[tommorris]

Why would an iPad be more convenient on a plane? Well, cramped conditions make it almost impossible to use a laptop in cattle class. But no such problem for a smaller device like an iPad (or, I find, a netbook - 2x3hr batteries for my netbook meant I could spend most of my SFO-London flight hacking, writing e-mail and drafting blog posts - I do use mutt and vim: if I were using Word and Outlook, a 1024x600 netbook with a crappy little trackpad might have been a bit too restrictive for me).

If the iPad gets the ten hours it claims, it may be perfect for frequent flyers who want their own music, video and books, and a bit of e-mail reading and document perusal on the side.

[chrischen]

I can fit my Macbook Pro in "cattle class." And I figure since a Macbook and Macbook Air is much smaller they'd be much easier to fit. For watching movies the small trackpad wouldn't really matter. But hey, the iPad would probably be more suited to watching a movie on a plane, if only slightly more. But chances are if you're traveling, you've got your laptop with you anyways.

It would have been better if they had all the fancy touch controls on a macbook air size device that could flip open 350 degrees into a tablet, and flip back into a normal laptop.