Our newsroom has an iPad Mini, codenamed "iPad Mini", for testing stuff. It's still using the archaic and antiquated iOS 6, so let's update it.

First we open our Settings app. Then we go to General settings, and at the top we see Software Update. Let's click that.

So now it says iOS 7.0.2 and has a download bar. But what's that? 5 hours? Ain't no one got time for that.

Time for Plan B, downloading the software on our desktop computer and update the iPad using iTunes.

Open up iTunes, select the iPad. What's it say? "A newer version of the iPad software is available (version 7.0.2). To update your iPad with the latest software, click Update." I think that means I should click Update.

After a few dire warnings from Apple and a bunch of terms and conditions that no one ever reads, things are going smoothly. In fact, the download took less than a minute from my desktop and the update is already pretty much done.

Let's look at what we have. First, a bunch of set up screens that you can skip:

Lastly, the new home screen with all its Jony Ives goodness:

So that's it. Lessons learned? From start to finish it was less than 15 minutes updating our company iPad Mini to iOS 7 via our desktop computer using iTunes. For those of you worrying about the update taking so long because you were updating over 3G/4G/AOL/IPoAC, I feel sorry. Don't do that.

Follow these easy steps and you too can relish in radioactive gradients that will cause night blindness if stared at too long.

Do you have an iOS upgrade experience you'd like to relate?

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