[bricestacey]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's only good for browsing the web. The ease of use of different devices brings about incredible behavioral changes that can't simply be disregarded.

I have the luxury of testing a lot of mobile devices lately. I have a macbook pro, iPhone, Kindle DX, Nook, Sony Reader, and ASUS EEE 1005H. I never use the netbook because my 13" MBP is almost just as small and a million times better. The readers are neat, but I don't bother unless I'm reading a novel. They are essentially like books and their value cannot really be maximized unless you're the type of person who reads at any available moment (and I don't live a lifestyle that provides me with such moments).

There is this huge middle ground where my MBP is a bit too clunky and my iPhone a bit too small. The iPad fills that gap perfectly. I'm the type of person though that prefers to read my email at work standing up and on my iPhone rather than on my desktop. And I suspect as more comfortable devices come to market (like the iPad), these sort of behavioral changes will become more apparent.

[jrockway]

Interesting. I travel a lot, and try to avoid taking too much with me. The Kindle + netbook is a good combination for me. I also take my happy hacking keyboard. (As for laptops, I think they are a waste of money. A quad-core desktop + netbook is cheaper than a decent dual-core laptop. And if you lose the netbook, it's no big deal. $300 and you have a brand new one.)

The problem with the iPad and devices like it is that most of my activities in front of a computer involve typing; writing or programming. Just sitting and reading content is nice, but that's what the Kindle is for. And if I need to type, I need a real computer. So the iPad is the form factor that I would like to carry around, but it's worse than a Kindle for reading and worse than a netbook for computing.

I also have a portable music/movie player, and a phone. Way too many devices, and yet they are all good at one thing and all suck at everything else. Sigh.

Edit: after re-reading this comment, I've realized that I've failed at traveling light. netbook, kindle, keyboard, phone, dc-dc-converter, archos, headphones. I wish I could combine all these devices into one :(

[bricestacey]

I think the argument over losing them is moot. At my library, we're looking into loaning netbooks because we can buy 3 netbooks for the price of a single laptop (and then double the loan period to 8 hours and let them leave the building), but how many people actually lose them? I think it's a justification for being cheap. That is reasonable for libraries loaning out tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, but appalling to me for any developer. Or perhaps I'm just out of touch?

The iPad, on the other hand, is cheap. It's portable. It covers all the bases (music, email, internet, photos, and the app store). When I was talking with my mechanic, his exact words were, "so you wouldn't need a computer anymore." Exactly. Suddenly, anyone, including you, can experience the best of mobile technology (and arguably consumer technology) for only $499. And then splurge on a decent laptop like a Macbook for "real work". If you actually need any better, you should be relatively rich, so buy a MBP. Heck, keep using your Kindle too. a laptop, Kindle, and iPad is still pretty light.

[jrockway]

I don't think anyone intends to lose or break their laptop, but it happens. I would rather be out $300 than $2000.