Left the MBA at home and used the Ipad all day.

[TheRealDamager]

Microsoft and their Partners understand the Technical Buyer - their products will appeal to the person who knows the technology inside and out and wants something that meets all of their (relatively complicated) needs.

Apple understands that the Technical Buyer is really only 5-10% of the total market, and delivers products that are "limited" in comparison, but dead simple easy for the other 90-95% of the marketplace.

As a technician, I appreciate the level of capability delivered by the new products from Microsoft and their partners. I think they will fail the "can my Mother use it" test miserably...

 

[sexiewasd]

Before I bought my mac, my mother needed a laptop. I helped her pick out a nice AMD powered Asus with a dedicated GFX processor. She is endlessly confused by vista, and afraid to use it because she might break it with viruses and loose her photos. I feel very guilty enjoying my 11" Air, honestly an iPad would be much better for her needs (Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Netflix), but until iOS can run a LAMP server and Xcode, I'm stuck with a laptop, so jealous of the iPad's battery life, the 11" Air's is miserable and I would gladly have it twice as thick, (which would still be a quarter as thick as my mom's Asus), If it were used to increase the battery life. An air with 10 hours of battery life would be an incredible tool.

 

[sillyrabbitt]

Wrong the iPad is more then capable of doing work. When people get out the mindset that it suppose to replace a laptop they will see how capable it is.

For me I can make 100x the money using my mba and be 100x as productive on the mba then ipad. i gave it to my kids and never use it. To each his own so for you i get it! But for me MBA all the way.

 

[TheRealDamager]

Before I bought my mac, my mother needed a laptop. I helped her pick out a nice AMD powered Asus with a dedicated GFX processor. She is endlessly confused by vista, and afraid to use it because she might break it with viruses and loose her photos. I feel very guilty enjoying my 11" Air, honestly an iPad would be much better for her needs (Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Netflix), but until iOS can run a LAMP server and Xcode, I'm stuck with a laptop, so jealous of the iPad's battery life, the 11" Air's is miserable and I would gladly have it twice as thick, (which would still be a quarter as thick as my mom's Asus), If it were used to increase the battery life. An air with 10 hours of battery life would be an incredible tool.

We just moved my Mother in Law to an IPad from a laptop. The learning curve was incredibly easy, and it's the perfect solution for her. I know it's not for everybody, I get that, but for a LOT of people (by far the majority), it will do everything the would do with a computer.

 

[Geekbabe]

Put me in the "both" category as well.

Me too! Lying on the sofa with iPad now, my MBA is on the coffee table should I decide to work on pics for my blog. I have the best of both worlds.