warranty coverage, is it simply time to lay that laptop to rest? No. Not necessarily. The rest of that laptop’s body can be reanimated like the creature from Frankenstein — only more productive.

If you’re going to hunker down in a corner of a room and work until you’ve earned an MBA, you might as well do it on an M1 MacBook Air and have a nice view of passing trains. Except both of those things might help you procrastinate.