Unless you really need the big screen and the less comfortable transportation aspect, I'd go for a 4th gen Ipod Touch… Much cheaper and exactly as capable.
As I own both I can tell you this is NOT true. You are basically saying that if I have a smartphone with physical keyboard that I don't need a netbook. Sure there are similarities, but the fact that the screen is 6x bigger, allows for full-size on-screen keyboard, and so on ... it just isn't the same. Also, the 'HD' iPad apps add functionality to take advantage of the added screen real estate.
There is a reason that everyone is saying the iPad is a netbook killer. For me, the moment I got the iPad I stopped using the netbook for anything but playing classic games, and now I have moved that to my Alienware m11x, so my netbook is gone.
I use my iPad for, well ... EVERYTHING! Including:
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Email - the universal client works great
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Web browsing - no slowdown with 9 active windows (unlike a netbook!)
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RSS feeds - I like NewsRack, but there are plenty of others. Again, integrated web browsing to quickly read the articles and top-notch performance.
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Document editing: Documents to Go works with 'cloud' services like Google Docs and DropBox seamlessly. Also the iWork apps and QuickOffice are nice, but Docs2Go is my fave
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Spreadsheets ... again Docs2Go is a great cloud-sync'd Excel-alike ... and performs a billion times better than Excel on netbook ... and doesn't have the user-abusive 'ribbon bar'
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Presentations - Keynote rocks ... gave a presentation to the regional statistical society recently using nothing but my iPad hooked to the projector!
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Mind Manager ... if you use one of these (I have MindJet's MindManager on Mac & PC), then iThoughtsHD is phenomenal
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Blogging / reviewing / article writing ... WordPress & Evernote are excellent on the iPad and allow you to get some quick writing in wherever you go.
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Music - sure it isn't
Digital Performer , but stuff like Virtuoso, GrooveMaker, iElectribe, Etude, and so on allow for some reasonably satisfying music on the go.
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TV Guide / Weather Channel - quick and easy apps give you much more detail than on a phone, and more quickly than on the web sites.
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ulu / Netflix - stream TV & Movies easily ... and without killing your battery. I have run a full length movie and two hour long TV shows without breaking a sweat in terms of battery. Same with streaming music via Pandora / Slacker.
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Twitter - I find the iPad to have the best (and, unlike Seesmic / TweetDeck / etc, also the lightest) client
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iPod / iTunes / App Store - gives a solid user experience and a full browsing on the go. I rarely buy from my home computer anymore.
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Keyboard Dock if you prefer a physical keyboard, as I do ... the keyboard dock is excellent. I am secretary for the regional quality society, and use Docs 2 Go with the keyboard dock for every monthly board meeting.
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Games - ah yeah, Games ... not replacing my PC anytime soon, but some really good stuff coming out. Shooters work better than PSP or DS, adventure games are starting to find a great home here as well ... also City builders. And of course RPGs like the upcoming Ossian Studios game will only help.
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eBooks - I have eReader, Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iBooks all loaded on my iPad. I had loads of ebooks from eReader & MobiPocket back from Pocket PC / Palm / Psion days, as well as plenty of Kindle ebooks from the last few years. My wife has a nook, so we can share those books as well. Is the iPad heavy compared to the nook? Sure, but if you have it in landscape orientation it is pretty much two nooks/Kindles side by side.
OK, so I have told you the good stuff, and why I use my iPad as an integral part of my life. What about the downside?
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Computer tether - you can't even get started without plugging it into a PC and activating it through iTunes. You can BUY content on the iPad from iTunes, Kindle, etc and access through Google Docs / DropBox ... but to get to your existing stuff you need to connect a cable. No wireless sync.
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Closed ecosystem - on my Android phone I can get developer apps to test / review just by checking the 'install from unknown sources' box. This allows for experimental apps, drivers, codecs ... on the iPad everything goes through Apple.
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App Limitations - anyone who used a Handheld PC 2000 Windows CE system like the HP Jornada 728 knows that the Office Apps were severely gimped. Nothing like that here, but many of the apps - while better than iPhone apps - are still less full-featured than their desktop versions.
Some general thoughts:
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iOS 4 - the multitasking, folders and wireless printing will all be a wonderful addition when they arrive next month!
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eBook screen - this is NOT E-Ink, it is a computer screen. Anywhere it would be hard to read a PC screen ... same for iPad.
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Screen Dirt / Scratch- get a protector right away! Head to Meritline or Buy.com or NewEgg one of those types of sites and get a relatively cheap 3-pack. Best money you can spend!
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Case - Also, get a case of some type. I have the basic Apple case and love it. I can't use it with the keyboard dock, so pretty much at least once every week I remove it from the case to use that dock. For light stuff I use the Apple case as a wedge stand and use the on-screen keyboard.
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Bluetooth - I also have an Apple BlueTooth keyboard, and that works great as well ... and is a few $ cheaper. Depends on how you will use it, really.
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Music - notice I didn't mention music? Sure I have ~16GB or so of music on there, but unless I am in the office and just plug into the dock (I have a Dell external monitor with speaker bar attached to my laptop) I seldom use the iPad as an iPod. Honestly, I think the iPod Touch and iPad are the worst iPods I have used in terms of pure music playing ... I like physical controls so I keep my 2nd gen iPod Nano around.
- 4th Gen iPod Touch - DArtagnan mentioned this ... and it is awesome. I had a 1st gen, and just got the new one. Cameras are adequate, not as good as my Droid camera / Flip Video combo I usually have, but not bad either. The screen and speed are amazing ... I love gaming on it!
There you go ... feel free to ask any questions you might have!