I realize that the most important reason I love my iPad is that I fundamentally spend way more time consuming content than actually creating it. Sure, I write some emails and these blog posts (using my desktop now... though I could be using the snazzy yet heavy keyboard peripheral (shown above); however, most of the time, I more passively consume rather than actively creating stuff like email, web, models, presentations, docs, board packs etc. And then there's all the entertainment stuff that is pure consumption by definition: movies, TV, books, music, and the wonderful world of apps. With an iPad, all that entertainment is just plain stellar. The iPad sits on the tray table in a plane more easily and comfortably than I would hold a book. It's a better video display than the one built in on the seat backs of Virgin America or JetBlue. It's more enjoyable to sit on a couch or chair with an iPad than a computer. Do I miss the tactile keyboard? Sure, and that's why I have the peripheral as a type of dock; however, the typing is tolerable and brevity is always appreciated. Heck, Twitter only gives you 140 characters. So is an iPad a laptop replacement? Depends on how much you need to produce versus consume. The real question is how much more easily and pleasurably do you want to consume and be entertained? The apps add another dimension to the utility and fun factor of the iPad. That's just something that a desktop can't compete with. My biggest beef is the lack of flash support for web surfing, but the upside of the device working so well without it is worth the trade off. Hopefully websites will adapt appropriately over time. What is your experience?
